CWG doubles gold medalistand IBL ICON Player Ashwini Ponnappa launched the Indian Badminton League’s School Programme initiative – ‘Shuttle Express’ here today at the JamnabaiNarsee School, Mumbai.
The IBL is an initiative of the Badminton Association of India with Sporty Solutionz as the Commercial Partner. JamnabaiNarsee School is the IBL School Partner for the Mumbai leg and the school championship in the city is being held under the aegis of the Maharashtra Badminton Associationat the Badminton Courts in Khar Gymkhana, 15th Road, on July 17-18. An unprecedented number of students in Mumbai will be vying for the titles in both the boys and girls singles categories in the city leg. The city winners will play the All-India Finals during the forthcoming IBL in August.
Speaking during the briefing, Shuttle Sensation Ashwini Ponnappa said, “It’s a happy moment for every Indian badminton player today as this initiative by IBL will see badminton rise in India and hence motivate the future players to achieve more historic feats for everyone to witness, cherish and feel proud of. Wishing the participants‘All the Best’ and may the next champion of India win the Shuttle Express”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. AshishChadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz, said, “We saw a great response during the kick-off ceremony of the ‘Shuttle Express’ in Delhi and we are witnessing the same amount of enthusiasm and participation in Mumbai. The reason behind launching the Shuttle Express is to boost the young talent at grass root level. The overwhelming response from the schools and children gives us the confidence that Shuttle Express will give India its next champion shuttler. We take this opportunity to thank our IBL School Partner for Mumbai leg JamnabaiNarsee Schoolfor their support for this initiative”.
Speaking on Shuttle Express, Badminton Association of India President & MP, Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta, said, “It gives us immense joy and pride to introduce the IBL School Programme initiative – Shuttle Express, to lakhs of students across the country. We hope the effort taken by our badminton icons and stars to visit schools in six cities will inspire many youngsters to take up the sport.”
Speaking on Shuttle Express, Principal of JamnabaiNarseeSchool, MsSudeshnaChatterjeesaid, “JamnabaiNarseeSchool has always considered sports to be an important attribute of education. So, we are immensely proud of our association with IBL Shuttle Express and thank AshwiniPonnappa for encouraging our sportspersons in the making, to aspire to much more than the ordinary.”
With its launch in Delhi on 12 July, the Shuttle Express is all set to roll in Mumbai today, followed by Hyderabad on July 16, Pune from July 17, Lucknow on July 19 and finally in Bangalore. Each city will witness matches being played over two days and the National finals will be held in Mumbai
which will be beamed LIVE on TV from August 28-31, 2013, as part of theIBL. The Shuttle Express will offer an incentive of Rs 10 lakh in prize money to the National winners in both the boys and girls singles events. The finalists in both the categories will also be given an opportunity to train at the world-class PullelaGopichand Academy.
The path-breaking IBL will be held in six cities from August 14-31. The richest badminton league in the world will feature almost all the top-50 players in the world and will be played under the Sudirman Cup format and televised LIVE to more than 100 countries.
source: http://www.indianbadmintonleague.com / IBL / Home> Big Story / Mumbai – July 15th, 2013
It all began with an innocuous fling of a paper ball. Boisterous and unrestrained like toddlers her age, a two-year-old Ashwini was bringing the roof down at a friend’s place in the hushed hill station town of Madikeri in Kodagu, when her mother Cauvery handed her an old badminton racquet to keep her occupied. (Experts have lauded Ashwini…)
She then crumpled up a few newspapers, shaped them into balls and tossed them at Ashwini, who swung and latched onto them like a pro. The bonding was immediate, and a star was born. Now, several years of accolades and a cabinet full of medals and trophies later, Ashwini Ponnappa is riding the waves of mainstream stardom with aplomb.
