Focus on finishing touches

Indervir Grewal

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, December 6

The chill in the air hits a little harder than expected as you reach the Dhyan Chand Stadium here. The cold is not uncomfortable, but it wakes you up after a long and winding trip, first through the crowded downtown streets, then through the dark and empty expanses of the Guru Gobind Singh Sports College.

The stadium, venue for the hockey Junior World Cup, is hidden inside the college, which is on the outskirts of the city; and the temperature difference is the first noticeable thing. The second is the smog, floating above the blue turf. The diffusion of the light from the floodlights makes for a very psychedelic, albeit disorienting, scene.

“The playing conditions are testing as it’s very unclear because of the smog,” says Valentin Altenburg, Germany’s coach. The weather, though, is “perfect for playing”, says Altenburg. It’s winter season in Germany now and temperatures can go sub-zero. “The players are enjoying the weather here. The turf is very quick, very nice,” Altenburg said about his team, which arrived only a couple of days ago.

Finishing touches

With only one day left for the event to start, every team is, expectedly, applying the finishing touches to its preparations.

Germany played their final practice match, against England, today. “Training has gone well and we are feeling confident now. We had a week-long training stint in Turkey before coming here, because it’s very cold in Germany,” says Altenburg.

Isn’t one week too short? “Yes! But the club system only allows me to have these guys, who play in the Bundesliga, for this long. I would like to get them together for more time,” he says.

The coaches, however, are not the only guys applying the finishing touches. With only a day left there is still unfinished work at the stadium. The paintwork on the chairs is still going on; funnily, Argentina players were still in their seats while the painters went on about their work around them. “It’s expected in India,” says Altenburg, without any contempt.

Traffic mayhem

The road leading to the stadium in the college was laid only two days ago. The road, in fact, has become something of a second home for the teams. The stadium is at least a 45-minute drive from the city centre, where most of the teams are staying.

They are getting familiar with the roads. Getting used to the chaotic Lucknow traffic, however, is a whole different thing. There is a joke going around the liason officers with the teams about how the foreigners are cringing and crying in fear every time they are in the bus. “My players aren’t scared, though they were very alarmed the first time. Now they are amused by it,” Altenburg says.