Uttarakhand Women’s Hockey Team Exclusive: Rising Above Challenges, Relying on Good Luck for 38th National Games

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Amidst a barrage of restrictions, Uttarakhand's young and inexperienced women's hockey team prepares for the final phase of the 38th National Games, which kicks off in Uttarakhand next week.

The hockey camp is in progress at Roshnabad's Vandana Kataria Hockey Stadium. The hockey competition is scheduled to start on February 4.

After an unsavoury incident earlier this month, in which one of the female hockey players (a minor) attending the state camp was allegedly molested by a male hockey team coach, the team management has implemented strict precautions during the final phase of the camp in Roshnabad, on the outskirts of Haridwar.

The male hockey coach, who was employed on an ad-hoc basis with the Uttarakhand government, was terminated following a police complaint by the player and is now behind bars.

According to Illa Rani Sharma, head coach of Uttarakhand's women's hockey team, players are not allowed to stay in the hotel lobby or corridors late in the evening without permission. "The incident of alleged harassment was mentally taxing for all the team members, and we are taking precautions now," Illa Rani Sharma told Mykhel after Friday's training session.

It's a case of "once bitten, twice shy," and the new head coach has the challenging task of keeping the girls in high spirits. "The focus is to improve finer points as we go into the final phase of the camp," the women's team coach added.

Illa Rani Sharma, a former SAI (Sports Authority of India) hockey coach, has also instructed the girls to stay in groups and not hang around at the stadium after practice. "I've to be more vigilant now as the competition is approaching," she added.

After the second preparatory camp, twenty-two players were shortlisted for the final phase of training. Tanuja Kohli, one of the teenage players in the final preparatory camp, was excited to secure a place in the state team for the National Games. "I'm mentally prepared to guard the goalpost during the National Games," Tanuja told Mykhel after Friday's training session.

Tanuja, who hails from Champawat district and is enrolled at Lucknow's Sports Hostel in Uttar Pradesh, said her idol is India's star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. "I aspire to be as dependable as Sreejesh under the bar during the National Games," she added.

The head coach is supported by two assistant coaches-one male and one female-who work to keep the young and inexperienced women's team in good spirits. "We have a blend of seniors, juniors, and youth in the team," Illa Rani Sharma revealed.

The Uttarakhand team doesn't have a strong track record at the national level. As the host state, it has been granted a chance to participate in the hockey competition at the National Games. Only the top eight teams of the national meet are usually eligible to compete at the National Games.

Both the men's and women's hockey competitions will be held at Roshnabad's Vandana Kataria Hockey Stadium. Host Uttarakhand is in Pool B alongside Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Manipur, and Mizoram. Pool A includes Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Karnataka.