CHENNAI : Not everyday does one see the defeated walk out head held high. Sports, after all, is about the winner. The vanquished can be praised for putting up a fight if they do. Seldom are they talked about once the game is over. The women’s final of the 68th state volleyball championship on Friday witnessed a different story. Despite losing to SDAT 20-25, 20-25, 25-15, 22-25, players of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) were lauded for a job well done. Reason? It was their first competition of any kind as a team.
Assembled in October from different parts of the country and having been under a coach for a mere 10 days, the ICF women’s team had other obstacles too. Four of their main players were taking part in trials for the inter-railway meet. While SDAT were at full strength with six players on the bench, ICF had just one as reserve, substituting the same players frequently.
“Our strategy was to give small breaks to the players who were getting tired,” said ICF coach Ahmed Ali Khan, who got little time to work with the players. “Keeping this tournament in mind, we practised for seven-eight hours a day. With the main players away, I made sure the players available spent more time on workout sessions so that they would be strong enough to play against tough teams.”
“Ten days is very less to understand players. So I gave them a daily schedule and made sure they followed it. Even now, I don’t know the players very well. Even though we lost in the final, the experience matters a lot because we learnt a lot from this tournament,” he said.In the semis against GKM on Thursday, ICF’s main setter Anu Sri Babu joined the team in the fifth set as she was travelling from Vijayawada. Instead of seeing this as a disadvantage, the ICF team took it as a morale booster.
Asked about her first experience playing for ICF, setter Swathi Shaji said, “It was tough. Being debutants, we didn’t expect to reach the final. Though we lost, we have accomplished our goals. After Ahmed sir took charge, our schedule has totally changed. The workout sessions started at 4.30am. None of our hard work went in vain.”
Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. “I didn’t expect this result in the first tournament,” ICF sports officer Sebastian Xavier said. “They are talented and now on, we will put in more efforts to provide them all facilities.”