Ashwini’s forte and talent comes from a Kodava lineage rich in sporting culture. Her uncle, Kumar Appachu, was a state-level cricketer while her father, MA Ponnappa, was an exponent in hockey, having represented Karnataka in eight Nationals between 1974 and 1986. He even had a brief foray internationally as a stellar midfielder for Italian club Eur in the European hockey circuit.
The banker, employed with RBI and Cauvery, an assistant manager with New India Assurance, have never hesitated to give Ashwini all the support she needed to scale the peaks of badminton glory. “Being from a sporting background, it was essential that she had a grasp of sports from an early age. So I got her to take part in a few track-and-field events to build her speed and stamina. She showed great progress but her heart was hooked to badminton,” said Ponnappa.
Nation’s future face
Experts have lauded the 23-year-old Kodava lass for her ‘killer instinct’ – something that cannot be coached. Her medal-studded performance at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2011 Badminton World Federation World Championships in London led the national media to dub her not just badminton’s future face but its great Indian hope.
By the time London Olympics was on the anvil, Ashwini was a household name. From billboards flashing her million-dollar smile to young badminton aficionados hounding her for autographs whenever she turned up for practice, a genteel Ashwini accepted the newfound attention with grace.
“Life changed quite dramatically,” Ashwini recalls. “The biggest advantage was that the CWG was held at home and in the national capital. People came in large numbers to support us, which really boosted our game. Most importantly, people started to appreciate doubles. Till then, it was all about singles but that gold medal scripted a new path for India’s doubles players,” says Ashwini, who is employed with ONGC.
She and Jwala Gutta became a relentless force on the national and international circuit, which swelled to greater heights after their bronze-winning feat at the Worlds. But following a split earlier this year, Ashwini is looking to replicate the success with her new partners Pradnya Gadre and Tarun Kona (mixed doubles).
“Jwala and I had a great time together on the circuit and I learnt a lot from her. But now I have a new partner and a new set of objectives. I have always wanted to do better than what I achieved earlier and hopefully I can do that at the World Championships in August,” says the former St Francis Xavier’s Girl’s High School student.
If looks could kill, then Ashwini is up to the job. Fresh-faced and with limitless marketing potential, she has been approached with several offers to embrace the reel life. “Movies? Not now, maybe I’ll try a few ads first but only if they don’t affect my game,” says Ashwini, ready to ride the shuttle to success.
Know more
Family: MA Ponnappa, Cauvery and brother Appanna
Sporting hero: Roger Federer
Actor/actress: Anne Hathaway/Ryan Gosling
Food: Kodagu cuisine – koli curry, kadumbuttu and nooputtu
Music: R&B, Empire of the Sun
Dream holiday spot: Greece
Dream match to watch live: Federer versus Nadal.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Badminton / by Maxin Mathew, TNN / July 01st, 2013
One Indian tennis player is emerging as the new crowd favorite at Wimbledon. Not Mahesh Bhupathi, not Leander Paes, not Sania Mirza; its Rohan Bopanna who is wooing the spectators with his BOOM BOOM game! His 3rd round mixed doubles match was watched by a packed audience on Court 12 even as the commentators were keeping a track of his number of aces.
And why not, when only the previous day the 6’3” Bangalorean served 22 aces in the marathon match against 6th seeds, Daniel Nestor and Robert Lindstedt? Not surprisingly, Bopanna is the only Indian who is alive in both men’s and mixed doubles draws.
Grass is traditionally considered the strong point of big serving Indian players. However, no Indian has made the semis of men’s doubles here since Leander Paes in 2008. Thus, when Rohan entered Wimbledon with a new partner, Edouard-Roger Vasselin, not much was expected of the combo.
However, the last few days have changed it all. In Round 3, the Indo-French combo upset 3rd seeds and in-form pair of Bruno Soares/Alexander Peya and followed it up with a 5-setter win over Nestor/Lindstedt. Against the latter, Rohan and Vasselin were up 7-6 7-5 3-1 when they suddenly found themselves in the 5th set, having wasted a match point in the previous set.
