Coaches And Managers

"Fencing is one of those exercises that employs the mind as well as the body, and, in fact, employs it more than the body, the further a man advances in proficiency. From the first it supplies the excitement of contest, and depends so much on art and address that the man of superior mind always makes the best fencer in the end."

"He who lives by the sword lives long."

"I hate those foreign bullies. De Mores is one of them. The Frenchman cannot bully the Americans.I will accept that challenge as a substitute for the fighting editor of .You may say in that a substitute volunteers to appear for the fighting editor in this contest. He a man past 77 years of age, a light old man, a gentleman of irreproachable character, of as high rank as De Mores, and in military lines a General. Say I will fight him for the honor of America against France with any of the following weapons, he, of course, being entitled to choose the weapons:Pistols at ninety feet, advance and fire at will.Apé combat (triangular swords).Sabers or any cutting swords; cuts alone, no thrusts.Bayonets, go as you please.Bowie knives, and 'no protection,' if he desires to renew his experience in the wild West.With the fist, go as you please, no time.I prefer a shiny weapon. I am of a kind, philanthropic disposition, and as firearms demand, even with the most skillful shot, to aim at the heart, allowing for misses, a man is a murderer at the beginning. Humanity may not then be displayed. On the contrary, with the shiny weapon I would only attempt to clip the wings of my honored opponent. Should my philanthropic remarks be misconstrued, state that if my honored opponent wants death he can find it. My opponent will have the choice of weapons. We cannot fight here. I will fight him in Mexico or Belgium. He can't bluff the Americans in that sort of way. I am a Gothic American."

"Above all things, never lose your presence of mind, and never consider yourself unarmed even if confronted by an armed man, for almost anything can be made into a weapon if properly used. An umbrella is a fearful weapon if used with both hands like a bayonet. It will parry the blows of a big bully, and you can return him a stab in the face or breast or stomach that will settle him. A lady can defend herself from outrage with her parasol in the same way. If she struck a ruffian over the head with it, he would laugh at her, but I remember a certain girl who killed a ruffian who assaulted her by a stab with the point of her parasol."

"His trailblazing spirit inspires generations of athletes."

"There will be some who will say that outsiders have played a big role in winning the medals, but let me clarify that it is only partially true. I would also like to add that there is nothing wrong in hiring good people. What it has done is that it has given our boys the necessary confidence to compete with the best and believe in themselves."

"There is no harm in dreaming. After all, the National Games at one point of time was also a dream. We have made it happen. We can all raise a toast for a job accomplished."

"We've never been short of sportspersons with the potential to shine on a global platform. In fact, I would say, the northeast can produce world-beaters, and this has been proved in some areas. In Assam, too, there are several talented players and they have achieved glory, but only due to their individual effort. The system needs to be changed to help these players reach their goals."

"The authorities should scout for young talent in rural areas and groom them into world-class players. I think it is quite possible given the pool of potential star players we have here."

"Only a sportsperson can understand the potential talent, constraints and feelings of a fellow sportsperson. In such a case, former players should be enlisted as consultants in the sports department so upcoming sportspersons can benefit from their experience."

"Facing hurdles is part of an athlete's life"

"Officials' indifference and selection bias have been the biggest issues in our country."

"I didn't know what to say as I was engulfed by incredible sadness. It was too little, too late"

"But something changed when the final started. I led from start to finish to win with a new Asian Games record (1.49.4). I was an Asian champion. It really was an unbelievable moment as I came from a state not many Indians knew much about those days."

"Hima is the future star and age is with her. So she should focus on the training only."

"Definitely, it's a happy feeling for me. I hope the school will help in nurturing a host of young talents who will be able to represent the country in the long run."

"It is sad to say there is no production of sportspersons anywhere in Assam. Earlier, we used to organise camps to attract new talent, but it is not happening anymore."

"If there is no coaching, how will we produce sports persons? If any sports event takes place, the kids are just taken there to participate. If there is no training or camp, how will our children progress? If there is any tournament, children are called and taken to participate - this is Assam's sports policy."

"Has the government made anyone a sports person? Government is not identifying and picking up talents from the ground. When someone shines, only then the government comes into the picture. That is what is happening nowadays."

"All sportspersons are in the villages. We have to search and nurture them. Rural sports is the only way to find real talents, otherwise we won't get it"

"He remains an inspiration for many aspiring athletes and his contribution to Assam’s sports scenario is unparalleled. (Source)"

"His legacy will always shine in Assam's sports arena, inspiring every athlete to bring unity and pride to our state."

"Many young students today may not have seen Baruah in his prime, but this celebration allows them to witness and draw inspiration from his journey"

"His legacy continues to inspire our athletes."

"His dedication to sports remains an everlasting beacon for Assam's youth."

"His insightful guidance within the realm of athletics will undoubtedly be a valuable asset for us."

"The legacy of Shri Bhogeswar Baruah will continue to inspire every Indian to dream big, play with passion and bring glory to the nation."

"Today, we celebrate State Sports Day, in honour of an exceptional sportsman and Assam's first Arjuna Awardee, Shri Bhogeswar Baruah. He started off as a torch bearer of sports in Assam which has inspired many athletes over the years"

"How do I describe my feelings? How does anyone describe these emotions? It is like a big emptiness. Perhaps, it is same emotion-filled empty feeling a father experiences the day after the marriage of his daughter"

"Being a man who loves to be in the midst of sporting activities, I am suddenly in a vacuum after all the hurly-burly of the past 10 days. It will take a few days to return to normal life."

