With the increase in competition in every field around the world, one needs to be the cream of the crop to be a success. Thus, from an early age, sportspersons, just like any other individuals, are explained the importance of winning.
Similarly, before sportspersons break onto the professional circuit, they are categorised into different age groups to level the playing field. This is done in order to create more winners medals and give the younger and less-experienced kids a shot at winning medals from the tender ages of eight and nine.
Table tennis, like every other sport in the city, follows a similar pattern and with each passing year, a number of players, due to their age, get automatically pushed up into a higher category. While it appears to the onlooker that this could be something of a challenging proposition for them, according to the players themselves, it’s not too big a deal.
After speaking to a few players at the Sharada district ranking table tennis tournament ongoing at the Sharada Sports Centre in Karvenagar, it came to light that some players are looking forward to moving up an age group as they fancy their chances against a majority of the older players and also against the ones that have been promoted along with them.
Pritha Vartikar, who won the sub-junior girls final on Thursday, said, “Playing in a higher age group and two different age groups is something that I’ve wanted to do. I don’t think there is a significant jump in the quality of players as a number of them have moved up with me.”
{{/usCountry}}Pritha Vartikar, who won the sub-junior girls final on Thursday, said, “Playing in a higher age group and two different age groups is something that I’ve wanted to do. I don’t think there is a significant jump in the quality of players as a number of them have moved up with me.”
{{/usCountry}}Having moved to the sub-junior category from the cadet one, 12-year-old Sakshi Pawar stated that the level of her game and the experience has been increased and that alone is enough to give her confidence to have a good run in the sub-juniors. She stated, “As my age increases, so does my experience and my quality. Thus, the change in the level of competition does not particularly faze me. I also don’t feel there’s too much of a gap in me and the players that are closing to moving to a higher age group.”
However, Mrunmayee Raikhelkar opined that she had to make significant changes in her game after moving from sub-junior to junior. “Now, I feel I have to focus more on improving my defence. I’ve also learnt that I have to pick my moments to go on the attack as it’s not as easy now as it was in my previous age category,” she explained.