Al Jazeera English
On Thin Ice
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TIMECODE |
DIALOGUE |
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10:00:04 |
[101 EAST] |
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10:00:07 |
STEVE
CHAO: In India’s snowy far North an unlikely team of
athletes is desperately trying to put their sport on the map. India’s
ice hockey team may be a rag tag group without fame or fortune,
but with great passion – and second-hand equipment - they dream of playing
on the world stage. |
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10:00:32 |
STEVE CHAO:
I’m Steve
Chao. On this episode, 101 East travels to Ladakh, where for some, winter
just can’t come soon enough. |
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10:00:42 |
SUPER: ON THIN ICE A FILM BY KARISHMA VYAS |
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10:00:50 |
KARISHMA VYAS: In
Ladakh, winter is as brutal as it is breathtaking. Temperatures plummet to
-20 degrees and water pipes freeze across the valley. For months this remote region is cut off by
snow...leaving many here longing for Spring…But there are some who have been
waiting all year for the big chill. |
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10:01:57 |
MALE IN BEANIE
SHOUTING (ILLEGIBLE): |
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10:02:06 |
KARISHMA
VYAS: For these young men -
winter means ice hockey…and their otherwise sleepy town of Leh is buzzing
with fast and furious games. |
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10:02:19 |
MAN
ON MICROPHONE: They passed the puck but
player number 33 got left behind. They were not able to handle the puck. Oh,
direct shot!” |
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10:02:29 |
KARISHMA VYAS: The
craze for the sport here is legendary. Many brave sub-zero temperatures to
watch local tournaments…Even players from Canada and America travel here to
compete. |
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10:02:41 |
MAN SHOUTING: You got time. You got time!” |
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10:02:45 |
KARISHMA VYAS: They skate on frozen ponds at a
head-spinning altitude of 3500 meters...struggling for every breath. |
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10:02:56 |
ICE HOCKEY PLAYERS: “That’s it. Get a change. Change it.” |
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10:003:01 |
HOCKEY PLAYERS SITTING ON BENCH: “They got better legs than us,
their lungs are working better than ours.” |
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10:03:06 |
SUPER: ADAM
SHERLIP HOCKEY
FOUNDATION ADAM SHERLIP: “Ice hockey in Ladakh is
unique to the world. It is amongst the highest altitude hockey games you
could possibly play. You have no air...you’re suffocating while exerting.” |
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10:03:19 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Few people, even in India, are aware of Ladakh’s
hockey obsession. But American Adam Sherlip has been coming here for many
years…after hearing about the phenomenon. He’s a self-confessed hockey
fanatic who’s been playing since he was a child. He has even worked for the
US National Hockey League. |
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10:03:46 |
SHERLIP: “My first trip here I took a
little video of a kid on this rink playing with a rock and just a bent stick
and that was just him playing hockey because he loved it and that’s what
it’s all about. I’ve seen goalie’s using pillows, they’ll use cricket
equipment. They used anything they could.” |
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10:04:05 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Then in 2009 he volunteered to coach India’s ice
hockey team. That’s right ... India
has a national team. |
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10:04:15 |
SHERLIP: “I never thought I was going
to be coaching ice hockey in India. I never thought I would be the coach of
Team India. I never thought India would be such an important part of my
life.” |
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10:04:27 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Adam is currently putting
together this year’s squad…and 23-year-old Tsewang Gyaltson is desperate to
make the cut. He has been in the team for the past three years, but this
year…like every year… there’s no guarantees. |
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10:04:45 |
SHERLIP: “How do you feel about this
season?” TSEWANG GYALTSON: “Ah good, I mean, I’m
expecting lots of younger guys.” |
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10:04:51 |
SUPER TSEWANG GYALTSON ICE HOCKEY PLAYER GYALTSON: “Playing
for the national team is the main goal for me. I’m trying, I’m trying my
level best to do more towards ice hockey. To improve my game, to improve
everything related to ice hockey.” |
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10:05:08 |
KARISHMA VYAS: The sport is more than just a hobby for
Gyaltson… it’s his life. When he plays…. he says he’s in a different world. |
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10:05:22 |
GYALTSON: “When
I’m on the ice I feel more lighter, I feel more faster…I feel like flying
all the time on the skates. I feel strong…It gives me just more than a human
feeling, you know. Some what near to a superhero. When we put on our skates
and we put on our gear and we jump onto the ice we have no idea about what’s
going on outside... nothing comes to our mind about what’s going on outside