"It seems as though I was always writing something – little stories, poems. All through school, whenever there was a choice between a written or oral assignment, I always chose the written. Later, writing became affordable therapy. I taught in the public school system for 25 years, as closeted a profession as there is, except possibly the religious sector. Expressing and exploring who I was as an individual, as a whole person, had to be done secretly and during those times when I wasn’t teaching, coaching, or losing my mind. It is the need to express beliefs and thoughts and feelings that had been suppressed for so long."

"For me, a story must be relatable and believable. As a writer, I want to immerse the reader in the lives of my characters, in hopes and dreams that may be lofty but reachable, and in struggles that are realistic and frustrating, and even frightening. If I can do that, the reader will be able to live the story with my characters."

"I have a great amount of respect and admiration for a number of authors. It’s difficult to single out one as a favorite. Each offers me something special, unique to their style and presentation. Alice Walker offers introspection and a raw, yet palatable honesty. Harper Lee gave us an unrivaled one-time shot to the gut challenge to our humanity. Sarah Waters masterfully weaves her fictitious characters through places and time in history. And, I have yet to find an author whose craft is more impeccable, or plotting more effective, than Val McDermid."

"I have written 9 books. Each has something that makes it special to me. The first, Legacy of Love, for the obvious reason. Love in the Balance has an emotional connection to my mother, and to a hate crime that was committed near where I live. Mirrors emerged from my teaching experiences, and losing a student on my watch. Losses in my personal life, and an unexpected connection with the daughter of the hate crimes victims, made The Indelible Heart a difficult and unforgettable effort."

"Most surprising, I think, was the depth of my sense of injustice. At times it bordered on anger, and it was such a cleansing, therapeutic experience to be able to express and explore that through my characters."

"My biggest writing challenge is embracing the freedom that I have now from page and word restrictions. My first few books were published by Naiad Press, and were subject to restrictions. I learned to make every word count, minimalize description, and move quickly from scene to scene, all of which improved my craft. But, now I can expand the scope of my story lines without fear of drastic cuts."

"The character created most closely from my personal experiences is Jean Carson, the teacher in Mirrors. Her struggles were mine, her hopes and fears were mine. She struggled to protect her job, while trying to help a bullied student. I kept my job, but lost a student to suicide."

"The hate crimes described in Love in the Balance are based on the hate crime murders of Susan Pittmann and Christine Puckett, committed in Huron Township in Michigan. I was honored to have their daughter, Cynthia Pittmann, write the poignant Foreword for the sequel, The Indelible Heart."

"One of the reoccurring challenges I incur is that my stories don’t fit neatly into one category – there is too much social commentary for the romance genre and too much romance for general fiction. It makes marketing a challenge, as well as award nominations."

"Within the circle of friends, Kasey and Connie have the most stable relationship. My hope is to leave the reader with the sense that this couple has the tools to work through the challenges that long term relationships face."

"As have so many LGBT people, I formed a family of choice throughout the years – people who accepted and nurtured and loved me for who I am. During the writing of The Indelible Heart, I lost three of those people. There wasn’t enough time for me to recover from the grief of one loss before I was faced with another. The once solid ground beneath me was gone. And, at the same time that I was trying to get through my own grief, I was having to take Sharon back to hers. It has made this the most difficult book for me to write."

"That’s the dilemma the group of friends in The Indelible Heart had to face. And, as in our larger society, their opinions ran the gamut from indifference to merciful release to let him rot in hell. As I wrote, I found myself weighing and evaluating my own belief. As it turns out, I find myself leaning closer to Sharon’s ‘let him rot’ opinion, with a gentle nudge to force justice to take the hand of forgiveness."

"That balance has been a real struggle for me. And, balance truly is the key, I believe. It’s a fluid thing, something that changes as our lives change. There were times when I could expend time and energy on marches and rallies and petitions, and there were times when I needed to secure my personal place in the world. The truth, I’ve realized, is that it takes a community, recognizing its fluidity and maintaining its focus. It takes leaders. It takes everyone doing what they can. For me, for now, it means writing stories of palatable consciousness."

"I believe there are a number of similarities, common struggles to change social attitude. But, unlike the racial struggle, the LGBT community, for the most part, has had the option of the closet – to stay hidden, to live the lie. And, I think in the long run, that has lengthened our struggle. Without that option, we would have had to fight harder and sooner."

"My next book will be a prequel to Under the Witness Tree. I never say never, but I don’t foresee featuring these three characters again."

"What is unfortunate is that our community is still embattled, facing ongoing challenges to our rights and security. I would think that as long as those exist, there will be a need and opportunity for me to write stories of how those struggles effect our lives."

"I have a couple of things niggling my mind. One, partly fueled by the importance of the women’s vote in the recent election, is to explore the history of our fight for the vote. Another is the problem of animal neglect and overwhelmed animal shelters. Of course, these issues will have to explored by characters in a storyline that balances love, hope, and social consciousness. I just can’t seem to help it."

"As I said, my next project is a prequel to Under the Witness Tree. I fell in love with Nessie Tinker. Nessie was a 90+ year old black supporting character who challenged me to know more about her and where she came from. I wanted to know what her life would have been like growing up in Georgia in the 1900’s. What were her dreams and hopes, her disappointments? And, what of love, between two young women, one black and one white? This next book is the result of that curiosity and search."

"Without the test of heat, no metal proves its strength; without the test of life, no love can prove its worth. Rare is the love that survives the tests of the life she knew, but the pain from loves that failed those tests could fill more than one lifetime.”"

"He was a short guy who’s about five foot two, Cerutty, and he ran barefoot, he ran around town in Melbourne shirtless wearing his very small shorts and recruited Landy and a bunch of other runners to train them to be the best. He had these outlandish methods. Not only was running barefoot part of that but running up and down sand dunes, running through nature, living off a vegetarian root-based diet, considered running a, best way of saying it, as an art, as an expression of art."