The group of courageous girls from the rural school of the Puttalam District emerged victorious at the recent DSI Supersport Schools Volleyball Championship after battling odds that came to them from off the field. They beat the much fancied Anamaduwa Maha Vidyalaya 3-1 (20/25, 25/18, 25/18, 25/23) to clinch the Under-19 Girls’ category while one of their elks Preethika Pramodini was adjudged the Best Player in the category.

But at the Dialog President’s Gold Cup Volleyball Championship final, to which the young lasses and their more courageous and committed coach, Anil Chandrakumara had to put in more effort, the team had to settle as runners-up.

“Our targets are to win the Munchee Super League in 2021 and reach the 2023 Asian Junior Championship. These are our intended goals, but to be exact, these are dreams for us. At All-Island School level this team has achieved the unthinkable by winning all age groups. We train outdoors and when it comes to indoor games, there are areas we lag, not by talent, but by exposure and facilities,” Chandrakumara explained.

The coach further explained that the balls used for indoors are far more expensive than what is used at outdoors. In addition the girls did not possess the sports gear donned by their rival team members, and were totally alien to the much improved facilities, despite being talented and determined athletes.

“We managed to borrow a few needed equipments from friends prior to the final, but yet we fell short by a whisker in the final. Also I should mention that these girls come from very poor family backgrounds, and leave aside the nutritional intakes, enjoying the full three meals for a day is another huge challenge they face. With what is around, I’m glad as the coach, the distance we managed to reach,” he added.

Coach Chandrakumara has been the rescuer of the team for some time now. He contributes his whole monthly income to provide nutritional meals for the girls during training and competition, with the help of his wife and mother in-law, who does the preparation of food. With the challenges the girls and the coach face on a daily basis, making their appearance at an open competition and reaching the final is a huge achievement, according to the coach.

“For indoor practices we must pay a huge amount and travel closer to 100 kilometres to the nearest facility. There are people who voluntarily help the team, and even the villages are highly supportive though most of them are poor. We need to brush up and go for our next target, and we are all determined for that,” the coach stated.

The plight these young girls go through was highlighted through the social media and even became a talking point. The struggle to overcome poverty and hardship, to which they are born and seasoned to, and their quest for a better future became a highlight, despite the ongoing pandemic.

This news was taken up in a humane manner by Dialog Axiata, one of the leading entities in the telecommunication industry, who went out of their way to help these girls with the much needed sports gear. Dialog also launched a charity drive to encourage them to pursue their future achievements.

For the girls of Sri Rathanapala Maha Vidyalaya, Mahauswewa, this was a welcome news. Their school is located in a thorny region in the Puttalam District and is a land where no hope could be  planted. Surrounded by wild elephants, it is surprising and encouraging to be optimistic about the future because the appalling environment.

The lost hopes of these girls are being revived by coach Chandrakumara, a sports enthusiast and the Sports Teacher of the school who guided the team to win almost all volleyball tournaments in the school divisions, defeating powerful rivals. And their run up to the final of the Gold Cup Championship final has opened the eyes of many around the country, even the corporate sector.

“Although we are planning to build an indoor playground 10km away from our school, today it has become just a dream. I respectfully request that an individual or an institution that has the strength to make the dreams of these children come true, to come forward for this cause,” coach Chandrakumara pledged, while showing gratitude to the contribution Dialog Axiata made.

“We come from poor family backgrounds. My mother is currently working abroad and my father is a farmer. Even some parents of my team-mates are no longer alive. But our coach is like a parent to us. He gives us the courage to win life as well as in sports. We have never regretted not having the facilities we dream of. At one point, a member of our team and her mother was attacked by a wild elephant on their way home from training. But in the midst of all these obstacles, it is a strength to have our coach and the principal with us to overcome all odds and aim for victory,” captain of the team Preethika Pramodhini stated.

The pure intention of these youngsters and their coach, who nurtures these kids from his own expenses with the ambition of winning a national competition, and then bringing fame to Sri Lanka with an international medal, is today highly commended and supported by many. The principal of the school S.S. Thilakasiri, the parents of the players and fellow schoolmates and people of the area have been the pillars of strength for them.

The contribution of sports bags containing footwear, sportswear, sports gear and nutritional supplements were presented by a set of staff members of Dialog Axiata, who went all the way to Anamaduwa. The lasses were overjoyed with what they received, and are now determined to prove that their ambitions are just a step away.

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