24/11/2019
Challenging the status quo.. and how! [A long read...]
To say that the Hoops Of Fire 2019 state-level basketball tournament was a runaway success would be an understatement. While we always knew that the tournament will raise the standard for any sporting event in India, we didn't realize that we would exceed our own expectations to the extent that we would be humbled by the spirit of collaboration exhibited during every single moment in the last 4 days.
In the last 4 days -
- Downpours every morning and evening saw matches being delayed and matches being replayed. This didn't deter the spirit of the sportsmen, referees, coaches or the student and parent volunteers. While the sportsmen and the coaches took the delays and reschedule in their stride, it was a sight to see all support staff, teachers, parent volunteers and student volunteers taking pride in holding the mops, swipes, and brooms to make the court safe and ready for the plays to commence.
- Although one would say that it is common sense to have medical support during a sporting event, we are yet to see a tournament in which this has been given much importance. Not this event though. 24-hour ambulance, 4 paramedics, an occupational therapist, a sports physiotherapist, and a special team of doctors offered exceptional support for not just the sportspersons but all parent, teacher and student volunteers!
- 60 student volunteers, 60 teachers, administrative staff, more than a dozen parent volunteers and a bunch of HLC Alumni collaborated to make every visitor feel comfortable and at home during the tournament. Not to mention every parent who sent their children to be at HLC International from before dawn until late in the night.
- Deliciously dished out meals by teaching parents and hearty juices served by parents kept everyone hydrated and full!
- A special word of thanks to the eighth and ninth graders who stood up to the challenge and played perfect hosts to the 400 odd sportspersons in the last 4 days!
- Cash donations from parents, teachers, alumni and alumni parents and organisations made this tournament a fully crowd-funded event!
- A set of enthusiastic Parents gave a shot in the arm to all of us by co-dreaming a state-level tournament of this scale. Through their spirit, enthusiasm, and support in bringing in sponsors, we were able to conduct an economically efficient yet high-quality tournament.
Kudos to the outstanding effort of Coach Ganesh Prabhu and his team to have pulled this off in style!
We truly hope that this event sets the tone for a bright sporting future for sports in India.
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