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The champs are here
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The CCHSS girls from Coimbatore fuel dreams of a great future for volleyball, writes Rayan Rozario
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PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN
IN HIGH SPIRIT The volleyball team
Here is a team that is confident of gunning down any opposition. Its strength lies in its spirit more than in its ability. Introducing the volleyball team from the City Corporation Higher Secondary School (CCHSS) on Variety Hall Road.
Once considered a dark horse, it now provides a solid base for the Tamil Nadu State team. A. Sindhu, C. Karthika, M. Mahalakshmi, M. Nithya, V. Aarthi and M. Tharini Priya have all played for the State at the junior and sub-junior national levels. Interestingly, the entire set (14 players) are closely related and hail from Thadagam, a rural pocket close by.
The miracle man
It was coach Maruthaiyan who brought about this exhilarating transformation.
"We were nobody till we met him. He got us involved in the game and sacrificed his time and energy for the welfare of the team," say the girls. "He not only trains us on the technicalities of the game but also takes evening classes for us," says Nithya.
Maruthaiyan picked the girls about five years ago and trained them at the Thadagam volleyball courts. Today, the team boasts three blockers, three setters, five attackers and three all-rounders.
A few years back it was only the boys who ruled the roost. "We have started to outscore them. In fact, we have been bringing in more trophies than them," says C. Karthika.
True, the CCHSS girls added one more title (the fifth this year) to their already bulging kitty by clinching the Dharmasastha Rolling Trophy inter-school tournament recently.
The team's big advantage is unity. They respect each other. The camaraderie, the character they display, the way they follow a plan and work together is the recipe to their success.
The girls say they joined this school because of its encouragement. "The school supports us to a great extent. I doubt if other schools would do that," says Sindhu. Mr. Rathna Kumar (Headmaster in-charge), Mr. Elango (Class master) and Ms. K. Shantha (physical directress) have all helped the girls in some way or the other.
"They have been extremely kind to us. Without them it would have been difficult for us to concentrate during tournaments," says M. Mahalakshmi.
Great demand
The girls may be studying in a Corporation school. But, the truth is, they are in great demand. Almost all the top colleges in Tamil Nadu are waiting to adopt them.
Dr. GRD College of Science is one among them. Despite this, the girls prefer to keep a low profile.
They share a common dream of playing for the country in the future. "We will do that in the next few years," they promise.
The team: A. Sindhu, C. Karthika, M. Mahalakshmi, M. Nithya, V. Arthi, C. Masilamani, C. Vijayalakshmi, R. Niraimathi, N. Rajeswari, M. Tharani Priya, N. Malathi, M. Vimala, N. Shyamala and D. Karuna Selvakumari.
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