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Even children of sports stars have to go through the grind on the highway to fame. There are no short cuts to success, says STAN RAYAN.
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BRINGING UP CHAMPIONS: George Thomas (left) and Suresh Thomas (right) with the little stars Daya Elsa Jacob, Dileep Jacob and Arun George. Photo by Mahesh Harilal
YOU COULD see a lot of George Thomas in the little fellow. Skipping in a corner of the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium, the youngster almost enacts the little things his famous dad - Arjuna Awardee, international and national badminton champion George - did more than two decades ago at the Thrissur indoor stadium.
Slowly, the little fellow eyes a small group, playing cricket. With the much-hyped EMU Cup State-level indoor cricket tourney beginning at the same stadium the next day, cricket is the flavour of the evening among the lively gang.
Eight-year-old Arun, George's eldest son, rushes in to join the game. He is soon batting and his eyes are sparkling. He shouts in glee.
But a little later, he is back to badminton, his first love. And after a small dance on the court, he grabs his first prize in the sport, the Ernakulam District under-10 title. And you could see his eyes sparkling all over again. Little Arun sure plays his badminton with a lot of passion.
When Arun goes to the Regional Sports Centre for his three-hour training sessions every day, it's almost like going home. For apart from his father, his cousins Dileep and Daya Jacob also play at the centre, which is now one of the leading badminton nurseries in the country.
And they are all champion stuff, at the State-level and among the top pack in Southern India in their age group. And George Thomas or his brother Suresh often coaches them.
Whenever George watches his son train, he is reminded of his own beginnings in the sport. "I was trained by Balagopalan Thampi `Sir' at the G. V. Raja Sports School in Thiruvananthapuram. Now Thampi `Sir' trains my son too, at the Regional Sports Centre," says George smiling.
"Arun is very keen on badminton. His movements too are good because of the excellent coaching system at the RSC academy. And he trains very hard, he comes with me at 5.45 a.m. and returns to the stadium again after classes. In fact, often he leaves home at 5 a.m. and returns home only around 8 p.m. It is a long day but he loves it," says George, a manager with the BPCL.
George has been a hard worker, punishing himself with strict and often painful training sessions in pursuit of excellence. All the hard work has now brought rich rewards, for George just completed 25 years of winning in the badminton circuit, a rich haul which includes a Commonwealth silver medal, a Senior National singles title and many other National crowns in various age-groups in singles and in doubles.
George is a wily player and though not tall, he often dominates the game with his clever play at the net. He has, what we call, badminton brains.
And does he give his son special coaching?
"This is the time for group coaching and the Regional Sports Centre has many talented children. Youngsters learn a lot in a group, they observe different children, different strokes and styles. Individual coaching at a very young age often results in personality problems, a lot of negative things creep in," says George.
And what about special tips before matches?
"Well, I don't believe in those last-minute coaching or tips during matches. You should take every tournament as an exam. And like every student during exams, players should manage things on their own during tournaments. They should learn about time management, pacing stamina and strength.
"This was how I was brought up and I would like my son also to come up the same way," says George, a manager with the Bharat Petroleum in Kochi and an engineering graduate.
And what has he planned for his son ... engineering or medicine, through sport, to boost Arun's career like his own?
"Going for engineering was the biggest blunder I made in my life. But since I came from a lower-middle class family and since badminton was a risky thing those days, I was forced to go for engineering to secure my future.
"That will not happen to Arun. If he chooses to, and he appears to be for he wants to play all day, he can concentrate on a full-time badminton career. And his younger brother, Kiran who is just four, also appears very keen. You can be a badminton professional these days, the sport is highly rewarding," says George.
"And most of my player colleagues, who are not engineering graduates, hold the same post like me in other Petroleum companies all over the country," says George.
Suresh Thomas, George's brother, agrees.
"I would like my children to do badminton full time and not get distracted by engineering or medicine like many parents of talented children these days," says Suresh, a former All-India Railway and Electricity Board champion, whose children Dileep T. Jacob and Daya Elsa Jacob finished runner-up in the recent Servo RSC South India Open playing against much senior opponents.
The two children, who took up the sport when they were just six, are among the best in their age group in Kerala now.
The Regional Sports Centre has now plans to send talented children for short camps at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore.
"It will be a sort of exchange programme, with children from the Bangalore academy coming here for short camps and our children going there," said George.
Wise moves really.
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