COMPUTER ENGINEER’S JOURNEY TO INTERNATIONAL ICE STOCK SPORT

Known for consistent moss shots, Faheem Shah is
an Indian International Ice stock sports player.
Apart from winning many national gold medals,
he is a record holder for being the first gold medallist
in the country. Also, he holds the distinction of the
most consistent performer in the history of Indian
Ice stock sport.
Hailing from Batmaloo Srinagar, Faheem has
represented Indian, J&K, Apollo teams and many
clubs in this sport. He has been the captain two
times of the team who went for an international
competition. From the very early days of his life,
he witnessed the sports obsession and while watching
his brothers playing and discussing conventional
sports, his obsession started growing.
While pursuing engineering in computer sciences,
he would actively participate in sports and has
been a national Rugby player too. “I never let my
sports activities hamper my studies as both are
important. It’s better to take sports and studies
parallel rather than sacrificing one for the other,”
he said.
Talking about rugby and ice stock, he said that
the rugby is a contact sport which demands more
aggression whereas ice stock is a passive but very
competitive game.
He said, “In Kashmir we are all cricket or football
fans but Rugby has had a huge impact on my life
since I started playing it. Remembering my starting
days in rugby back in 2006-2007, I was very energetic
and impulsive like every other sports enthusiast
so rugby suited me well. It helped me control my
emotions and understand the process of hard work
and teamwork but later Ice stock came and it paid
off well and it being an Olympic sport was enough
for me to jump into and start living the Olympic
dream.”
Having a versatile interest in sports, he was
introduced to the game of Ice- stock while being
on one of the snow Rugby matches during the winter
of 2014 in Gulmarg.
“After finishing our game, we came to know that
there is a new sport being introduced by JK Tourism
Department Kashmir and a European man along
with some sports officials are holding the
demonstrations,” he added.
Many players found it interesting and reached
Gulmarg Ice rink and as many people there knew
them as rugby athletes, they were invited to try
their luck. “I had fun with stock and liked it very
much. I was able to make some good shorts,” he
said.
He heard someone from behind clapping and
appreciating him for his shorts. Little did he know
that the man was none other than Manfred Schafer
from Austria, the then President of International
Federation of Ice stock. That moment offered him
enough encouragement to step into a new incredible
game of ice stock.
Having played numerous international matches
with teams of different countries, he said that he
came across some of the tough opponents as well.
As a debutant, he played his first match against
Namibia in which he fared well.
“I definitely was very nervous before the match.
I had done all the practice and meditation required
but when you are on the pitch it’s a different
experience. You need a big heart and courage to
stand the giants,” he said.
In the end, it was Namibia who won the match
but the match became an important one in his career.
At the end while shaking hands with one of the
Namibian players, Faheem was told that he played
well which was a happy moment for him that boosted
up his confidence for all the upcoming matches.
Despite enjoying full support from his family, he
had to face societal pressure and was also told to
choose between studies and sports. “In my varsity,
where I was studying I was even once told to make
a choice between sports and my semester exams.
Some friends and close relatives mocked and said
that I am wasting my time after sports and it can’t
earn me anything. Such words are demolishing
and demoralising but then a sportsman has to
stand and work on his skills further, therefore I
carried on to play sports,” he said.
In the future, he has plans to continue playing
ice stock. Currently he is preparing for the ice stock
European championship to be held in October and
November. “There are other private links also where
we are interested to go but due to the lack of funding
and sponsorships, we are not able to go,” he said.
Believing that a little help from sponsors can help
in the upliftment of the athletes, he said, “Sports
are not only for entertainment but can be a tool
for social change. The athletes are very talented
and all we need is a little bit of support which can
create a scenario of sports in Kashmir and many
youngsters can go for it,” he said.
Talking about the infrastructure, he feels that
the infrastructure has upgraded over the years but
the athlete should have a responsibility towards
the facilities provided to him.
“Thanks to the J & K Sports Council, improvisations
are very much visible but more needs to be done
definitely and it goes for athletes as well. I have
witnessed myself how some players just feel happy
to damage government property and smirk proudly
after doing it. We all are the products of this society;
it’s our responsibility to take the beacon in our
hands and walk shoulder to shoulder with the
authorities,” he said.

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