the rink in the world or what I’m going to do next and what I have done
before...It’s just the bunch of players along side me and the opposition out
there.” |
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10:06:10 |
KARISHMA VYAS: For as long as Gyaltson can remember,
he has dreamt of playing in the big league. He and his team mates have been
working hard to get in shape before the national try-outs. But it’s not
easy. |
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10:06:30 |
GYALTSON: (Language) SUBTITLES: “Damn it, the wooden part of my stick
came out.” |
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10:06:33 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Most of the players’ equipment is
donated and second-hand. A lot of it is damaged and they can’t afford to
replace it. |
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10:06:44 |
GYALTSON:
“I have these gloves, I think I got it two years back. And when I got it, it
was in a very bad condition and now it has got really worse. Almost most of
the gears are either too big for me or too small for me. If we don’t have
the appropriate equipment then we are less protected and we become more
prone to the injuries.” |
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10:07:12 |
KARISHMA VYAS: It also doesn’t help that the players have no
full-sized rink to play on. There’s only one of those in all of India…in the
city of Dehradun which is a two-day drive away. And even that has been shut
since 2012 because of a lack of funds. Instead, Gyaltson and his friends
only have a few weeks of winter to practice on ice… when the lakes freeze. |
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10:08:00 |
GYALTSON: (Language) SUBTITLES: “Don’t let him shoot! don’t let him
shoot!” |
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10:08:02 |
KARISHMA VYAS: For these elite athletes …this lack of equipment
and infrastructure is disastrous. Gyaltson says it’s his family’s support
that keeps him going. He has invited me home for lunch to meet them. |
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10:08:31 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Hello I’m Karishma, how are you? How are
you?” |
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10:08:37 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Gyaltson’s
mother has been a school teacher for more than 40 years. Over plates of
fresh momos, she talks about her son’s passion for ice hockey. |
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10:08:49 |
SUPER TSERING DOLKA GYALTSON’S MOTHER DOLKA: (Language) “When he was young his father was a
member of the Winter Sports Club and he used to go along and play ice
hockey. But I never expected him to be this good. Sometimes he gets hurt on
his legs, on his chin, on his chest. He won’t tell me. It’s only when he is
in severe pain that we go to the hospital. He loves the game that much.” VOICE OVER: “When he was young his father was a
member of the Winter Sports Club and he used to go along and play ice
hockey. But I never expected him to be this good. Sometimes he gets hurt on
his legs, on his chin, on his chest. He won’t tell me. It’s only when he is
in severe pain that we go to the hospital. He loves the game that much.” |
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10:09:19 |
KARISHMA VYAS:
Gyaltson has just finished a degree in engineering. So it’s not long before
the discussion turns to his future. His father passed away two years ago and
since then, his uncles have helped support the family. |
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10:09:35 |
GYALTSON’S UNCLE: (language) “Now your father is no more. It is your job to
look after your sister and mother. You have to get a job you’re interested
in so that you can support your family.” SUBTITLE: “Now your father is no more. It is your
job to look after your sister and mother. You have to get a job you’re
interested in so that you can support your family.” |
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10:09:51 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Gyaltson’s father always supported his dream of
playing ice hockey. He was a decorated police officer…even serving with the
Dalai Lama. But his sudden death from a heart attack threw the family into
turmoil. |
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10:10:10 |
DOLKA: [language] VOICEOVER TRANSLATOR:
“He used to say
that even though we don’t have a lot of money we can borrow from other
people so he can go overseas to play ice hockey. He supported him so that he
could become something.” |
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10:10:23 |
KARISHMA VYAS:
As the eldest son,
responsibility now falls on Gyaltson. But playing for India’s ice hockey
team pays nothing. In fact, he has spent thousands of dollars
travelling to international tournaments to represent his country. |
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10:10:40 |
DOLKA: [language] VOICEOVER TRANSLATOR: “This money we need to
borrow from other people, like my relatives and friends. And that’s how
we’ve been managing. When I get my salary I pay them back.” |
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10:10:51 |
KARISHMA VYAS: It’s a burden that is increasingly
weighing on Gyaltson. |
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10:10:57 |
GYALTSON: “I have to take care of my family. I have
to think about so many things which I don’t have the habit of thinking
because…when he was there, he had the responsibility to look after everyone.
