Pre-Revels’18 : Sports

Pre-Revels’18 had a lot of events for sports enthusiasts in the box this year. They were well organised and conducted with utmost care by the organisers with an aim to inspire and recreate. There were eight events in total, spanning over six days.

 

BOX CRICKET

This quaintly set up event happened right outside the ninth block instead of the field. It might also owe its success to the immensely inviting presence of Annapoorna mess and the massive support from the students of the ninth and tenth block. Students from all the years found Box Cricket to be their calling due to the induced nostalgia, which took them to old times when cricket was celebrated on every road and backyard. The primary objective of the event was to make the playing field smaller so that the conflicted the teams could make the match much more interesting.

On the second day of the event, teams that registered for it faced each other in direct knockout games, which resulted in a high intensity of play amongst the participants. The small boundaries made for a unique style of play, with several constraints placed upon the batsmen. The audience witnessed a vast plethora of shots as each team sought to outscore their opponents in any way possible. Each game consisted of five overs per side, in which the winning outfit would progress to the next round. A ‘power play’ over, occurring at the discretion of the batting team, gave players the opportunity to score bonus runs, where the rules regarding the small boundaries were relaxed for only six balls.

The crowd was thrilled by the closeness of each of the games where almost all the teams were evenly matched, participating with great enthusiasm and taking each other to their limits. The organisers too were pleased by both the participation of the teams and the turnout of the audience.

 

CARROM

As this year’s theme of Revels suggests ‘redefining tradition’, Pre-Revels had this traditional indoor game set, which fits the theme perfectly. Carrom is a light-hearted game which is played in every household in India. This game saw a decent number of registrations and was held at the MIT Food Court from 19th to 21st February. The first day began slow but the subsequent days invited a larger crowd.

“This is the first time Carrom is organised as an event for Pre-Revels. We have received a good number of registrations. We hope that contestants, as well as the audience, enjoy the event,” said one of the organisers. Gyanesh, a student of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) won this three days long game. The event was entertaining to play and watch as well. There was a decent crowd present during the event to support the players.

 

FUTSAL

An exceptional group of enthusiastic players lined up with their meticulously formed teams to participate in day one of the FUTSAL competition held at MIT Football Ground. This minimalist version of football gathered passionate and dedicated fans of football to come together and prove their mettle. Round one began with the clash of the various teams with students hailing from all over Manipal. It marked the beginning of the elimination round as the winners of each match would have a faceoff with each other, eventually culminating in a showdown between the top two contingents.

With the conclusion of day one from which five teams emerged victorious to proceed to the next round, day two included sixteen other teams battling with each other so that the surviving eight join the rest. A more significant turnout and participation compared to the first day is a sign that the people of Manipal are getting excited for Futsal which is a minimalist sport and mostly played only by a small group of ardent football fans.

Day three progressed at a steady pace, as ten more teams competed in this exciting competition, to give rise to five other champions who will proceed to the semi-final round. New rivalries developed as each team waged war on the other. From fouls to nail-biting penalties to a variety of spectators (not limited to dogs and cows), the third day has shown up to be the most exciting day so far in FUTSAL Pre-Revels’18, and the organisers look forward to an incredible finale which will test the morale of the competing teams to their maximum.

The final day saw the emergence of the teams that had proceeded to the semi-finals, after which the participants of the deciding match were finalised. The event consisted of a growing audience that expected carnage on the field. The expectations of the audience were satisfied as the swift battles turned into epic wars. However, the organisers were at the helm of this war and made sure that teams on either side played on the right terms.

 

3 POINT SHOOTER

The number ‘three’ is of primal importance in this highly competitive event.

The basketball court in front of the 10th block swarmed with participants raring to put up their best show. Each player was given exactly 3 minutes to score as many 3-Pointers as possible to clinch the title of 3-Pointer Leader. It was a very engaging event for the spectators there. The game gained crowed soon after it started.

