SDP Elite kids are back!!

After the exams the kids are back on-courts at Siri Fort. With the Squash Tournament season getting underway very soon they have a lot to catch up!!

Save Siri Fort Campaign....Press Release

The members of the Siri Fort Sports Complex staged a candlelight vigil, Friday 13 evening, in a show of their opposition to DDA’s break-and-rebuild activities on the plea of preparation for the Commonwealth Games. All of them – a few hundred – sported T-shirts with the message “Save Siri Fort”. They stood peacefully outside the main gate of the complex and then walked in a procession down the road and back, ending up inside. DDA is bent upon redesigning the existing facilities for badminiton, squash, tennis and swimming when only a little renovation is sufficient.

Mr M.L.Lahoty, a senior advocate, explained that DDA was planning a whopping Rs 44 crores on renovation of facilities in the name of the Commonwealth Games although those were not needed for the games. He alleged that DDA was even ignoring requests for disclosure of what its exact plans. Mr Lahoty has already raised questions before the Supreme Court about the propriety of DDA’s reconstruction plans. The next date for the hearing of this case is March 27.

Gautam Bhatia, a well known architect, explained that much good sense was required for planning any big change in the sports complex and its environs including heritage sites. Furthermore these changes should be carried out after consultations with players.

A signature campaign last year succeeded in foiling an earlier attempt by DDA to close down the entire complex for nearly two years from January 2009 and push through undisclosed plan for unnecessary rebuilding of the complex at a huge cost. Lt-Governor Tejendra Khanna took note of the strong feelings of the users of the complex and ordered only those facilities to be closed which might really need renovation.

Save Siri Fort Campaign

Hi everyone,
Thank you all those who could make it at this short notice. This is to let you all know that there were over 300 people collected for the candle light vigil and march at SFSC.

It was peaceful, considerate to those coming in to the complex and an unprecedented success with 2 national tv channels and news paper journalists there. We have succeed in getting attention on the issue of closing down the complex for 2 years and we now wait for the powers that be to make the next move. We should be ready to stop them doing what ever they want to do without telling us ---- the members who are most affected.

We are not against improvement but we should be told prior to an adhoc decision, a decision that involves our lives.

Please keep in touch.
Regards
Bharat

Click here for a slideshow of the event

SRFI Summer Camps 2009

The SRFI is planning to organise 2 summer camps one for the national elite players and the other for beginners at the ICL Squash Academy in Chennai in the last week of April or first week of May for a 12 day period.

The camp will comprise the following:

• Technique development
• Lectures on nutrition, tactics, injury prevention etc
• Fitness Tests
• Video Analysis
• Stabilizer Exercises
• Cross Training (Swimming / Volley Ball)
• Lunch will be provided daily

The fee for the elite camp and beginner camp would be Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 5,000 respectively.

Kindly let me know by March 20, 2009 if your players would be interested in attending the above camp.

Regards

Cyrus Poncha

National Coach

Interested SDP players may send in their names to nikhil@reacha.org

Need to join hands for Squash!!!

Friends...our worst fears are almost coming to fruition!! DDA Siri Fort Squash Courts are being brought down/rebuilt in the name of CWG2010. Thus, they will be shut for all squash lovers for the next 18 months.

We don't mind it if it had the good of Squash or CWG2010 at the heart of it all. As per SRFI 12 new courts being constructed within this complex are enough for the training as well as conduct of the Squash event at CWG2010. So why rebuild the existing 4 courts where lots of kids as well as members have their daily sessions?

Some of our arguments go as follows:

1. Its a waste of the tax payers money...especially when there is NO REQUIREMENT for rebulding the 4 courts complex
2. There is no need to convert these into AC courts....this is bound to put them out of access of a number of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) kids as well as school kids who currently pay a nominal 10/ per day to play Squash in the complex
3. We don't mind the courts being renovated one/two at a time
4. Any change/renovation etc must be NEED BASED & done with foresight
5. Any construction/destruction cannot be justified in the name of CWG2010!!

Team SDP

Prince sponsorship for SDP Elite kids & Coaches

The Prince - SDP Sponsorship was launched at DDA Siri Fort Sports Complex on 17 Feb 09. The chosen 5 kids felt encouraged and resolved to work hard. 5 Coaches of the SDP programme were also given the honors.

This is a 1 year sponsorship with the incentive that if kids do well in State, National & International tournamenmts their kits would be constantly upgraded, besides their travel getting support from Prince.

A slideshow will be uploaded soon showcasing the event.

SDP suspended for Feb - March 09 due to exams

As kids prepare for their final exams, Team SDP wishes them all the very best. Though the coaching will continue in spurts, the real momentum will re-start with the new Academic Session (09-10) from April 09.

We look forward to catching up with you all once again in april 09. In the meantime, the blog would bring to you REACHA's counselling support through hot links with its official site www.reacha.org