Mike quizzes the athletes - who wants a t-shirt?
Group picture of GHOI members and WSA participants!
After a long cab ride (~45 min in air-conditioned or for some, no air-conditioned "Cool Cabs"), we arrived at The Otters Club in Bandra. We met Amar, head of the World Squash Assoication, who quickly gave us a tour of the extremly nice facilities. However, we were in a rush to prepare the sessions and drills for the young athletes, so he led us to the squash courts. Three o'clock arrived fast and the kids were starting to gather. We gave them introductions and broke out into age-related groups, so drills and information were age-appropriate. We had four "stations" setup: warm-up, conditioning, plyometrics and strength training. At the end, we convened for a Q&A (question and answer) session, in which concepts that were taught to the partipants needed to be recalled correctly to "win a free t-shirt." The parents also joined at the very end for a Q&A session, in which they were able to ask group members about strength & conditioning. This ended up being a 1-on-1 session with the parents, but many of them left happy to gain this knowledge. Many of the kids, even the really young ones, were so polite and appreciative, as they thanked us before leaving. (We were also grateful as we learned from them too! During some of the activities, the children were able to teach us about proper mechanics and form of squash. Some of the members were able to join the kids for a quick teach & play game of squash!)
Afterwards, Amar and a few of the participants' parents invied us to stay at The Otter's Club for snacks and drinks near the pool and oceanside. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, as the view of the ocean was amazing and conversations with the locals was stimulating, as we talked about sqush and sports, travel, food, US and India. A few of our members even joined some of the children (who were at the program) for a game of "backyard cricket." The most rewarding points of the day were when we were all sitting with our snacks and tea at the table and the parents pointed out that the children are stretching after finishing up their activity AND they were asking for water to stay hydrated. That is really when we know we made a difference, as they were trying to make changes. Sadly, we had to leave this beautiful club, the families and the children, but fortunately we were able to walk out to a beautiful sunset! Sincerely, Mike
The highlight of the day (by Mike):
While working with the youngest group of partipants, I was trying to get them to stop playing on the physioballs but one child continued to play and bounce on it. I had no other choice but to physically remove it, as the child continued. As I tried to remove the ball, the child fell straight onto his buttock. I felt really bad and looked up to see Dr. Richardson staring at me. The child was fine, but I was scared!
Afterwards, Amar and a few of the participants' parents invied us to stay at The Otter's Club for snacks and drinks near the pool and oceanside. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, as the view of the ocean was amazing and conversations with the locals was stimulating, as we talked about sqush and sports, travel, food, US and India. A few of our members even joined some of the children (who were at the program) for a game of "backyard cricket." The most rewarding points of the day were when we were all sitting with our snacks and tea at the table and the parents pointed out that the children are stretching after finishing up their activity AND they were asking for water to stay hydrated. That is really when we know we made a difference, as they were trying to make changes. Sadly, we had to leave this beautiful club, the families and the children, but fortunately we were able to walk out to a beautiful sunset! Sincerely, Mike
The highlight of the day (by Mike):
While working with the youngest group of partipants, I was trying to get them to stop playing on the physioballs but one child continued to play and bounce on it. I had no other choice but to physically remove it, as the child continued. As I tried to remove the ball, the child fell straight onto his buttock. I felt really bad and looked up to see Dr. Richardson staring at me. The child was fine, but I was scared!
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