Sunday, May 10, 2015

A small chat with Rehan Poncha: Arjuna Awardee and an Olympic Swimmer


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1.    I read in your bio that you started swimming at the age of 7. How difficult was it for you to cope with the pressure of studies on one hand and swimming on the other?
Competitive sport comes with unbelievable pressure and you have to be really committed to your dreams to be able to stay the course. I knew I could not afford to miss training because of exams and study pressure. And grades were important as well. So, I would find time to study in the car on the way to training, and through my lunch and play breaks at school! An athlete’s life requires a lot of sacrifice from fairly early on, but then, without sacrifice there is no success. I had to make these choices if I wanted to live my dreams and I made them because the joy in living my dream was mu larger than the unhappiness of sacrifices leading up to it.

2.    You have had an iconic career for him in swimming. You represented India in the Beijing Olympics, commonwealth games, national games and won numerous medals for your  country. Looking back at all these accomplishments, how satisfying has this journey been? Any fond memories that you remember of ?

There are so many memories I hold very dear to my heart ! So many races I can still think of  and relive in my mind very clearly. But there are major defining moments  as well, that really stand out for me and are quite special - such as qualifying and swimming for the Beijing Olympics or every single time I lifted a National Championship trophy or had a Gold Medal put around my neck. Unforgettable!

3.    It is always an honor to represent India. How did you feel when you represented India for the first time? And how did it come about ?
My first international swim meet was the Asia Pacific Swim Champs in Taiwan in 1997.I was selected because I was the fastest 11 year old in the country at the time. I went to the meet and ended up winning two bronze medals, my first for my country and most special! I still have them displayed in my trophy cabinet at home.

4.    Today a lot of commercialization of sports has taken place in India and to be fair only lucrative sports such as Cricket, Hockey, Football are getting all the money and attention. Do you feel that Indian government is not doing enough to promote athletic sports such as swimming, karate, sprints, taekwondo. You have experience. What are your looking to do in order to contribute ? What are the challenges that you are facing ?
I believe that swimming as a sport is fast gaining popularity .The standard of Indian swimming is also improving. When I competed, the Indian team I was part of won several medals at the Asian Open level and today we’re also seeing some really fast swimmers doing well at these meets. I would hope that swimmers and swimming will one day also have a league of races, just like the IPL does and a lot of corporate backing and support.

I contribute to Indian sport by offering learning from my own experience of representing and swimming for India at the highest levels through workshops for India’s competitive swimmers. As for getting involved at the governance level – I recently wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister expressing the need for change, that got a lot of attention in the media and online. I’ve recently received an invitation to be on a panel of elite sportsmen to form an Athletes Commission. I am always open to offering my support to help the cause of sport and Indian swimming.

5.    Indian contingent for Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth games is big but we are not able to have a good medal tally. Where are we lagging? Do you feel a robust infrastructure would help the athletes a great deal? What changes/upgrades would you suggest?

I feel that if we are to compete and win against the best in the world, we need to have access to everything these athletes have access to. For instance in swimming, our athletes are likely to better their performances is they had access to world class training facilities like temperature controlled pools or nutrition and strength training support on the team. Indian swimming today has Asian Games medalists and finalists at the CWG as well.Things are looking good for the sport and I can say this with confidence that when I work with swimmers at my workshops, and share with them lessons I have learnt from swimming that I feel that a lot of these swimmers have a bright future, because of their hard work and also because of the way we work.

6.    Swimming is something that people have started to associate with leisure and don’t take up the sport seriously. How do you plan to broaden the scope of swimming?
I think its popularity as a competitive sport is growing everyday. If any one were to visit even a local swim gala in Mumbai they would see how many swimmers are present and how much potential the sport has.The problem is that these swimmers stop swimming and choose a stable financial future or higher education over competitive swimming at a later age. At this point,there needs to be a brighter future promised to a swimmer who chooses the pool over studies or a job and this can only be possible if there was some sort of financial incentive given to the athletes for winning medals for the country or even sponsorship for training abroad.That way,parents wont feel the pinch to invest in their kids’ careers and swimmers will be able to take the risk of pursuing a sport they chose to do competitively when they were kids !

7.    After a string of successful outings in swimming you are trying your hand at Golf. How did golf come to exist in your life?

