National Sports Day 2021
On 29th August 2021, Soham Leadership Program 2021-22 celebrated National Sports Day on the birth anniversary of Legendary Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand. Sports and Leadership are compatible with each other. Participating in sports develops confidence, communication, discipline, goal setting, decision making, and many more leadership skills. Every sportsman comes up with a game plan and strategies to win. Team Saahas had come up with a master ground plan to organize Kabaddi, Badminton, and 100M Dash Tournament for both boys and girls at Sports Coaching Foundation, Masab Tank. This is the first-ever event celebrated in SLP 2021-22 program, where the entire Soham family was involved.
We, Soham leaders believe in “Wake up and Win”. Our journey to the Sports stadium started by winning over the alarm snooze buttons. The atmosphere was very cool and refreshing. Everything was looking fresh. Birds were chirping and green leaves were waving in the cool and fresh air. We all gathered at different pickup points and started our journey on the bus. The bus journey was just like a picnic where each one of us enjoyed. This outing not only brought us close but we all got to know each other in a better way.
Finally, we reached the spot. It was a big ground for Outdoor sports and consists of spectator seating aside.
To prepare our bodies for the sport, we performed micro yoga which gave us all an energetic start. Sahadev sir and Captains of teams – Saahas, Pravaah, and Samarpan gave instructions to all the participants.
Of all the 3 main sports, 100M Dash (Running race) was organized first. Everyone was running their own race. For the audience, the joy was in the running journey, not in the destination. It went joyfully. Without any delay, we started the Kabaddi tournament. The ground was prepared well in advance. There were 3 kabaddi teams – Jama Osmania, Amberpet, and Sithaphalmandi. Firstly, Girls Kabaddi was organized. Kabaddi needs strength, stamina, speed, and agility. Every girl player had all those qualities. Each team was showing the beautiful balance between holding on and letting go. Then, Boys Kabaddi had started…It was an eye feast to all the audience. Each team was using their mental and physical tactics to break the defense of the opponent team.
As Kabaddi was going on cheerfully, the Badminton tournament was organized simultaneously for boys on the first go and girls on the next hand. Badminton is all about comfort zones and psychology. Participants were playing in such a way that there are only two people in the world, one is themselves and the other – their opponent. The game went very well. The audience cheered the badminton and kabaddi players basing on their interest in the sport.
It was almost noon. Kabaddi finals started. We observed the struggles and strategies of each team to win the tournament. Spectators were keenly observing the thought behind every move. Finally, Jama Osmania (girls) and Amberpet (boys) won the Winner’s Title. Even though when the match ended, the audience was still screaming Kabaddi… Kabaddi… Everyone got a chance to watch fabulous offensive skills like a sidekick, front kick, toe touch, and outstanding defensive skills like Ankle-catch, knee catch, crocodile catch, etc. Hilarious commentary by our young leader Prashant attracted the audience. Though it was a tough competition held, later we ate lunch together as a family. Everyone took responsibility for food by serving each other. This shows the integrity of the Soham family.
After lunch, we had the finals matches of the Boys & Girls Badminton Tournament. Now, all the audience’s eyes have shifted from Kabaddi Court to Badminton Court. Though a player from the boy’s category got injured while playing the finals, he still did not give up and continued the game with a spirit full of dedication and belief. Both the boys’ and girls’ matches went with tough equal scores and it was fabulously great to watch the opponents praising the winners for their success.
Lastly, Prize Distribution was held. Prize distribution was a pride moment for every participant. It started with amazing Yoga by Soham kids. All the winners and runners-up were given medals and certificates by Sahadev sir and Shoba mam. After the distribution, Sahadev sir gave a short speech by addressing the Sports meet. Captains of three teams have congratulated and thanked everyone who made the event a grand success.
And the Celebration ended with the blessing of nature with a little rain.
National Sports Day 2021 will stay as a memorable day in the history of the Soham Leadership Program with many learnings and experiences. The memories we collected on this day are some moments we’ll cherish forever. The day not only provided a break from everyday mundane life but also made everyone happy and allowed us to spend some quality time with the Soham family.