Jalandhar, December 4: On the 72nd day of Hockey Coaching Camp, run by Surjit Hockey Society at the local Surjit Hockey Stadium, Olympian Gurmail Singh and former Captain of Indian women's hockey team Rajbir Kaur met the players and shared their hockey experiences and also told them the tricks of hockey.
According to Surinder Singh Bhapa, Director (Coaching Camp), Surjit Hockey Society, Rajbir Kaur, former captain of Indian hockey team known as Golden Girl, was awarded Arjuna Award by Government of India in 1984 and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award by Punjab Government for outstanding achievement in National Games. Was honoured.
Rajbir is the only Indian hockey player to have represented the country in four consecutive Asian Games in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994. Became the youngest top scorer at the 1982 Asian Games and won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games. Apart from participating in the World Cup, he has played in more than 150 international matches. Olympian Gurmail Singh, a gold medalist of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and an Arjuna Award winner, retired as Superintendent of Police.
Speaking on the occasion Olympians Gurmail Singh and Golden Girl Rajbir Kaur said that playing hockey is like devotion and as a player who plays hockey with true heart and hard work, he definitely achieves his goal. He called the players lucky that get Astroturf ground, coaching from good coaches, hockey sticks, ball, fruits, soaked almonds and candies free of cost while in their time, they used to play bare feet on mud ground. It was also very difficult to get good hockey. They also considered themselves lucky to find an egg in the coaching camps. Couple lauded the efforts of the Surjit Hockey Society and said that this is the first coaching camp in India where a large number of players under the age group of 14 & 19 years are participating.
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This camp has become famous as ”Badama Wala Camp” (Almonds Camp) in India.
It is pertinent to mention here that the hockey camp which was started the last 71 days ago, was started with 5 players, today more than 135 players are participating, out of which 35 players are girls.