Many would have succumbed to the pressure but Team Rohan handled it with ease, keeping their composure to finish off the rain-delayed match 7-6 7-5 6-7 6-7 6-2. They next face the Bryan brothers who are chasing the “Bryan golden slam”- a unique achievement of holding all the 4 slams at the same time along with the Olympic gold medal that they won last year.
Needless to say Rohan and Roger are faced with an uphill task. But if any team can stop the Bryans now, it has to be them. For the record, the Bryans have served 37 aces till now in the entire tournament. And the number for Rohan/Roger stands at 91! They have hammered 31 aces in the last match itself.
Of course, aces alone won’t work against the best pair of all times. But with wife Supriya by his side, Bopanna seems to have found the renewed inspiration that took him to the US Open final in 2010 with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. And not to forget, the guy has a chance to lift his 1st slam in mixed doubles as well! In the quarter-final, Bopanna/Zhenq will take on Vera Dushevina/Jean-Julian Rojer.
All the best Rohan!
source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> Tennis/Grand Slam / by Rajorshi Das / July 04th, 2013
They say you either pick up a gun or a hockey stick as a child in Coorg. For almost every other family from the lush hills has a member either in the armed forces or pushing for a spot in the Indian hockey side.
In a sport that has traditionally been dominated by players from the North — notably the assembly lines from Punjab — serene and picturesque Coorg holds its own as a prolific south-side outpost. A Coorgi player’s silken skills, silent yet strong aggression and technique combined with a meticulously planned fitness regime set him apart from the rest. From the last generation’s pillars like Arjun Halappa and BP Govinda to modern-day stick wielders such as VR Raghunath and SV Sunil, the life-support systems of the Indian national teams have come from Kodagu’s martial clans.
Now, for the first time since 1989, as many as 10 players from Coorg are in contention for spots in the national team. Hockey India announced 48 probables for next month’s Asia Cup earlier this week and the Coorgis make for over one-fifth of the longlist. Of the 10, eight are strikers — MK Muddappa, Nikin Thimmaiah, PL Thimmanna, MG Poonacha, Nithin Thimmaiah, Pradhan Sommanna, SK Uthappa and SV Sunil. The list also includes midfielder MB Aiyappa and a defender VR Raghunath. The promising thing about this is that most are below 25 and are therefore at the perfect age for India’s preparations for the 2016 Olympics. In fact, at the last Nationals 68 Coorgis turned out for different teams.
It’s not new for Coorgis to find a place in the Indian squad. But it is intriguing that such a tiny region has produced almost a dozen players who have the potential to break into the Indian team at the same time. “A lot of credit for this goes to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bangalore. It has provided really good facilities to the players and it is also easily accessible. With the kind of infrastructure that is available, it isn’t surprising that players from this region are flourishing,” says former India captain Halappa, who is now a national team selector.
NORTH vs SOUTH
This leads us to the obvious question: does this indicate a shift in balance of power from the north to the south? Experts suggest otherwise. “I don’t see it as a case of south overtaking north. In fact, the two regions together now seem to control Indian hockey,” former India coach Harendra Singh says.
The Dronacharya Awardee makes a fair point. While players from the south are making rapid strides to break into the national team set-up, Punjab arguably continues to remain the nursery of Indian hockey. The academies that were set up during former India captain Pargat Singh’s regime as the state’s sports director have been reaping benefits. Pargat also ensured that the infrastructure across the state was spruced up and made open to youngsters. Today, Punjab produces the maximum number of players for the junior team, a fact that is reflected in the composition of the junior squad — almost 70 per cent of the members ofthe junior team for the European tour in May consisted of players from the north. In contrast, there was only one player from the south, a Coorgi, who was part of that tour.
At the senior level, though, the trend reverses. “A lot goes into grooming a young talent into India material. There’s a lot of emphasis laid on educating the youngsters about the demands of modern hockey so that he is prepared, physically and mentally, to face the challenges,” says former India goalkeeper AB Subaiah, also a Coorgi. “Over the last few years, we have focussed a lot on developing the youngsters and providing them with the best facilities.This is the main reason why we are seeing so many players succeed from this region.”
