SKATING TO SUCCESS MISRIS ORGANISED MUMBAI SPEED SKATING CUP 2012 IN KANDIVALI.

SKATING TO SUCCESS

MISRIS ORGANISED MUMBAI SPEED SKATING CUP 2012 IN KANDIVALI.

    With an aim to give young skaters a platform to compete at state level, Manpreet's International School of Roller and Ice Skating (MISRIS) hosted the Mumbai Speed Skating Cup 2012 at the Thakur Shyamnarayan grounds in Thakur Village, in the first week of November. "I always wanted to host this event. But many factors including poor infrastructure for skating and lack of funds delayed the holding of such an event. This year, however, with the help of Development Credit Bank, Lokhandwala and Inner Wheel Club, Kandivali and because of the support and co-operation of the management of Thakur Shyamnarayan School, it was possible," says Coach Manpreet who holds National Champion title for three times in roller skating and has even participated in the World Championship.
    Around 200 children from as far as Panvel and Kharghar participated in this event, and also got a chance to test the newly repaired rink at Thakur Shyamnarayan grounds. The event also boasts of many first - it was the first time that MISRIS was organising an event of this nature and scale, an evening race was held for the first time and the competition was open to skaters across the city and not restricted to specific zones. An overall champion trophy in each category was also awarded for the first time in addition to medals and certificates to the winner. MISRIS also gave away participation certificates and medals to all the children.
    "We don't have as many races as we should have. It is great that my son got an opportunity to compete against so many other kids from the city. He has performed well and is now highly motivated to do better," said Mrs Chawla who was accompanying her son Iryaveer, who won 3 gold medals and an overall Champion trophy.
    Several races were keenly contested in a clear sign that there is a lot of talent and a competitive spirit. According to the coach Valice Miranda who was the chief referee, "since skating is likely to get included in the 2016 Olympics, it is events like these that will help a coach to spot talented skaters and train them to compete at international levels." He also felt that unlike earlier days when Indian skaters did not have an access to high quality skating equipments, the situation is far better now where the coaches are sourcing the best equipment and along with the good skating tracks and corporate sponsorships, this sport will certainly have a bright future.
    The unique part of this event was the volunteer groups formed by the students of MISRIS and their parents. The volunteer groups managed all the ground work such as handling registrations, enquiries, hospitality, ground management, first aid and also assisting the younger skaters. "The arrangements of this event were really good. Normally, we have to stand all through the race under the sun and it gets very tiring for us. But here, we had sheltered enclosures, washrooms as well as seating arrangements. The hosts took care of everything and most importantly, all the races started on time," said one of the parents. The three-day event proved that there are many talented young skaters in the city, and all they need is a platform to compete and hone their skills.
The winners of the Overall Champion trophy in the Inline Category are Hurley Gala, Shree Argekar, Iryaveer Chawla, Rishabh Goenka, Shamika Ail, Rishikesh Ramakrishnan, Vinay Pitale, Prathamesh Shetye, Rida Shinde, Shubham Parkar, Hardhik Pandiya, Pahal Shah, Deval Ghatge and Sudha Nayani. The winners of the Overall champion trophy in the Quads category are Parth Vora, Rishabh Gupta, Deval Ambavi, Wasia Lakadia, Durva Solanki, Mannoor Kaur, Shivam Bhosle, Adya Pujari, Rewa Shah, Saiakshada, Preet Shah, Raquib Khan, Aradhya Somani, Aarya Thakkar, Akshith Kiran, Swaraj Moraskar,Tanuj Koduri, Upasna Mishra, Tathagat Tiwary,Kairavi Shah,Kaushal Anchan,Palesa Shah and Isha Kandalkar.
SKATING IS GOOD FOR YOU Skating is fun and enhances the physical and mental development of a child. It also increases the level of patience and improves stamina. "I believe that skating is a good exercise. It helps to increase height," says Kavita Rajyalaxmi, who has enrolled her eight-year-old son, Shubh. It is also good cardio exercise for adults.

> SAVITA SURI KANDIVALI