Irumbayam girls show their mettle
Tags:
The residents of Irumbayam Colony near Thalayolaparamb are so passionate about sports that any sporting activity comes quite naturally to them. No wonder nine girls from the locality got selected to the state under-14 girls football camp.
The amazing part is that it has been hardly two years since these girls began playing football, under the guidance of Jomon Jacob, physical education teacher of Kunhi Raman Memorial High School, where they study.
Jomon says most of the girls come from sports loving families and the passion for the game is in their blood. “So it was no trouble getting them to love the sport. In the first year there were only a few, but now the number has grown to 40,” said Jomon.
Akshara K.A., Anuja M.S., Danya V.R., Anjana, Juby John, Ashly Daniel, Sona Peter, Margret John and Aleena are the girls who were called to the state camp. Last year two girls, Shariya K.V. and Ardhra Krishnankutty from the school represented the state under-16 team in the national championship in Aurangabad.
“In 2010 we launched our football academy and in a few months our students won the district championship. They repeated the achievement last year as well and with each tournament they are improving,” said Jomon.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi Rao, a girl from the school also was part of the state team in the nationals of the PYKKA (Panchayat Yuva Krida aur Khel Abhiyan) games held in Bengaluru last year.
The girls begin their routine training at 7 in the morning and go on till 9.30, then after school they continue the hard work for nearly two-and-a-half hours. On weekends it is exercise that last the whole day, which explains why these girls have produced such impressive results in a short duration.
The place sandwiched between Ernakulam and Kottayam has a similar past, the women that impressed, though in a different ball game — volleyball.
K. C. Elamma, first Malayali woman Arjuna awardee and the famed Namakuzhy sisters — Eliyamma, Annakutty V.V., Saramma, Ammini, P.K. Eliyamma, Leela K.P. and Leelamma were the iron women from the region.
Jomon doesn’t hide his dream, which is to produce a few national footballers from the region that will help it regain its proud past.
Post new comment