If life is a bowling alley then Prathima Hegde and her husband Kannan R are pins you’ll struggle to knock down.
The couple, with endless energy and patience -one as a pro-bowler and the other as a sportsadministrator -have shown that passion for a sport, whose real potential few people are aware of, can lead to excellence that makes all the sacrifice and struggle worthwhile. “Tenpin bowling started off as a lark for us, like it does with many recreational bowlers,” said Prathima, who claimed her second national championship in Bangalore recently.
“Kannan’s French partner had come down to Bangalore in 2000-2001 and we went to G’s Lanes on Brigade Road to bowl,” added Prathima, who, like mosBANGALORE:t amateurs, began with the five-step process. “We then began frequenting Megabowl and slowly took up the sport seriously.” The seeds of an action plan for her career were sowed in 2001, when Kannan, a businessnman and the secretary general of Tenpin Bowling Federation of India, read about bowling being an Asian. Games sport with 12 gold medals on offer and took Prathima to Mumbai for the nationals to watch the action.
“Kannan contacted the World Tenpin Bowling Federartion president, who was a Malaysian of Indian origin, and invited him to India. The gentleman was happy to promote the sport in our country,” Prathima said. “In the 2003-2004 season I began bowling with the hook technique. Noted coach Holloway Cheah was there. After the first ball I bowled, he went up to Kannan, who also plays the sport, and said I had talent and I could be groomed,” Prathima said. “By then, I had almost given up competitive bowling. With top coaches telling me about her talent, I decided to step into the background and do what I do better,” said Kannan, who helped start theKarnataka State Tenpin Bowling Association in 2003.
Prathima, who finished ninth in the women’s masters event of the 5th Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championship, admitted that initial overseas trips did make her question her ability. “In India, there are not many women with the right technique. However, after having played outside India for a few years, I have gained confidence. The fact that I have finished in the top 24 in two World Cups has helped me believe I am good enough.
Now, our technique is as good as any other player’s,” she said. That confidence impacted her domestic form too and she won her maiden national championship in 2009. Prathima said her mantra is to be on par with the men. “When I play, I try to play like a guy. I try to be more of a go-getter and that makes my average go up. The game’s all about hand-eye coordination and fitness. More importantly, bowling is a gender-free sport and in some countries the men’s and women’s nationals winners face off against each other.
We don’t have it in India,” she said. Prathima, who has won 14 gold medals in 20 events in the last four national team championships, said her husband played a huge role in pushing her to excel. “He was there with me at every point of my career and manage household chores in my absence,” Prathima said. A mother to 10-year-old budding tennis player Annika, Prathima said managing a family and a successful career in sport was not easy. “There were times when thoughts about quitting the sport became constant,” said Prathima, adding things got especially tough when she travelled.
“Now my daughter is used to it and takes pride in the fact that I’m doing well,” she said. “My parents are ever ready to help me pursue my dreams and take pleasure in the fact that their daughter is doing well.” An alumnus of Kendriya Vidyalaya and Government College, Chandigarh, Prathima said said parental pressure to take up academics and negative attitudes towards a career in sport should not deter girls. “I want more girls to take up the sport.” Prathima said that the achievements of other athletes inspired her.
“I sometimes question myself about being in the sport despite my age (she is 40). However, I always think back to the Asian Games in 2006 where I watched Geet Sethi represent India with so much passion and I quickly forget those thoughts. Sometimes age has been a factor, but lately it’s not. I train regularly and work hard on my fitness which keeps me going,” she said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore> Namma Metro / by ShriVathsa Sridhar / TNN / December 05th, 2011