All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…sounds familiar? Being  a medical student one is bound to hear such statements often quoted and believe me here in St.John’s Medical College we take it seriously!

There was a sense of excitement in the air as students who were eternally clad in white coats now flashed vibrant batch jerseys and were assembling  on the sports field on  the morning of April 10th .The Director, Fr. Lawrence delivered an encouraging speech and then officially declared the 40th ANNUAL ATHLETIC SPORTS MEET 2010 open.

As juniors, we were eagerly anticipating the events that were to ensue. We kick started  the day with a march past for which we later won the shield ,this happening  for the 1st time in the history of St.Johns !Thus we started off on a promising note. Charged with motivation, the baby juniors moved on to endeavor  in the various track events that were scheduled for the day. The relays and hurdles sure kept us at the edge of our seats! Mixed relay, medley relay ,high jump, triple jump, javelin throw, discus throw and even walking races, you name it we had it! The sports field was filled with students cheering and rallying their batches to victory. We were impressed to see the nuns, BSc and PG students participate too but were amazed to see the faculty and doctors gallantly taking part in the staff events! This was something we juniors witnessed  for the 1st time and was the best example set to us on the spirit of true sportsmanship.

Soon the temperatures began to soar as the competition between the batches for the overall sports shield was becoming tough. Our batch of ’09 was fortunate to have quite a few good athletes not to mention some exceptional ones  and this gave us an edge over the others. We bagged the gold in most of the events. It was heartening to see such exemplary talent portrayed on the sports field. We also discovered many budding athletes.
However if sports was not our forte we could still be actively involved in the on goings .It seemed as though most of the action was happening at the announcers desk rather  than on the field! Some of us helped the seniors in maintaining the score board ,escorting guests, distributing certificates and of course announcing results…!We indulged ourselves in some yummy ice creams, golas, chaats and refreshing fruit juices at the food stalls.  We also had some rather unique and foot tapping music to enliven the atmosphere. Special song requests, dedications including requests to not play certain songs were pouring in to the DJ. The Sports Meet was truly an affair of sorts.

We had the prize distribution the following day .The batch of ’07 clinched the ICS trophy and we were runners up. The shield for the best sportsman-male went to our batchmate Carl Britto.We were elated with the results and even the seniors said our performance as “ babies” was quite good. This can be attributed to the enthusiasm and active participation of all the students of ’09.We hope to see brighter days on the sports field in the years  to come. A surge of gratitude to all the people who made our  1st Annual Athletic Aports Meet in St.Johns Medical College an experience we will never  forget!
- Roshan Christina, (2009)