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

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.

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