The first day showed a much more prominent turnout as compared to the previous year. The organisers said they expect more participants to show up in the upcoming days and hope that the competition is tight, leading to an exciting showdown.

 

SEVEN STONES

The first day of 7 stones was held on the 21st of February 2018 on the tenth block basketball court.

The participants were divided into two teams of five to six participants each. They engaged in a fierce battle keeping the spectators at the edge of their seats. The court witnessed various emotions, from rejoicing the points that were scored to exasperated expressions when the ball just missed the mark.

“I can’t wait for the final round of seven stones. It is going to be twice the amount of chaos and excitement,” said Raunit, a spectator.

“The turnout for this year has considerably increased compared to 2017’s”, said Nitish Kumar, an organiser.

 

DODGEBALL

The basketball court outside 10th block bore witness to some fantastic jumps and powerful throws when the semi-finals of the dodgeball event descended upon it. The four teams who had persevered out of the men who had registered fought valiantly for a place in the finals. The first match contained two tiebreakers to establish superiority in skill, and athletic prowess is what saved the contenders. While the organisers described the previous matches as “hectic”, it was plain to see why the participants described it as a race to the finish. Following a series of quick coordination, vertical takeoffs, and rapid evasion, the first match was as nail-biting as the second match was a metaphorical walkover.

The final round of the increasingly rapid Dodge Ball matches was nothing short of enthralling. Enthusiastic hand gestures, agitated hand gesticulations and loud shouts of “Out!” were thrown back and forth as the participants leapt and dived to avoid the powerful throws of the opponents. The organisers were satisfied by the healthy competitive spirit shown by the teams, who made it as difficult as they could for their opponents to knock them out. The final face-off was a high-intensity, strategically display of agility and quick responses.

 

TUG OF WAR

It was the most fun and energetic event of Pre-Revels for sports category. Held in front of MIT Food Court with a huge crowd supporting the contestants, it was a two days event conducted on 23rd and 24th of February. “We’re pleased that the participants enjoyed the game and there was a very enthusiastic audience to support them,” said one of the organisers. It was divided into three rounds which had a participation of three teams each.

Tanya, a student of School of Communication (SOC), told that he enjoyed the whole game a lot and this was the most fun event of Pre-Revels’18. For those two days, MIT Food Court witnessed people screaming, jumping and cheering for their friends. The event was well managed, and there was no injury or accidents happened during those two days.

 

ARM WRESTLING

The first day of the eagerly awaited event of Arm Wrestling was a display of pure brawn. One of the many fairground-like tables in front of the food court, this competition was organised by the sports category. Maheedhar, the organiser, tells MTTN that this event never fails to see an enthusiastic turnout every year. This year, they received more than forty registrations, a considerable increase from the past years. Thus, the table occupied a prime spot, front and centre to attract the spectators. The look of determination, muscles rippling and sweat pouring down their faces was reasonably prominent. Some participants faced a long and hard fight while for the others; it was a piece of cake.

The second day of arm wrestling experienced sheer strength and pulsating suspense. Gathering a rather large crowd due to the delayed Tug of War, it all finally came down to the clench of fists, the scrunching of eyebrows, the fortitude to slam the opponent’s hand down victoriously on the opposite side of the table, cheers emanating from your side of the tight crowd, the epicentre at which the wrestle takes place on a meagre wooden table. The event entailed ten matches on day 2, and the organisers were more than thrilled with the turnout, gearing up for the showdown.

After two days of gritty resilience to push down biceps and triceps, the final day of arm wrestling saw just one match, the ultimate champions from all the matches facing each other off. In a somewhat anticlimactic finish, Melroy took down Tejas with ease, two to zero in a best out of three series. Since the beginning, Melroy was always graceful in his victories, showing very little sign of the scuffle, confidently whizzing past the rounds with unrivalled power. There was also to be girls’ finals, but due to a single registration, this did not take place. After three long days of tension, the little table in front of the food court was finally laid to rest.

-Written by the MTTN Crew

 

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