This one thing he always used to say – ‘Even though I didn’t get to travel
abroad, you are getting to travel abroad so many times. I’m happy for that.
…I didn’t want this, I mean….(breaks down)” |
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10:11:54 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Without his father’s support, Gyaltson
is now facing the difficult choice between following his childhood dreams
and fulfilling his responsibilities as an adult. |
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10:12:08 |
GYALTSON: “It’s really confusing sometimes, you
know. I get lost, I get confused and I cry a lot alone. I try to be strong
but I know myself, I’m not that strong. I cry a lot.” |
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10:12:30 |
KARISHMA VYAS: For now, Gyaltson is trying to focus on
hockey. He needs to qualify for the national team. He says, it’s what his
father would want. |
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10:12:42 |
GYALTSON: “I
think every son wants to make their parents proud and I’m just one of them,
you know, who’s trying to become like the person who always was a role model
to me.” |
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10:13:05 |
KARISHMA
VYAS: The national try-outs are getting closer, and today, Gyaltson is
playing a crucial game.His local team is competing for a tournament trophy,
and his performance needs to be impressive. |
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10:13:20 |
SUPER: KARISHMA VYAS LEH, INDIA KARISHMA VYAS:
“Apart from being hugely popular these local tournaments are important
because they help coaches pick the national team every year. So winning is
everything.” |
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10:13:31 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Before the game, the team discuss
strategy. |
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10:13:34 |
PLAYER IN ICE HOCKEY UNIFORM: For one minute we will
attack. If you miss the puck and it goes to the opponent, don’t just stay
there. You can’t always rely on the defence. You have to come back.” SUBTITLES: For one minute we will attack. If you
miss the puck and it goes to the opponent, don’t just stay there. You can’t
always rely on the defence. You have to come back.” |
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10:14:00 |
KARISHMA VYAS: At first their plan seems to be working….…But soon,
their opposition...wearing red and white….begin to overpower them. |
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10:14:21 |
ICE HOCKEY PLAYER IN
UNIFORM: “Don’t
play individually. If you play like that, it’s not going to work. Play by
passing the puck, shooting and take the rebound.” |
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10:14:24 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Again and again…Gyaltson and his team mates are
missing important shots… and their goalie has had enough. |
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10:14:33 |
MAN IN ICE HOCKEY TEAM UNIFORM: “If the opponent takes the puck, you
have to check who is free. If we have to repeatedly discuss this, it becomes
very irritating.” SUBTITLES: “If
the opponent takes the puck, you have to check who is free. If we have to
repeatedly discuss this, it becomes very irritating.” |
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10:14:47 |
KARISHMA VYAS: The game is painful to watch …and ultimately
Gyaltson’s team lose 3 goals to 1. |
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10:14:55 |
GYALTSON: “I’m really pissed off right now because
we didn’t play well…” |
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10:14:58 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Given today’s result... Gyaltson is now
worried about his place in the national team. |
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10:15:05 |
GYALTSON: “Our team we didn’t even reach
the semi-finals whole season. So that might effect the selection committee
to, you know, get a minus point on that.” |
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10:15:19 |
KARISHMA VYAS: With only a few days before the try-outs, he and
his mother make an appointment with his physiotherapist. A recurring groin
injury has been bothering Gyaltson. |
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10:15:31 |
PHYSIOTHERAPIST: “Do you have a problem here?” SUBTITLES:
Do you have a problem here?” GYALTSON:
“Yes there’s a little pain.” SUBTITLES: “Yes
there’s a little pain.” |
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10:15:35 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Injuries are common for ice hockey
players, and Gyaltson has has had some painful trips to the hospital. Each
time his mother breaks down. |
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10:15:45 |
TSERING DOLKA: VOICEOVER TRANSLATOR:
“When I cry in
front of him, he say’s ‘don’t cry, I’m not in that much pain. Then I have to
go somewhere else and cry. I feel so awful. Who else am I living for? I’m
only living for him.” |
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10:16:04 |
KARISHMA
VYAS: To avoid upsetting
his mother, Gyaltson often covers up his injuries. |
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10:16:10 |
GYALTSON: “Sometimes I feel really disturbed that
you know what might happen. Am I going to be disabled or things like that.
