COACH NELSON AND SREENITH MOHAN

From the Sunday Express of 19.12.2010 published from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The article was written by Aswin J Kumar, ENS
Coach Nelson delighted with Sreenith’s show

Sreenith Mohan is a happy lad. He now holds the new state record of 1.98 metres in junior high jump at the state school meet, breaking the old record of 1.91 metres. But there is a happier person, C.M.Nelson, the coach of Sreenith and physical education teacher of Guruvayoor Devaswom Sreekrishna Higher Secondary School.

Nelson watched his ward so closely as he went on to break the record and set a new one at the state school athletics. He let out a wild cheer when the new record was set. It was something special for him.

Six months before when there was not a jumping bed for Sreenith to practice, his coach did something unusual for him. Nelson went around collecting used up beds from Devaswom lodges and prepared a jumping bed for his student. When the cover of the pit kept tearing apart under the impact of spikes, he went to Chennai and scourged the markets to find a tarpaulin that was tough and durable.

Whenever Sreenith, who comes from a humble background, needed quality spikes and sports kit, the coach did not wait for school management’s aid. He spared a portion of his salary to ensure Sreenith did not lack anything. On Saturday, Sreenith repaid his coach by performing impressively. Not only did he come first in the event, he also set a new state record and made his coach proud.

“I knew that he could go a long way. Last year he had won a silver in the same event. He was also the individual champion at the sub-district level this year,” said Nelson, who lives in a rented home in Guruvayoor. Despite his financial hurdles, Nelson along with Raghu have been supporting Sreenith in every possible way.

“I have a family to look after. But Sreenith is like my son. I am sure that he is going to wear the tricolour(national flag) soon. I am now looking for a sponsor who can support him,” said Nelson.

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Comment

Kerala is on the west coast at the southern tip of India. Though small the state has high literacy and is ahead of other states of India in Human Development Index. In fact the HDI compares well with that of advanced and developed countries. The major event in the sports calendar of the schools in Kerala is the state school athletics meet. Talent is aplenty. The story dwells on how talent is nurtured. At Christmas time, Coach Nelson shows  how he fulfils the message of Christmas.

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