To excel in sports, be a good human being first

Olympian Charles Borromeo never knew athletics would fetch stardom till he entered the portals of St. Xavier’s College in Ahmedabad.

He had been a footballer till then, excelling as a left forward. In fact, the performance of Charles in football at various competitions earned him a seat under sports quota.

Athletics coach at the college Subash Patel was quick to spot his agility and endurance. Then came the turning point in Charles’ sports career.

Two years of rigorous training saw him as a serious contender in 800 m at the all-India inter University athletics meet, and a winner of bronze medal in the same event at the 1979 open nationals.

Confidence swelled then on. “I started putting in a lot of hard work. Mr. Patel lent great support. He not only fine-turned my strengths, but also worked on eliminating my weaknesses. His role was very crucial in shaping me as a competitive athlete,” recalls the Arjuna awardee.

Borromeo’s moment of glory came in the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, when he won 800 metres gold in record time.

“Being the Asian champion was an unbelievable feeling. Days like those are very special.”

Dream accomplished:

He also accomplished his dream of making it to the Olympics when he represented the country at the 1984 Los Angeles games. “That’s the dream of any athlete. I am one among the sportspersons in the country to achieve the Olympian tag,” says Borromeo, who won silver medal at the 1985 Asian Track &Field event and gold medal in the South Asian Federation (SAF) games the same year. He was conferred the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, in 1984.

Hailing from a lower-middle class family in Devakottai in Sivaganga district, Borromeo studied at De Britto School, which has produced a good number of international athletes including Asian Gold medalist R.Gnana Sekaran.

“Football was the most popular sport in our town and a lot of tournaments used to take place. That was one of the major reasons for developing interest in the game. Also, one gets instant recognition among the local fans when he nets a lot of goals,” he smiles.

Soon after graduation, Borromeo joined Tata Steel at Jamshedpur. Working as a Sports Manager, he loves spending time interacting with the youngsters and sharing his experience with them.

But why didn’t he take up coaching after hanging up his boots? “I was interested in character building of sportspersons. At the Tata Academy, I urge the youngsters to be good human beings in the first place. Character matters more and I feel a sports person should be exceptional both on and off the field,” says Borromeo, who has been recently nominated by the Athletics Federation of India as a member of the monitoring committee for long, middle-distance and walking events for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

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Get Sporty

* Sportswear-soft fabrics should only be used. Avoid bright shades as it increases the heat in the body.
* Shoes-comfortable shoes that is neither too big, nor too tight. Have enough room for your feel to breath.
* Water bottle-since you will be working out for a long hours, always carry a water bottle filled with water.
* Towels-Get nice absorbent towels.
* Instant pain-relievers (sprays and tablets)-Being a sports person, one will be prone to injurious and first Aid are very useful for it. Carrying a spray painkiller would be advisable to get quick relief.

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Take a break relax the mind

If you think staying throughout the day without breaks will fetch you good marks in an examination, you are mistaken. Experts believe that taking breaks between long hours of study helps attain success.

This may sound contradictory but is true. Explains Dr V.Muthukrishnan, psychiatrist, Apollo hospital, Chennai.” studying for long hours without a break is not very productive. This is because after a certain period of time stress levels go up and concentration levels come down.also, the mind gets defocused and hence the knowledge gained or the idea generated during that period doesn’t sink in. taking short breaks helps refocus. It gives time for relaxation, rejuvenation and assimilation”.

Work play: aanand balan, psychiatrist, Sri Balaji medical college, Chennai, says,”syuding regularly for more then 50 minutes leads to receding concentration levels. Sitting continuously at the study table for long hours is, therefore a waste of both energy and time. In short, it is unproductive”.

However, these breaks should not be too long as they may then affect the tempo of studies “taking a break for about 10 to 30 minutes after every 45 to 50 minutes of continuous study rejuvenates your body, mind and soul,” he says.

Meet Amit, who has always been scoring more than 80 percent marks. “I often go for a break after one hour of study .though my mom doesn’t like it, I still do. She says that I should not waste my time in going for a break.rather, utilizing that will help me fetch 90 percent marks. But then, I know that whenever I study continuously for more than an hour, my concentration level goes down. Going for a break. Helps me rejuvenate and feel fresh. if I study continuously, I will not be able to score even 60 percent marks, forget about 90 percent ,”he says.

Remember-long hours spent at the study table defocuses the mind and sports help refocus. So keep sporting and keep studying!

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Had your cuppa?

Green tea’s antioxidant properties protect the heart. The active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), also helps to burn fat by inhibiting the breakdown of hormone norepinephrine. Studies have now shown that it can help sports persons recover from tough workouts. Researchers at Baylor University tested the effects of 1,200 mg of EGCG every day for two weeks an men training to exhaustion on leg exercises. Test subjects showed reduced muscle breakdown and recovered faster compared to the placebo group. Researchers recommend that sports persons take supplements that provide serving, which is 50 per cent EGCG. Taking two servings twice a day is better choice because one cannot drink that much green tea. The body absorbs EGCG better when it comes in supplement form.

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Gymnastics

There are two main branches of gymnastics- artistic and rhythmic. In artistic gymnastics, the gymnasts perform on fixed apparatus, such as bars and beams. In rhythmic gymnastics, that performs routines with apparatus such as hoops and balls. Other gymnastic sports include sports aerobatics and trampolining. In major artistic gymnastic competitions, the apparatus is set out on a large platform, or podium and several events take place together.

Trampolining is a fantastic exercise routring for practicing moves such as twists and somersaults, and it is also sport in itself. It is quite difficult to perform but very interest to watch. Sports aerobics comprises tumbling, pairs, and group events. Tumbling is like the floor exercise, but performed on a straight, sprung track. The routines in pass (men, women or mixed), the trio (women) and fours (men) are like those of circus acrobats. This type of gymnastics can be amiable by all.

Rhythmic gymnastics can perform only by women and girls, rhythmic gymnastics consists of five individual exercises with the help of ribbon, clubs, ball, hoop and rope. There are also done by groups as team, usually with two different pieces of apparatus.

Gymnastics is completely different exercises to men and women. They cannot perform other sex’s portion. There are six events in men’s competitions. They are the floor, pommel horse, vault, rings, parallel bars, and high bar. Boys and men usually wear a singlet with shorts or white trousers. Men’s gymnastics is known for strength as well as balance and dynamic movement.

There are four women’s events-the floor, beam, asymmetric (uneven) bars and vault. In performance, there is also an overall championship. Women and girls usually wear one-pie leotards with shot or long sleeves. Women’s exercise known for balance and agility, and floor exercise include elements of dance. The clothes must be very comfortable to perform gymnastics without any huddles.

Physical fitness is very close to the program of gymnastics. This type of program restricts the excess food thoroughly. Too much of fat is reduced by this session. This can keep the body fit and healthy. It also reduces some type of diseases. The body is supple and flexible to the most by both men and women. Gymnastics can be performed at stage to amuse the people and great delight fro their eyes.

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