VICTORY!

Victory is sweet. It’s the sweetest. There is nothing like total victory. We are champions. Champions. We are the best among those we compete with. And with conquering your opponents, you conquer your dreams and desires, and then the pure joy that flows out, the emotions, the passion, the sheer ecstasy is the best feeling anyone can have. A feeling that you are on top of the world, and nothing, nothing can stop you from feeling happy. The adrenalin is pumping, and you find this hidden energy within you, that comes bursting out. You reach the pinnacle of satisfaction, and at that moment, nothing seems better. You forget all other pleasures and woes. Sometimes it takes time for the victory to seep in, “shit we have actually won!”. It seems like a dream, a dream you don’t want to snap out of, and you don’t snap out of it because that dream is now reality.

All the practices we had, during Ramadan, under Al Maktoum bridge, in Romit’s play area where we endlessly tried to improve our volleys and touches, from grade 7 to now, that preparation, that hard-work, that commitment to the larger cause, that feeling that every time we played football, we played only to win that single tournament we take part in every year, for the biggest bang, the bang that is like a historic legacy in its own small way in the Dubai Modern High School for football, all the seemingly “years of preparation” has led us to a victory that we wanted the most. Screw the medals and the cups, what we wanted was the glory, the glory of victory, because it’s that glory that makes everything seem worthwhile. We wanted it, we got it. Hell yeah!

As Captain, I have to specially thank a few people. I would like to thank my team, for their oneness, great spirit, great teamwork, great sportsmanship and for the respect they gave me. I respect you for that. Beyond all the glory-takers, i.e goal-scorers, a special thanks to an unsung hero – Neil Jonathan D’souza – our small Neil. He played with all his heart, and his determination, strength, speed and purposeful tackles played a major role in giving us that once-elusive victory. A special thanks also to Edwin Mathew for a gritty, strong and reliable role as Defensive Midfield. He was brilliant too.

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank all those students and teachers that supported us, from the frantic phone calls of Tejas and Govind, to the “good luck” comments on this blog, and on your MSN nicknames. Thank you – support is always good, and many a time, crucial. Lastly, we would like to thank our passionate and energetic coach – Mr Mahesh Sharma. Thank you sir – you got the best out of us, and made us believe in ourselves even more. Thanks for everything. A special thanks also goes out to Venu Sir, for attending every match, and giving us spurts of inspiration. Thank you sir!

Shit, it feels like the Oscars. I am going to stop. I didn’t want this post to be too long, but hey, I really can’t control myself at the moment!

More than winning, the whole campaign has been this enchanting and enriching experience of tackling people and emotions, literally and symbolically. Wow – it’s been one hell of a roller-coaster, a roller-coaster that we have enjoyed so, so much.

P.S. The obvious song to listen too: “Queen – We Are The Champions”