The rising dominance of Punjab and Karnataka has coincided with the declining standards in regions such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, which used to boast a rich hockey culture. A testimony to this is the national championships. For the last three years, Punjab and Karnataka have been among the top three sides. However, in all these editions, the performances of the young players from Karnataka overshadowed those of the ageing stars from Punjab. It was the same case in the World Series Hockey (WSH) as well, where players from Karnataka did quite well and generated a lot of buzz.
THE KODAVA DYNASTY
But then, you expect crowds to pour in for a hockey match in Bangalore, which is home to almost all players from Coorg. Hockey is said to be as deep-rooted in their culture as the coffee plantations. And Coorg plays host to one of the biggest hockey festivals in the world. The Kodava Hockey Festival made its way into the Limca Book of Records for attracting record entries. It’s an inter-family tournament and more than 200 Kodava families take part in it. Last year, the national team played an exhibition match against a Kodava XI and the fixture attracted thousands.
Subaiah claims Karnataka is the only state that provides branded apparel and kits to its players along with accommodation in plush hotels during the national championships.
Understandably, Bangalore is the next big destination which is being targeted for the second edition of the Hockey India League (HIL). The recent buzz is that a Coorgi hockey afficionado, who runs a sports event management firm, will bid to own a team in the cash-rich league. But the huge financial commitments and bank guarantees that have to be submitted means the chances of that happening are pretty low.
That, however, won’t stop Hockey India from entering one of the most lucrative markets. “The region has always produced quality players and is of high importance to us. We are still evaluating a few things. But it’ll be nice to have a team from there,” says Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home / by Mihir Vasavda, New Delhi / Sunday – July 07th, 2013
International athlete Ashwini Nachappa, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest IFS Ajai Misra and Zoo directer B P Ravi look on.
International athlete Ashwini Nachappa stressed the need for Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens extending its youth club activities to the schools outside Mysore city.
Addressing students after inaugurating a youth club at the Mysore Zoo Auditorium on Sunday, Ashwini asked the kids to grab the opportunities that come their way.
“People only talk about the death of people due to floods in Uttarakhand. No one is bothered about the loss of endangered species of animals, plants etc,” she regretted.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Ajai Misra asked parents to make their children aware of the need of conserving the environment, especially wildlife.
Pointing out the reasons for man-animal conflict, Misra said: “The population of elephants was one lakh when that of humans was 35 crore in undivided India before 1947. But now when the population of humans has touched 120 crore, the elephant population has reduced to about 25,000.”
But the decrease in the number of elephants has nothing to do with man-animal conflict. Wild animals are blamed for man-animal conflict despite human beings responsible for the same, he said.
He said that environment conservation was a complex issue.
Man is becoming selfish and indifferent by taking up development, he regretted.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Mysore / July 08th, 2013
Rohan Bopanna in action. (Express Phtoto)
The phoneline goes blank for a few prolonged seconds. Having thought the answer through, Rohan Bopanna responds with a hushed ‘yes’. Have you finally stepped out of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi’s shadow, he was asked. “But more than that,” Bopanna is quick to add, “I feel I have matured as a player, which has helped.”
For close to a decade, Indian tennis fans have often wondered if there was a successor to Paes and Bhupathi on the doubles court. Monday’s ATP rankings and this year’s Wimbledon proves that Bopanna, now ranked fifth — higher than the veteran Indians — could just be that man.
“It seems so,” says Enrico Piperno, the former Davis Cup coach for India. “At 33, he is still young on the doubles circuit and has still many years ahead of him. He has been injury-free for most part of his career. Also, Rohan has worked hard to reach this level. Really hard.”