But the most things is that I’m concerned if I’ll be able to play the next
game.” |
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10:16:34 |
KARISHMA VYAS: It’s the day before the national try-outs and
Harjinder Singh from India’s Ice Hockey Association has called a meeting
with coach Adam Sherlip and some players. |
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10:16:46 |
HARJINDER SINGH: “Hi Adam, how are you? How are you? How
are you Gyaltson?” |
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10:16:51 |
KARISHMA VYAS: He has a shortlist of names for the trials… |
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10:16:56 |
HARJINDER SINGH: “Lundup Namgyal, 66 Jigme Tanchuk, he’s not here?
OK. Eighty-eight Rigzin Norbu. Tsewang Gyaltson, 7, Tsewang Dorje, 16,
Mohammad Ajas Giri.” |
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10:17:08 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Gyaltson’s name is called out, but he still
needs to qualify to make the squad. |
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10:17:15 |
ADAM SHERLIP: “(A) Don’t come with the
assumption that you deserve a spot because that will ultimately result in
you not making the team.” |
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10:17:23 |
KARISHMA VYAS: The other big announcement is from Adam. After
seven years he is handing over to a new Canadian coach. But he has some
parting words and he doesn’t hold back. |
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10:17:36 |
SHERLIP: “One of the things that I’ve found over
the years is that when things get tough, Team India plays worse, across the
board. When it’s difficult, we collapse. And that is not about skill, that’s
about character. That is about work ethic. You make a mistake, you wanna go
out there, you wanna play even better...And that is not the identity of Team
India yet.”
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10:18:07 |
KARISHMA VYAS: For the players, it’s a hard fact they must accept.
They’ve been competing internationally since 2009…and so far they’ve only
won a single game….against Macau four years ago. |
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10:18:23 |
ADAM SHERLIP: “You play to win. And if you don’t do it
after a long period of time you get used to losing. And the character of
players who are used to losing is very different from the character of
players who are used to winning.” |
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10:18:37 |
KARISHMA VYAS: This year, the team will travel to Kyrgyzstan
to compete in the Challenge Cup of Asia...and the pressure is on for them to
perform. |
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10:18:46 |
HARJINDER SINGH: “It’s very important for us to win a good position
in Kyrgyzstan for two reasons. Firstly, we’ll get to participate in the
Asian Games, the Winter Games. Secondly, Indian government always gives
financial support for Olympic Games and Asian Games. Please understand.” SUBTITLES:
“It’s very important for us to win a good position in Kyrgyzstan for two
reasons. Firstly, we’ll get to participate in the Asian Games, the Winter
Games. Secondly, Indian government always gives financial support for
Olympic Games and Asian Games. Please understand.” |
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10:19:04 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Money is a constant concern for the
Association. Right now they don’t even have enough to send the players to
Kyrgyzstan. |
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10:19:13 |
HARJINDER SINGH: “We have to gather the budget
like last time. We’ll try crowd-funding, sponsors.” SUBTITLES:
“We have to gather the budget like last time. We’ll try crowd-funding,
sponsors.” |
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10:19:22 |
KARISHMA VYAS: And if that’s not enough, the players will have to
pitch in. It’s
an expense that some can’t afford. |
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10:19:31 |
PLAYER
IN HAT: “Not everyone’s family is able to financially support them. That’s a
big issue. We can’t spend our whole life and all our time playing hockey
because right now we’re not earning anything from it. We’re students, we’ve
just finished our college degrees. Until now our families have supported us
but we also wonder how long we can continue this.” SUBTITLES:
“Not everyone’s family is able to financially support them. That’s a big
issue. We can’t spend our whole life and all our time playing hockey because
right now we’re not earning anything from it. We’re students, we’ve just
finished our college degrees. Until now our families have supported us but
we also wonder how long we can continue this.” |
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10:19:52 |
KARISHMA VYAS: It’s a vicious cycle that they’re caught in.
