Parminder Nagra shocked her family in Bend It Like Beckham, by being zealous about soccer and wanting to be a football player. For those who thought that girls don’t play sport, it’s time you wake up to the increasing number of girls being part of their college sports’ teams. From playing basketball to football to hockey, these young ladies are breaking the stereotype and keenly following their passion.
Karthika L, who just graduated from RV College Of Engineering, was the captain of her college team and also her university (VTU) team. She started playing basketball in Class 4. “That’s’ when they laid the basketball court. We then had a summer camp and I was awarded the best player in the camp,” she says. Her team from RVCE went on to win the championship after eight whole years! Interestingly, Karthika isn’t the typical ‘tall’ player. Five foot one inch tall, this fiery girl didn’t let her lack of good height stop her from making it big. “There is an NBA tournament happening soon. I asked them if there was any minimum height required and they said that passion for the game was the only thing required,” says Karthika, who also captains the National Games Village team. Their team won the PESIT international tournament too.
Karthika, who had quite a hectic schedule to follow, says, “I would leave home for practice at 5.30 am, catch a bus and go to college and practice till 8.30 am. I had to be in class by 9 am. During the VTU championship, we could practice even in the evening and get back home only by 9.30 pm. And all the hard work really paid off! Our lecturers were supportive too.” The basketball champ, who was awarded the best outgoing student in her department, is currently coaching young kids at NGV. She says she is used to being called a tomboy by the guys and believes that girls can out beat the boys.
Another sporty girl is Aishwarya Krishnan, a student of Mount Carmel College, who plays for the college football team. She started playing footie in Class 9 and continued when she joined degree. Giving full credit to her coach, Aishwarya says, “There are only a handful of colleges that have girls’ football teams. We go for almost all college tournaments. While a lot of girl-basketball teams are present, football is picking up only now. It’s nice to break the ‘girls don’t play football’ stereotype!”
For degree student Yashica Lakkanna, playing basketball started off in school. She then joined her college team in PUC and captained the team in second PUC. The final year student is now the captain of the degree team too. “I played for the Karnataka state team and I’ve also played for Bangalore University and captained that team too,” she says. When you practice, you need to have presence of mind and not let your mind wander elsewhere, Yashica. “We shoot loops in the morning and then practice after class in the afternoon. When I play, I feel fresh and score better in my studies!”
Her family is proud of her achievements and Yashica also plays along with the guys at the NGV club. “There are a lot of girls’ teams coming up. I feel we have better female players than the boys. We may not be as tall as the guys, but girls too have the same level of dedication,” she sums up. Cheers to that!