The Karnataka man has made some notable changes to his game to reach this level. By quickening his service action, Bopanna has ensured that the opponent gets less time to react. And earned his nickname — Bofors. With a relatively low toss of the ball followed by a smooth, quick connect, he also generates more pace and accuracy. Consequently, he has been able to hold his service games with ease.
No longer one trick
Apart from just his booming serves, Bopanna has also, over time, become more agile on the court. This, then, allows him to hunt down balls and return them with sharp angles, traits found in the best doubles specialists. To achieve this, he says, Bopanna was forced to cut down on bread and sweets, while also working over time with both Yash Pandey and Scott Davidoff, his physical trainer and coach respectively. Pandey was instrumental in chiselling his physique, Davidoff turned his net play around.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Mihir Vasavda / Mumbai – Tuesday, July 09th, 2013
IRRESISTIBLE It is not every day that a player like Jwala comes and asks you to partner her, says Ashwini Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. Badminton ace Ashwini Ponappa tells Kalyan Ashok enjoying yourself on court is important for winning
There is no full stop on court for Ashwini Ponnappa. The 23-year-old who nowadays lives out of a suitcase, jetting across the world for tournaments and returning for national camps at Hyderabad and practice sessions at home in Bangalore. It is the kind of schedule that might drain out any young player, but Ashwini seems to enjoy every bit of it.. After a long stint on court at the Nest Sports Club, under the watchful eye of her coach, Tom John, Ashwini steps out to say: “Hi, sorry to keep you waiting can you give me a few more minutes? I will play one more game and get back.”
Ashwini is to Bangalore, what Saina Nehwal is to Hyderabad. If Saina is the undisputed queen of Indian badminton in singles, Ashwini is the rising star of the doubles. With her partner, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini brought India glory in the 2010 Commonwealth Games with a gold and a year later, won a bronze in the World championship and a string of title triumphs in the South Asian Games besides junior and senior National championships. IRRESISTIBLE It is not every day that a player like Jwala comes and asks you to partner her, says Ashwini Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.
Success rests lightly on her slender shoulders, and there is no air of being a star. “Me a star! I have lot to achieve and I don’t think I have reached a stage where I can call myself a star!” says Ashwini modestly.
With Jwala no longer by her side on court, Ashwini has found a new team mate, Pradnya Gadre to play on the international circuit. Currently Ashwini and Pradnya duo are ranked 28th in the world.
“The season has been good so far with Pradnya. We have been playing together since September last year. I have also started playing mixed doubles with Tarun Kona and we are getting better with every tournament. Yes, it is quite a change. Jwala was far more experienced than me and Pradnya. I have been playing at the world level for past three years and Pradnya has been there for the past two years. We are focusing and gelling very well.”
When Ashwini took up playing doubles, after a stint as a singles players at the State and National level as a junior, her partner was another Bangalore girl, Nitya Sosale. “I was playing with Nitya and we had won lot of tournaments at state, national junior and senior levels. We had a good time, we were friends, and hung out together off court as well. But playing with Jwala was different. When she approached me to partner her, I was reluctant, because I had been partnering Nitya for so long. It is not every day, that a player like Jwala comes and asks you to partner her, so I said yes. It was an offer I could not refuse as she is the best doubles player in the country. When I teamed with her, her positive approach rubbed off on me. She was very encouraging. She was very good at the net and all I had to do play well at the back court. I would smash and she would finish it off — virtually no shuttle could get past her. I had a wonderful time, I learnt a lot and she was good fun, an extrovert and very outspoken. With Pradnya, it is different, both of us are a little introverted, but we are getting along well, we are enjoying ourselves on court and that is important for winning.”
The Coorgi girl thanks her coaches for where she is today. I had wonderful coaches to guide me. First it was Umpathy, at the State Youth Centre. When I moved to Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, it was a big leap forward. Prakash Sir, Vimal Sir and Vinod all have been a great help. At the national camps in Hyderabad, Gopi Chand and Indonesian coaches trained me further. Before the last Olympics, I also had the opportunity to train under S. M. Arif, a great coach. Now I am with Tom John, who is working really hard on my game. Coaches like Arif and Tom, never give up on players; they make sure each one reaches his/her potential.”
