In search of excellence

MUMBAI, SEPT 6: Two boys -- Conroy Remedios and Ryan Sequeira -- have decided to move to greener pastures, literally.Tired of playing at ...

MUMBAI, SEPT 6: Two boys — Conroy Remedios and Ryan Sequeira — have decided to move to greener pastures, literally.

Tired of playing at Bombay Hockey Association’s (BHA) cemented surface behind the astro-turf ground, and lured by the promise of getting better facilities, the two hockey hopefuls will shortly make their way to Sports Authority of India’s Centre of Excellence in Bangalore.

While Sequeira left this morning, Remedios is yet unsure of when he will board the train, since he has been called to attend a National Juniors B camp at Pune this week.

The instance, the first time junior players from the city are joining the Centre headed by former India coach MP Ganesh, is seen by the two as a means to improve their game and the stepping stone to a National call.

The Centre offers full-time devotion to hockey, training and practice everyday, six days a week. There is little scope for other activities, as Remedios and Sequeira explained. The morning includes two-three hours of physical training,the afternoon focuses on classroom sessions on psychology and video shows of prominent hockey matches, followed by three hours of match practice. The trainees get 100 days off a year, a time which Remedios and Sequeira will use to take their examinations.

Remedios, a second year BA student at Khalsa College, is all praise for the Centre, its environment and the fact that the turf is available for hands-on practice. The left-half hopes to work hard though the thought of balancing his studies weighes heavily on his mind.

“There is little time and it is so difficult to concentrate there,” said Remedios who, with Sequeira, had spent a month in Bangalore for the selection trials. “Good practice, high level of hockey, that is what I am going for,” echoed Sequeira.

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It was during the Juniors Nationals in June that Ganesh noticed the potential of the Bombay side, which finished runner-up in the competition. With encouragement from Bombay coach Satinder Walia, the boys were invited to the trials, though onlytwo chose to attend.

Like most city juniors, the boys have Murzaban Bawa’ Patel, the Bombay Republicans’ coach to thank. For 18-year-old Sequeira, Bawa has for four years nurtured the interest injected by St Anne’s (Orlem) School coach Pascal D’Souza.

Sequeira moved from football to hockey because D’Souza saw his potential. The custodian, a second year B.Com student at Chinai, reposed that faith by representing Bombay at the Nationals, though he did not get a game with first-choice ‘keeper Karan Bhasin doing the job competently.

Though Sequeira played for Union Bank this season and this was Remedios’ fourth year with Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, both are certain that a job here would bring them back to the city.