Keekli Reporter, 1st October, 2017, Shimla
The Two-Day 8th All India Open Martial Art & Skating Championship took place amidst great enthusiasm and excitement as team from all over India were present to participate in this prestigious annual event. Twelve teams from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, UP, UK, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, J & K and Madhya Pradesh, with more than 120 participants showed up for this event.
The event was organized by HS Sports Academy represented by the Secretary Pawan Aggarwal in collaboration with District Roller Skating Association, Shimla, headed by President Amarpreet Mumick and Organizer and Team Auckland School Coach Pankaj Prabhakar. The event was flagged off by Sunil Bhatia, Cluster Head, AU Small Finance Bank and the medals and trophies were sponsored by Slipway Company owner Vikas, dealers in skates and accessories.
Quad and Inline Races in 500 meters category were held on 28th on Ridge Maidan, while 300 meter races were held at the Regal Roller Skating Rink on the next day.
Team Haryana and Punjab were led by Coach Sahil Sharma with 11 children who participated in under 8 to 16 plus category which included members namely Gurjot, Gursimar, Purab, Ayushi, Aryan, and Pratham among others. Team Rajasthan headed by Coach Rakesh Kumar has 20 children in under 6 to under 14 categories. Team mates were Shubham, Paksh, Rudra, Palak, ans Hetal. Team Haridwar under the guidance of Coach Shantanu included 11 kids under 12 to 16 plus, namely Eshika, Nakshtra, Abhay, Elisha, and Shrusti to name a few.
The children showed great mettle and grit while participating in the races. Despite few falls and losses they were an exuberant lot as they crossed the finish line. You win some, you lose some, but the determination to go on and finish the race matters. The youngest participants were in the under 4 and under 6 years, who proved that nothing is impossible if you put your heart into the game.
The organizers did a good job with the overall management of the event and ensured that first aid was available for those in need. (More VIDEOS)