Ashwini’s big success came at New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, when she and Jwala bagged the doubles gold. “It was our first big win together, in front of a great crowd, they cheered our every point and there was a huge buzz whenever we played. It was a heady stuff. The World Championship bronze also ranks high on my best moments. What made them more special was the fact that we enjoyed ourselves on and off the court. After the matches, we used to interact with members of the other teams and have fun. We’d get back to the court later for the matches and focus on the game. The performances at both the events, gave me a lot of confidence.”
On areas which she would like to improve, Ashwini says: “I would like to improve my defence. Offence is good and playing with Tarun in mixed doubles, has improved my net game and it has also helped me in women’s doubles.”
“Ashwini has loads of confidence after the Commonwealth Games and World championship show and she has the ability to make her new partnership with Pradnya work,” says coach Tom John. “They are already stretching top pairs and it should be matter of time, before they get into top ten. Earlier she was playing with Jwala who took care of the front court while she took care of the back court. With Pradyna, it has to be all court game.”
Ashwini believes she can learn from every player. “I don’t have an idol as such, I love watching others and learn from them. In doubles, I love to watch Jawala Gutta and V.Diju when they played the mixed doubles. They were a great pair and reached the highest level in the game.”
She has been playing since she was eight and badminton has been an integral part of life. On whether she missed anything due to her passion for the game, Ashwini says: “I don’t think I am missing anything because of badminton. I have gained from badminton thanks to wonderful support of my parents, my coaches, school (St. Francis Xavier) and college (Mount Carmel).”
Looking back at her initiation into the game, Ashwini says, “I was a hyperactive kid and my parents put me into YMCA camp so that I could burn up my energy. The coaches there thought I had a promise and put me in that direction.”
An eye for fashion
Besides badminton, Ashwini loves tennis. “I like following the game. It is nice to watch what the women players are wearing and follow their fashion statements!”
On what players should wear on court, Ashwini says: “One should not enforce a dress code. Players should wear what they are comfortable in.”
On hobbies, the feisty shuttler says: “I love listening to music of mixed genre. Earlier I was reading romantic novels and now it is non-fiction, right now I am reading a biography of Muhammad Ali.” An animal lover, Ashwini says: “We had a dog at home, now we have lots of pigeons!”
Her favourite city in the world is London. “I like London, it is so nice, there is a buzz, lot of places to go and see. In terms of badminton, I love playing in Indonesia. There’s always a huge and knowledgeable crowd at the stadium. They make so much of din, but playing in such an atmosphere gets you high.”
When she is home, Ashwini loves to chill at home visiting friends and relatives. “All these, after my practice, of course.”
Looking ahead, Ashwini sets her sights on winning a gold in the Olympics at Rio, winning at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championship. It’s a long and tough road ahead, but Ashwini has what it takes and key to achieving those goals, is to relax and enjoy herself on the court. “I think that’s an important element, whenever I feel tense or nervous on court, I tell myself, Ashwini let go, have fun, and it works.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Kalyan Ashok / Bangalore – July 04th, 2013
India’s Rohan Bopanna and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, the 14th-seeds, delivered another knockout out blow to the Wimbledon men’s doubles draw, when they bundled out sixth-seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden in a long-drawn, rain-interrupted clash.
Bopanna and Vasselin were leading the fifth set 5-2 with Vasselin to serve for the match when the Swede objected to the dank, dismal conditions. As the skies opened up, the players left the court.
After 90-minutes, when they returned, the Frenchman served out the match at 40-15, needing only a couple of minutes on the lawns. The 7-5, 7-6 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 result put the 33-year-old Bopanna in his first Wimbledon semifinal.
In the last four, Bopanna and Vasselin will play the winner of the other quarterfinal between top-seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan and India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Julian Knowle of Austria.
