Track & field training underway for budding athletes

GANGTOK, 04 July: A “Summer Athletic Coaching Camp” is underway full swing here at the Paljor Stadium since 28 June. Around 40 children from within and around Gangtok have registered for this camp which is scheduled to continue till 08 July.
The 10-day camp is being organized by the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs and is supported by the Sikkim Running Group. Two-hour long training sessions are held every morning from 6:30 to 8:30 AM under the supervision of the State Chief Athletic Coach, Basant Pradhan, who is being assisted by senior athletes.
Speaking to NOW! today, coach Pradhan shared that athletics training is held throughout the year but this summer coaching was mainly targeted for the young athletes and beginners. The summer coaching camp has school students from the 10-16 age group.
He shares that the main objective of the camp was to tap athletes while they were still very young and then motivate and train them throughout the year to hone their skills and talent. He believes that the camp also served to engage the students in healthy and productive schedules and that such efforts help keep the young away from harmful distractions.
The Coach further mentions that the camp provided basic training and focused on building endurance, skills, speed, strength, flexibility, stretching and other basic knowledge. He added that seeing the potential and talent these beginners brought to the stadium, he was hopeful that they will continue with track and field events in the future.
The training camp is also being scientifically backed as per the latest training and fitness patterns in consultation with Dr Remon Chettri. It is informed that Dr Chettri is the first sports physiotherapist in Sikkim and is presently an Assistant Professor at the Sikkim Manipal College of Physiotherapy.
Sikkim Running Group, it is informed, was started by some likeminded runners 3 years back and has been working mainly to motivate and support beginners and young athletes to bring them up to competitive levels.
The group has also been sponsoring young athletes in their training, diet, kits, and sending them to different competitions outside the state.
The state chief athletic coach mentions that with the coordination with PETs and sports teachers at schools, talented athletes will be identify and trained. Mr Pradhan has also urged parents to contact him or SRG if their children were interested to join training sessions in athletics.
The State athletes have also been preparing for a string of national level competitions starting next month.