I swam professionally for over 20 years and was very satisfied with what I had achieved in the pool. After my last race in 2011, I decided to take an extended break. It was during this time that I happened to learn Golf and I fell in love with it from day one! Today I train six hours a day and dream of one day being as good a golfer as a swimmer! If that happens I will represent India in my new sport, and that’s what keeps me motivated to train all over again just like I did in the pool. Golf came to me at a very personally challenging time, and I look at it as a blessing! I respect and love the sport and I know that if I had the staying power to make it in one sport, I will do it in the other as well !

  
8.    You have won the most prestigious Arjuna Award. Can you share with us the entire experience about it?

The Arjuna Award is the highest sporting honor conferred by the country and recognizes an athlete’s outstanding service to the nation. It is a great privilege to be honored so by your country.  I also won the Best Athlete Trophy in 2002 and 2007 and had the opportunity to receive these from the then Prime Ministers of India. My parents were with me at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan when I received the award, and having them there to watch and be part of that moment meant a lot since they have sacrificed so much to see I got to realize my dreams in the pool. It was a perfect day and it just goes to show that if you dream big and work toward your goals, moments like these do come along and show you  its all worth it! These awards will always remain very close to my heart and are rewards for the years of hard work I put into the pool!

Today, when I go to train every morning I walk onto the golf course knowing that there is no golfer within a 1000 mile radius or more that has achieved as much as I have in my first sport, and this helps boost my confidence through training.

I do not mean to sound arrogant,I have the utmost respect for what our golfers do because I realize how hard a sport this is to master, but a little extra confidence always helps especially since I have started this sport at 26 and I’m up against golfers who have been playing from the age of 6 !

9.    Injuries is very common to any sportsperson. How do you keep yourself fit and away from injuries?

For both swimming and Golf I have to be very fit.  I train 6 hours on the golf course and spend another 2 in the gym four times a week. When I swam I could eat a lot since I would do a lot of cardio in the pool, but today I have to be a little careful about the quantity of food I do eat.

I also stay fit because I have a huge ego and I like to see a fit me when I look in the mirror. I think fitness has a lot to do with your self worth and if you value who you are and how good you look, fitness and how you take care of your body will always be automatic. So I’m sure that even without a sport, if you want to feel very proud of who you are, a fitter you will always keep your self confidence high and self esteem higher!

10.   I see a lot of people resorting to virtual games and don’t go out in the park to enjoy which makes them vulnerable to diseases. What is your message to the youngsters or the next gen?

I think that every child needs to really spend time finding a sport for himself that he loves doing and also loves working very hard at. I’m not saying its wrong to spend time on the gadgets but there must be a balance. Sport ,even if its not competitive,must be pursued since it builds character and teaches you so many invaluable life lessons – discipline, time management, dealing with adversity and more, preparing us for what lies ahead in our future careers.

11.  Cricket is a sport that has been followed religiously and you must have also followed cricket a lot. What is your prediction on India’s chances in CWC15?
I would want India to bring back the cup,and I believe we have a team confident and strong enough to do so J

12.  If you have to look back at these years, what is that one incident that has left a  deep impact on you ? That shaped you as a person ?
I think that many experiences, good and bad through the years in the pool have made me the person I am today.I would not pick out a single moment,because you learn everyday,and when you come up against situations that put you out of your comfort zone,you learn more.Its important to have a good attitude and be receptive to the best your sport or anyone around you has to offer.I did all my swim life,and I do that in my golf and my work too today J

 13.  Any opportunities for managers in the sports industry ?
           I think as sport gets increasingly professional in the country there is a great need for efficient sports managers. Today I can do what I do better because of the fantastic team I have supporting my goals. It is because they do what they do so well – my coach Justin Parsons, my manager Gitika an her team at Criesse, that I can really focus on my sport.

 14.          What Rehan loves doing in his personal life ? How do you spend your free time ?
Love what you do and you’ll never ork a day! I live a very balanced life where I get to spend a lot of time on my own on the golf course through the week and then I work with several swimmers on weekends when I coach them ! My life is very full and busy, but sometimes to get away from it all, I put on a nice movie or some music and I’m fine in a couple of hours. Long drives and quiet dinners with family and friends relaxes me too ! The best part is I don’t work,I pursue my dreams and both,the golf and my swim clinics that I conduct are my career,which I LOVE.

 15.          Thanks Rehan. Any message you would love to give to the children, to the sports  lovers and to our MBA class at Cox ?

Love what you do and be passionate about it ! Never let anyone tell you youre not good enough for your dreams and goals.Surround yourself with people who love you and care for you and stay true to yourself,always.

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