Gliding on wheels, picking up speed and maintaining balance may seem effortlessly cool, but mastering roller-skating takes intense practice. The thrill takes time.
Now add a ball, opponents and a goalpost, and the challenge gets a whole lot tougher. That is Roll Ball, an indigenous Indian sport that combines skating with elements of basketball, handball and throwball, which is fast gaining global popularity.
Keralam has been upping its game too. And recently, the state’s junior boys’ team won bronze at the Junior Roll Ball Nationals in Coimbatore — its podium finish at this level.
Coached by Dr A Nazar and captained by Jonathan Edwards of Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram, the team topped its pool-stage league, beat Maharashtra 7–5 in the quarter-finals and lost to Rajasthan in the semi-finals. It then bounced back to beat hosts Tamil Nadu 4–3 in the bronze-medal match.
Roll Ball is played between two teams of 12 players. Six players from each side take the court — five outfield players and a goalkeeper — while the remaining six wait in reserve.
Players pass a handball-sized ball or bounce it on the ground while skating, and cannot hold it for more than three seconds. Matches are played on a 40m x 20m court over two 20-minute halves.
The sport originated in Pune in 2003. The Roll Ball Federation of India standardised the rules and hosted the first World Championship in 2011.
The International Roll Ball Federation now spans Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, with India remaining one of the favourites.
In India, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are among the leading states.
“Keralam had a really promising team this year,” says Nazar.
“It was strengthened by many good players. Jonathan, Gaurav Unnikrishnan and our goalkeeper Havish B, who played exceptionally, have been selected for the national team selection camp. The game is one of 44 recognised by the Kerala Sports Council. All 14 districts take part in the state championship.”
In Keralam, schools in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Thrissur are among the leading competitors.
“Roller-skating in general is gaining more popularity, and the game is attracting more attention,” adds Nazar.
For Jonathan, the podium finish was the culmination of years of effort. A roll ball player since Class 1, he finally led the team to a medal after several unsuccessful attempts.
“We had an exceptionally good team that had played together for many years,” says the Class XI student.
“We had two five-day camps before the tournament and were well prepared. We dominated every match from the pool stage, and the biggest win was the quarter-final against Maharashtra, who beat us at the same level last year.”
Jonathan is quite excited that the sport is on the rise in Keralam. “New clubs are coming up and more schools are getting involved,” he gushes.
“In northern states like Rajasthan and UP, the game is already hugely popular among school students. We will soon reach that level.”
Devkiran C A, from Thiruvankulam and a student of St Mary’s HSS, Morakkala, is another mainstay of the state junior team. He began practising after school at the age of nine and has since represented the state at seven national championships.
“As Class XI students, this is the last time we could play on the junior team. Many of us had been playing together for a long time. It’s great that we could reach the podium. Last year, we ended up at the No. 4 spot,” says Devkiran.
“In Ernakulam, the game is rapidly gaining more popularity in schools, and we can see many teams taking part in the competitions these days,” he added.
His sister, Devnanda, is also an emerging roll ball player, informs their mother, Soushya Anish. “She is part of the state junior girls’ team. Their nationals will be held in December,” she beams.