Without government support, they can’t develop their skills and win
tournaments. But until they win tournaments, the government won’t support
them. |
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10:20:07 |
ADAM SHERLIP: “The reality is India doesn’t get behind
a team they know is going to lose... They want to get behind a team that
will make them proud.” |
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10:20:18 |
KARISHMA VYAS: After weeks of, anticipation, the day of the
try-outs is finally here. More than 50 players are competing for just 22
positions. |
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10:20:30 |
SHERLIP: “I expect you all to skate hard today
because if you don’t, you don’t make the team.” |
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10:20:43 |
GYALTSON: For
Gyaltson…it’s his last chance to prove himself. |
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10:21:03 |
SHERLIP: “Some of you guys know this
drill. You’ve done it many times. We’ll start in the corners…You get a pass
from the defense. Defense skates around the circle, plays against the other
player.” |
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10:21:01 |
SHERLIP: “None of the one hand garbage. Use two
hands, that’s why you have them.” |
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10:21:17 |
SHERLIP: “Come on, get in there.” |
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10:21:31 |
SHERLIP: “It’s as simple as two or three bad
passes to make the difference of cut or not cut today.” |
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10:21:36 |
SHERLIP: “I see a lot of you doing this (bouncing
up and down).” |
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10:21:47 |
KARISHMA
VYAS: “So Adam how are the trials going?” SHERLIP:
“They’re ok. There are a lot of players who aren’t skating so well right
now.” |
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10:21:57 |
KARISHMA VYAS: But Gyaltson’s hard work seems to be paying off. |
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10:22:02 |
SHERLIP: “Gyaltson’s doing pretty
well. He’s skating harder than I’ve seen him skate in the past. He has got a
little more proficiency in his foot work.” |
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10:22:11 |
KARISHMA VYAS: After weeks of struggle, he is finally hitting his
stride on the ice. But will it be
enough to qualify for Team India? While he waits to find out, Gyaltson’s
mother takes him to a Buddhist monastery to pray. Her only wish is for her
son to be safe and happy. |
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10:23:03 |
DOLKA: VOICE OVER TRANSLATION: “He needs to go all the way in
ice hockey and become a professional player. He shouldn’t give up in the
middle because his dream will be unfulfilled. He should show the world that
he is a real ice hockey player.” |
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10:23:17 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Despite his many hardships, Gyaltson
says he’s lucky. At such a young age he has found his true passion. He only
wants the chance to pursue it. |
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10:23:31 |
GYALTSON: “I’ve given so much for this sport that
only I know that feeling what I’ve given up. How much I’ve sacrificed for
this sport.” |
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10:23:46 |
KARISHMA VYAS: From this tiny corner of India, Gyaltson
has big dreams for his sport and his country. |
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10:23:54 |
GYALTSON: “I’m
really proud that I am a part of this history and |
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10:24:28 |
KARISHMA VYAS: Those hopes may not be realised soon,
but the passion that Gyaltson and his teammates have ignited in this remote
town will live on for generations. |
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10:25:03 |
TEXT OVER PICTURE OF GYALTSON: Gyaltson
was selected in this year’s India ice hockey team. He is the captain. |
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10:25:12 |
[AL JAZEERA] |
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10:25:14 |
[end] |