Varun juggling hockey and golf quite adroitly

Focus on sports talent

Varun Muthappa has probably enjoyed more success on the field than most aspirants at the school level. In his last year at St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, He gave a glimpse of his potential at the recently-concluded Centenary Shield Hockey tournament here.

The 15-year-old, captaining his side in the competition, was amongst the scorers in their 4-2 win over Vidyshilp Academy in the final and was later adjudged the player of the tournament.

He was visibly proud of this achievement. “Hockey is a very big thing in St Joseph’s. It was always a dream to play for the school team. Of course, captaining it was just the icing on the cake,” Varun said.

The youngster, aware of the effort that took into making it happen, acknowledged the support he received from the school administration. “In school, every morning at 6:30 am usually we are here as a team and we practice till about 7:50-55. The school has been kind enough to give us breakfast and then we head to class,” he explained.

Varun’s talent isn’t just limited to hockey, the 10th standard student, is equally good in golf. He trains under Rahul Ganapathy at the Epic Golf Academy in Sarjapur.

“I started golf when I was four years old. I have played competitively when I was seven and I have been playing since,” he revealed. I have been playing the IGU Tours for two years now (2017-18, 2018-19).”

Playing multiple-sport requires a lot of focus. It also means giving up on the lighter aspects of student life. But Varun has no regrets.

“I go home and catch up with the work. There’s not a lot of time for me to do what people my age do. Not a lot of partying, hanging out with friends. It requires a lot of focus. I really enjoy, it keeps you on one path,” he said.

Varun prefers golf over hockey but isn’t quite ready to quit one sport for the other. “I play both sports. I want to get a golf scholarship and go to the US after 12. I definitely don’t want to give up hockey and I am trying to get into a club or a camp this year,” he said.

He is grateful for the sacrifices his parents Sagar Muthappa and Kavita Muthappa have made to fulfill his dreams.

“My parents have been with me 100 percent, especially my grandmother, who supports me a lot. She was there at the hockey game as well. My parents have always been there for me, sacrificed a lot, took me up and down to practice. I am really thankful to them.” he said.