Bopanna and Vasselin made a solid start, but were rocked back in the 11th game of the opening set when the Frenchman faced two breakpoints on his serve.
Aided by a mix of some strong serving as well as an error from Lindstedt, the Indian-French pair held. They then broke the Nestor serve in the 12th game when a Vasselin forehand whistled past the opposition, to wrest the early advantage.
The 14th-seeds then quickly wrapped up the second set tie-break. Nestor and Lindstedt won two tie-breaks to level scores and push the match into the decider.
This time the Indo-French duo broke as early as the third game and though Vasselin’s serve was tested in the fourth game, they held firm to break again in the fifth game.
In a late evening encounter on Monday, fourth seeds India’s Leander Paes and Czech Radek Stepanek put out the 15th seeded Pols Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, to move into the quarterfinals.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Tennis / by Prajwal Hegde, TNN / July 03rd, 2013
Adventure enthusiasts enjoy rafting at Dubare | Anil H T
Along with the popular elephant camp, the monsoon has brought in another treat for visitors of Dubare. With the heavy downpour, river rafting in the Cauvery resumed from June 15.
There are two river rafting routes – Dubare to Balugodu (7 km) and Dubare to Cauvery Nisargadhama (12 km), says Dubare Rafting Association secretary Nangaru Jagga. To avoid unhealthy competition and accidents, all the raft owners came together to form an association.
There are now nine owners with 29 rafts to run the operation. The association has also reserved 5 per cent of its income towards maintaining cleanliness, security and other facilities.
Helmet and safety jackets are provided to rafters who are accompanied by trained youths, he added.
Tourists from Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai and the state who visit the elephant camp were thrilled about river rafting.
Shilpa and Madhav from Bangalore told Express that they would never forget the exhilarating experience of riding the waves. Another team of youngsters said the experience had tested their mental and physical strength.
For more details call Nagaru Jagga at 94491 69916.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by ENS – Madikeri / July 01st, 2013
From being an underdog to Indian team vice-captain, Raghunath has come a long way. Getty Images
Most sportspersons would tell you that any sport – even if it is one of the most physical – eventually has a lot to do with the mind. India’s dragflick specialist, VR Raghunath, is no exception.
Despite being part of the illustrious list of hockey players from Coorg in Karnataka, Raghunath has had his fair share of struggles early on in his career, failing to find a regular place in the senior national team. That was until Michael Nobbs took him under his wings. Raghunath then became part of the 2012 London Olympics, and is now the vice-captain of the team.
So how did it all change for 24-year-old? “I wasn’t mentally confident about myself before. Nobbs worked on my mental strength and brought my inner game out,” Raghunath told dna before the squad departed to The Netherlands for the FIH Men’s World League Round 3 (semifinals) starting on June 13.
“Thus, I’ve also been given a leadership role to support Sardar (Singh). I’m enjoying the responsibility and hope to motivate the juniors that come in.”
Talking of juniors, India fielded a young side for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year, and the team going for the World League also has a lot of young faces like Mandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh. Raghunath believes that the current crop of youngsters is the best India ever had.
“It’s a transformation period after the 2012 London Olympics. And because of the Hockey India League, we’re getting a lot of good talent. I think our present junior team is one of the best we’ve had over the past few years,” he said.
Raghunath is equally elated with the comeback of ace dragflicker Sandeep Singh. “Sandeep is one of the most experienced players and he knows how to play in high-intensity games. So it’s great that we can rotate our three dragflickers and have at least two penalty corner specialists on the field at a time,” he added.
Raghunath hopes the team rises to the occasion during this key tournament, which is a qualification for the FIH Men’s World Cup in 2014.
“We had a good three-week camp in Bangalore, so our preparation has been great. I prefer to take it one match at a time, and going all out in that. We hope to start well and if we do, I’m sure we can end it well,” he said.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Sports> Report / by Rutvick Mehta / Place:Mumbai, Agency:DNA / Thursday – June 06th, 2013
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