This young eight year old personifies strength and hard work at the next level. Declaring her PT teacher as her inspiration and role model, Khushi Sharma, student of class VII at Apeejay School, Tanda Road dreams to play at an international level someday. She gives special credit to her parents for having her back throughout and believes in the true sportsmanship spirit of converting her defeat into victory by learning it as a life lesson.
Excerpts from the interview.
What is your training regime?
I practice with my coach at school, Yadvinder sir from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm daily. And when I am back from school, I again practice for one hour in the garden area of my home.
What is your favourite food?
I have been strictly advised by my sir to not consume aerated drinks like coca cola, shakes and fast food/junk food. I am only allowed to eat a healthy diet. He makes me understand the harmful effects of such food items and advises that only nutritious food will help me to have the strength to score above my opponent during kickboxing.
What are the challenges you face during practice?
There are many rules of the game that I learn and practice with my Sir. So far I have picked on rules of kicking and punching on specific body areas and face. I have been taught to never indulge into any hard hitting against my opponent. There are no challenges as such but yes, there is a lot of hard work involved to master the sport and up my performance.
How was your experience at the tournament?
I had to travel to Nawanshahr (district in Punjab) for my tournament and it was quite a long journey. There were many schools of Punjab which participated in the competition. I met students of other schools and had varied interactions about kickboxing around its tactics. The experience of meeting students from other schools was quite an eye-opener experience for me.
How do you balance studies and kickboxing?
I wake up daily at 6 am and start my day with an exercise session so that my body stays warmed-up. Then I get ready for school and after finishing that I head for my daily practice. Once I am back home, I eat my lunch and take a rest for some time. Then again in the evening after winding up my tuitions, I practiced kickboxing for an hour before calling it a day.
How has this sport impacted your life?
I have been pursuing this sport for the past two years now and I believe there are certain positive changes in me. I have noticed my confidence level has risen manifold.
Are your parents’ supportive?
My parents have supported me abundantly. They encouraged me to participate in all these competitions and achieve great heights. They have actually stood like a rock for me throughout.
Support from the school.
My teachers have been exceptionally supportive of me. Whenever I had to travel for my tournaments, I had to miss my classes and due to that I lost out on learning subject matter. So, every time I was back in school, my teachers would arrange extra classes for me to help me clear my concepts.