They might have apparently looked like a bunch of rookies in the midst of accomplished basketball titans in the Championship- but not anymore. On 17th December 2018, Indian Educational School, Kuwait, accorded a warm ovation to its formidable basketball team that had literally turned the tables on its rivals in the initial phase of the CBSE National Basketball Championship held at Agra, India, and stormed into the semifinals. Though the team had the sniffing chance of the Championship title, they had to settle for bronze after a humdinger of a semifinal. It was the perfect icing on the cake that Maanas Manoj of Grade 12C bagged a bronze in badminton mixed doubles (under 19 category) in CBSE National Championship.
The players, who were given heroes’ welcome, arrived at school with a euphoric sense of triumph that swelled into instant awe and applause from the cheerleaders. On behalf of Mr. N. K. Ramachandran Menon, Chairman of Bhavans Middle East, Mr. T Premkumar, Principal of IES, hailed the players, for their phenomenal effort that did the school proud. He lavished praise on them and added that the results speak for itself and that the bronze medals encapsulate the hard work and gumption of the players. Ms. Lalitha Premkumar, Vice Principal (KG & Primary), Ms. Meenakshi Nayyar, Vice Principal (CCA),and other Heads of Faculties, beamed with pride and cheered on as the Principal gave away the medals, certificates and basketballs to boot.
Mr. Murugaiyyan, HoD of Physical Education, proposed the vote of thanks and waxed eloquent on the team’s admirable feat. He showered verbal confetti on Mr. Mathiyalagan, the basketball coach, for his proactive sessions with the team and for facilitating scrimmages for them prior to the Championship. He expressed his gratitude to the Chairman for recruiting such specialists for games. Mr. Mathiyalagan’s mentorship had paid off in a jiffy, he keeps churning out basketball aces. The medalists are not the fledgling unsung heroes anymore- their success is a classic tale of relentless hard work reminiscent of the early days in the life of the basketball legend, Michael Jordan. Mr. Murugaiyyan also felicitated the parents for their unstinting support. The rousing reception was wrapped up with an entertainment jig by the cheerleaders.