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POOLING TALENT
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Former State champion, M. Satish Kumar, has floated an organisation that is a consultancy service for all aspects of swimming, from coaching to providing the right gear
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Satish Kumar says the future is bright for Karnataka —Photo: K. Gopinathan
NOT ALL old swimmers just fade. A few really stay on and try and give back to the sport that gave them fame and name. The former State champion, M. Satish Kumar, is one such swimmer, who has now floated a unique outfit called Swim Life, which caters to all needs of the swimming fraternity. Swim Life, he claims, will provide total swimming solutions.
"We offer to train coaches, swimmers, organise fitness clinics, provide swimming gear," Satish says. Swim Life is not just a shop, but is a consultancy service for swimming needs. "We offer to run swimming programmes for schools and corporates also," he adds. The corporate segment is where the bread and jam is, and Satish is fully aware of it. Corporates and IT firms in and around Bangalore are constantly looking out for avenues for rest and recreation for the overworked staff and swimming is an entertaining outlet, feels Satish. "We are offering them learn to swim programmes and conduct fun meets," he says.
Satish says he is not here purely for the business. "I was a national swimmer and I know what it takes to be one. One drawback that I have observed of late is, there is a dearth of coaches in Bangalore, though we have enough pools. This disparity had to be corrected and hence, Swim Life also runs a training clinic for coaches. Only good coaches can make good swimmers," says Satish.
There has been a good response to Swim Life. It runs a coaching programme at the Catholic Club and an apartment complex in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar has approached Swim Life to run a learn to swim programme for the apartment owners and children. There are quite a few aspiring coaches, who have signed for the coaches' clinic.
Looking at the swimming scenario, especially in Karnataka, Satish says the future is bright. "Earlier, we just had one or two swimmers, like J. Abhijith, who could be called an international swimmer. But now the base is growing. Over the decades, we have a clutch of youngsters, who can just wade into the Indian team. The Millet sisters (Nisha and Reshma), Shika Tandon, Sivaranjani, and Shika Tandon are top class. There are quite a few young lads who are very promising, such as Srinand Srinivas, Chetan Sharma, and Rahul Batra. While the ability of the swimmers is on the rise, there is a downward trend in the availability of coaches and trained officials. This is one aspect Swim Life is addressing in its programme," Satish says.
He, however, regrets that many of his contemporaries have no connection with swimming at all. "In my batch, I would say, I am the only one who is still actively involved in swimming. Others have pursued other vocations and some have even left the country. Even if a fraction had decided to stick around, and become professional coaches, things would have been much better," says Satish. He also stresses the need to change the mindset of people who think coaching cannot be a good profession. "This is a wrong notion. A graduate with a swimming background, who can communicate well in English, can certainly take up a career as a swimming coach. There is a market for it," he claims.
On an average 2,500 kids attend summer camps in Bangalore. Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre alone accounts for 800 to 900 children. But once the camp is over, the children drop out of swimming and the clubs are unable to absorb them in their regular programme for want of space. "We should look at ways to change this scene, and get as many kids involved in regular swimming as possible," says Satish. Swim Life aims to improve the situation by asking clubs to allocate daily one hour to its activities.
Besides Swim Life, Satish is involved with an association of former state swimmers called Integrated Council of Noble Swimmers (ICONS), which organises regular meets. It recently conducted an inter-state masters event. Satish is also an unofficial member of the Karnataka swimming contingent wherever it goes. "I don't go on behalf of the Karnataka Swimming Association. I just travel to be with them on my own, help them out at the nationals," he says.
In fact, this passion for swimming has kept him afloat. "I know I won't make millions either as a coach or by running a consultancy service. But then, the sport has given me so much joy that I felt that I owe something and need to contribute to the overall improvement of swimming in Karnataka," signs off Satish.
KHALYAN N. ASHOK
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