International Basketball Eastercup - Berlin-Moabit
The Girls’ Basketball Team of National Public School, Rajajinagar, had the honour of playing at the International Basketball Eastercup held in Berlin-Moabit, Germany. The proud girls represented India at the tournament. The team participated in both the Under-15 and the Under-17 sides. They finished in a creditable 4th position in the U-15 and 5th position in U-17!
“THE BEST PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW IS DOING YOUR BEST TODAY”
On the night of April 12, 2017, twelve young girls, along with their coaches gathered at the Bangalore International airport, bags a little over packed, ready to embark on an exciting journey. We were going as Indian representatives to play at the Eastercup Tournament in Berlin. On the previous day, we had watched an inspirational movie and also heard some inspirational speeches by the well-travelled boys’ champions. Our first match was against Finland, who were an extremely strong team and were the eventual winners of the cup. And while we bravely fought against the 6ft tall, 70kg light bunch of girls, they emerged victorious. However, like the ‘Chak De’ girls, this didn’t deter us from winning our next three matches. This was our ticket through to the semifinals and all along our spirits were flying high in the bitter cold! We were eventually placed 4th in the U-15 and 5th in the U-17 categories.
We will cherish this trip forever. Stepping out from the warm hotel into the bitter cold, walking over to the basketball arena, interacting with girls from Finland, Germany, Mongolia, etc. and then playing our best against these teams – these will remain etched in our memories. I think I speak for the team when I say that one of our favourite part of this adventure was when the main organizer, an ex-NBA player, took the time to talk to us and especially complimented our game on court. He told us that our team’s defence was one of the best he’d seen in the competition, we were disciplined and that we had certainly exceeded everybody’s expectations. Needless to say, we were thrilled with such positive feedback.
We owe this trip and our success to the best basketball coach we could ever ask for, our best friend and guide, Ashok Sir, who has been with us through this physical and emotional rollercoaster of being basketball players. A big thank you to Helen Ma’am as well, for supporting us like a parent on the journey.
We exulted in our victories and shed tears after losses, especially when we lost to a team from Germany by a narrow margin. However, huddled in our room, analyzing our game play brought us closer as a team and as a family. We learnt that our strength lies in our unity and it is something we can never lose. We are prepared now to work harder to do better and together; we will strive to be the best that we can be!
