With less than a week left for BOSM 2019, tensions are running high among the athletes on campus. Sindhu M., the captain of the Athletics team (Girls), took some time out of her busy training schedule to talk about her plans for BOSM 2019, her new recruits, and her experience as captain.

Athletics consists of several individual track and field events. Within the track events there are: short distance (100, 200, 400 metres), middle distance (800 metres) and long distance (1.5K and 3K). The field events consist of long jump, triple jump, discus throw, javelin throw, and shot put.

As BOSM approaches, the team has taken up a rigorous training routine, practicing twice a day; one hour in the morning to practice their form and two hours in the evening to build their stamina. ‘The morning practice is about quality and not quantity, but the evening practice is about repetition,’ said Sindhu when asked about their routine. The team does not let even the rains stop them, in case of which they go to the gym for two-hour long sessions to make sure that they do not miss out on the day’s practice.

Sindhu mentioned that she is content with the support and inventory (like spiked running shoes) that they received from the college. She has had positive interactions with the CoSSAc, and said that they have been ready to help in any way possible. She went on to add that the team got a new coach this year, who they have been very satisfied with.

Though the they missed the title of “Best Team” in last year’s BOSM by a tiny margin and were overpowered by the high competition in the out-station meets, Sindhu is confident that the team will perform well this year, ‘the competition is good, but I’m sure that my that my team can give their best.’ She considers the teams from Delhi University and IIT Delhi to be their main competitors this BOSM, but still remains positive about her team’s ability to perform well.

This year the team welcomed five new recruits, Sindhu mentioned that she was able to get three more girls on the team than last year, including some really good sprinters, particularly Prithika, Vibha, and Rishika. She further added that she was not able to find new recruits for long distance runs this season and hopes to find some participants in the next semester. When asked about her experience as captain, Sindhu said that though it was challenging, her team always cooperated with her making it easier to manage. ‘Being regular to practice as captain also helps me manage the rest of my day, I feel like I can get things done better if I have slots fixed for athletics.’

Sindhu has been participating in athletic events since the seventh grade and has been part of the BITS team since her first year. When asked what draws her to the sport she said, ‘No matter what happens during the rest of the day, when I get on the track, everything else leaves my mind, my only focus is on running. No matter how my day is going, I always feel better after practice.’