Overview

A quick glance at the swimming pool revealed two girls swimming furiously. Given the amount of water that splashed out of the pool, one could assume that the coach’s instructions went over their head. Practice sessions for the Girls Swim Team haven’t been very great till now. They seem to be facing the issue of people not turning up regularly.

Cumulatively, every member of the team swims about 1.2 kilometres per day. Their sessions involve swimming a long stretch at medium pace followed by rapid short distance sprints. As BOSM approaches, this regime is set to get more streamlined and event based. Swimming events at BOSM this year will include freestyle, butterfly, back, and breaststroke of various stretches ranging from 50 to 400 metres.

Past Performance

The previous edition of BOSM saw the team win a total of 30 medals – 13 gold, 6 silver, and 11 bronze medals across all events. The team also set foot in BITS Dubai last year to take part in their International Sports Meet. The tournament saw participation from nations around the world. They won several accolades and were placed first overall.

Recruitments

Turnout for the Girls Swim Team Trials is usually low – around ten girls showed up this year, an increase from the six that came last year. As a result, having multiple rounds of selections with different tasks is unnecessary. Aspirants are asked to swim a stretch of 50 metres in the pool in good time. Emphasis is laid on strokes so as to see if recruits are capable enough of achieving a good speed in a reasonable amount of time.

The departure of final year students last year, who comprised the majority of the team has left a major void. The team has inducted six new people, and was forced to compromise on quality slightly in order to fill up the numbers. However, the team boasts of having a PhD scholar who happens to be a national level swimmer.

Captain’s Interview

The captain of the girl’s swim team hardly needs an introduction. Mrudula Nageswaran, also known as ‘Totoro’ to her friends, is a state level swimmer with dozens of awards and accolades credited to her name. She hopes to better her record at BOSM this year by all means necessary.  She was also made captain in her first year – an exceedingly rare distinction, especially for a female player.

Swimming is not a common sport in India – lack of infrastructure and opportunities has reduced it to a recreational activity for most people. It is not the first name that comes to one’s mind when taking up a sport, and so was the case with Mrudula as well. Having never made the choice herself, she was forced into swimming in her early childhood. “The earliest memory I have is of my mother pushing me into the swimming pool when I was four years old because she did not want me to become lazy”, she says while vividly recalling her first few instances with water. She has no regrets whatsoever of continuing to swim despite a general lack of interest shown by everyone. “The sport has shaped me and made me who I am today”, reflects Mrudula. Given a choice, she would continue to swim in the future as well.

As a captain, she believes that her outlook towards the game has changed completely. “You are now responsible for a lot more than your own actions”, she feels. Her prime focus is on ensuring the well-being and fitness of her team mates, and making certain that they come regularly for practice. She is also grateful to the institute for providing the team with an all-time coach, who looks after them and decides their workout schedule.

Mrudula senses some inexplicable aversion towards swimming in BITS, especially among the girls. Her ‘crowning jewel’ has been her appointment as captain of the Girls Swim Team in her first year. She jokingly admits that she had no experience or skills to lead the team back then. Despite the troubles faced, Mrudula has managed to keep her head afloat and has swum through some turbulent times in the past. However, her greatest challenge is yet to come – when she leads the team in BOSM 2017.