Though swimming once lurked behind the shadows of mainstream sport, it is now making a comeback in the halls of Woodstock School. This has been made possible through our enthusiastic swimmers and brand new coach, Mr Marcelino. Everyone has tirelessly been working to reintegrate the sport into the school’s curriculum. This has not been without challenges; overcoming the legacy of disinterest toward minority sports required a concerned effort. But in order for a school to consistently rank on top, swimming had to be brought back. With insights about the swimming community, and ways in which they are pushing people into joining this well-rounded sport, we interviewed Mr Marcelino to hear his perspective. 

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Marcelino Ngarioma, generally called coach Marcelino, I’m a swimming coach. I’ve been swimming for almost all my life, I went to college to start physical education and I’ve focused on swimming. After graduating, I started coaching. I coached school, club level and national teams before I had the opportunity to join Woodstock.

How did you become involved in coaching, particularly for a sport that isn’t as prominent in Woodstock?

Good question! As head of the PE department, coming here, I realized we’re quite strong in sports like basketball, football and badminton. Then, I noticed that we have a swimming pool and all these passionate learners that can make a team. So, I tried to put everything together with the support of my colleagues, Mr. Anirudh and Miss Martha. We arranged for some practice sessions at hotels as we don’t have a heated pool, went through tryouts and finally made a team we are extremely proud about. 

What are the challenges you have encountered in coaching swimming in a school where it’s not the main focus? 

Yeah many challenges because swimming is an expensive sport and you need the team attire like the swimming costumes, cap and goggles. You find out that most students cannot afford these or their parents don’t spend money on them. Also, Mussoorie is a cold place and that makes it even more challenging. Our pool is not heated yet but we’re hoping that it will be heated soon. However, I’m happy that the administration is supportive and will help resolve these issues. 

What is the current state of swimming in the school and how do you think the student interest has grown?

According to me, the current state is satisfying because there’s a lot of interest and we have many requests everyday. We’ve only achieved to make a girls team and this week, we’re going to make a boys team and go for practice twice a week. Soon, the girls team has another competition in Ecole School Dehradun and there will be students from all grades. Furthermore, our students also outshined in the competition held at Gyanada Girls School, and came back with a bunch of laurels making the Woodstock community proud! 

Tamanna and Ayra are staff reporters.

Edited by Aryaman.