by Joavna Rodrigues & Drushti Bhosle

“You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you take that first step and just go for it.”

On the 22 August 2021, the SYM Youth Council of St John Bosco Church - Borivali, organized an Indoor Games Tournament 2021 in the Youth Zone. The theme for the day was “Come-Celebrate-Compete”. Twenty-five youth took part in a keenly fought contest in Carroms (singles and doubles), Chess and Table Tennis. Fr Glenford Lowe, Youth Director & Assistant Parish Priest at St. John Bosco Church, Borivali began the day on a spiritual note with all the youth coming into the church to receive Holy Communion. “This is a good spiritual start to a good tournament,” commented Mr. Walter, an eucharistic minister who was present in the church.

The Indoor Tournament was then inaugurated by Fr Shaun D’lima, Administrator and Youth Incharge of Don Bosco Kawant, Gujarat was present for the tournament and shared a glimpse of his experiences as a former student of this school and with the youth. The matches for each game commenced at 11:30 AM and were held at three different locations in the Don Bosco School premises. All the participants were enthusiastic and showed good team spirit throughout. The referees assigned for each sport did a wonderful job overall in ensuring that the games were played on good terms and won by fair means. After the initial round, the participants were headed for a short break where they were provided with refreshments. The participants had to go through 4 rounds and the winners of each round paved their way to the final round. The SYM Youth Council made this tournament a ringing success by organizing the tournament efficiently and by keeping the participants engaged throughout the tournament.

At the end, Drushti Bhosle, SYM-Borivali secretary, delivered a heartfelt vote of thanks. Fr. Shaun D’lima distributed attractive trophies and certificates to all the winners and runner-ups. He actively encouraged all the youth present to participate in more such activities in the time to come. All the youth present were given a participation certificate. A double dose of snacks kept them energized throughout the five-hour competition.

At the end of the tournament the youth departed with happy and long-lasting memories. Sunny Barretto shared his experience, “It was revitalizing after a long lockdown.” Ralph Moraes, the winner of the Table Tennis tournament exclaimed, “I wanted to make winning a habit and this was a step closer to my goal.” He added, “To stay the best you have to work harder than the rest.” Joavna Rodrigues shared her experience in these sentiments, “This tournament helped me open up to people and also helped me to overcome her shyness.” No better way to ‘Come-Celebrate-Compete’

SYM - Borivali extends their special thanks to the Youth Director Fr. Glenford Lowe for making this event possible with his constant support and opening new avenues for developing talents. There is more to come for sure!