In the middle of one of the few breaks in his training regimen, Deepan Sandhu, the Captain of the powerlifting team, agreed to sit down for a short interview with the BOSM English Press ahead of BOSM.

Deepan said that his team contested in seven categories, defined by weight. He explained that each category had a buffer, and so, for example, a contestant would not be disqualified for being 500 grams over the weight cutoff. Each event comprises three kinds of powerlifting—the deadlift, the bench press, and the squat. He explained that a contestant had three attempts at each of these. They had to quote the weight they would attempt to lift. The choice of weight was binding, and a failure to lift would result in disqualification. The victor would be chosen using the sum of weights in the three lifts, after factoring in the contestants’ body weights.

Deepan described his sport as hinging on yearlong training where practice trumped skill. Team members were regulars at the gym, and while the Gym Grounds also had equipment for workouts, nearly all of their training was spent in the gym. Deepan said that the introduction of air conditioning in one of the halls relieved some of the ardour of training. As team Captain, he brought about special discounts in the price of grilled chicken at ANC for team members, a perk that he remarked may extend to the GBM as well.

Deepan described that recruitments this year spanned over three days, with each day devoted to one of the three kinds of lifts, and trials being open to everybody. He relayed that the team secured a silver and a gold medal in the last two editions of BOSM, respectively. However, he added that the team had no participation in outstation events last year because of certain conflicts. For this BOSM, Deepan identified Bennett University as a chief rival, recollecting their performance last year.

Deepan noted that most of his challenges as team Captain can be traced to a common root of inventory. He described delays by the vendor and their promises of timely delivery that remained hollow as of the date of the interview. He also recounted past experiences of receiving equipment that was passed off as a different brand by the vendor. The Captain ended with an appeal to BITSians to attend events, noting that their presence greatly boosted team morale. He further announced the formation of a new women’s powerlifting team, which would begin recruitment shortly.