More than just a sport

The 4th Roll Ball World Cup in Dhaka has so far been a big congregation of countries; and though this congregation has come as a culture shock for some it is also a pleasant eye-opening experience for many. Since the game is still an amateur pursuit for most, it brings with it stories of people who are more willing to soak in the fun while they are at it rather than being bound by the code of conducts of professional sport.

'THE TRAFFIC IS CRAZY'

The Danes' participation over for this year's world cup is already over as both the men's and women's teams have lost in the early knock-out stages. So there is ample time for the Danes to roam around and enjoy things that they might not be familiar with back home. Leise Karlsen, one of the women's team members of the Denmark side, said that it is unlike anything they are used to back home, but they are happy to learn about a completely different culture and way of life.

“The traffic is crazy here. I mean I still don't get how they drive through this traffic as it looks quite dangerous. In fact the first time we were in the car, we were frightened for our lives. But now we are getting used to it.” The 26-year-old, who was drafted in after one of the teammates broke her hand at the last moment, says she is lucky to have been here and seen things. “It's more than just sport as we are very new to this game. This experience surely gives us a new perspective on life. We have actually been learning about the local stuff. We have been told about the International Mother Language Day and we went to visit the Old Pink House [Ahsan Manzil] the other day. And at the moment some of our team members were in the river, rowing. So it's been a great experience for us,” said the lady as she waved the Bangladesh flag.

KENYA A BIG HAPPY UNIT

The Kenyans love their sport, whatever it is. And they do love to celebrate flamboyantly. The Kenyan men's and women's teams -- both very strong on paper -- are through to the semifinals of the world cup. The women's team, who are the defending champions, had already made it through and were left with time to cheer on their male counterparts at the Shaheed M Mansur Ali Handball Stadium yesterday. The men's team got through with a 6-5 win against Latvia after extra time. As soon as the final whistle was blown, the women, draped in Kenyan flags, started running from the sidelines and joined the men in their traditional song and dance. The mood was electrifying and it soon spread among the other teams present. Caleb Mbandu, one of the members of the men's team, said they are like one big family. “Yes, we are very close. All of us are from Nairobi and we know each other. So we cheer on the women when they are playing and they do likewise when we are playing. And we do these steps every time we win. It's a lot of fun.”

AN EARLY EDUCATION

Isabella Marengo is having a very early taste of roll ball. The 15-month-old Argentine is busy being pushed around the roll ball courts in a stroller by her parents, both of whom happen to be members of their national teams in this world cup. While the mother, Natalia Solano, is still going strong with her teammates, father Sebastian Marengo is already out of the competition, hence left with ample time to do the strolling and take care of the child at the hotel. Sebastian, originally an in-line hockey player, hopes that while he has learnt the game relatively late, his daughter will pick it up quicker. “Yes you could call it early education. She watches things intensely when we play,” the 29-year-old from Mendosa says. “She has her grandpa and grandma back home, but we still like to take her around. It's part of our job as we move around a lot with our in-line hockey team and now roll ball team. So I hope she picks up both games early, a lot earlier than us.”