Thulirkal: Star Keeper, Umaesh Sundaralingam!

IMG_20130706_081333CTYA’s Blog has started a new Feature, Thulirkal. Thulirkal meaning bud reflects the young Tamil youth we will be featuring. These youth are the buds of our community, and are growing into strong, achieving young men and women! Each week we will feature a Tamil youth of the week. For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org!

This week, we’ve brought you Umaesh Sundaralingam!

CTYA Blog Team: Thank you Umaesh for sitting down with us today. So, let’s get warmed up. Ok, now don’t think, just say what first comes to mind. 1, 2, 3…

Early Riser or Night Hawk? Early Riser

Favourite Sports Team? Liverpool FC

Most Goals in a Game? 4

Most important quality needed for success? Ambition

Editor: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 Umaesh: I’m a 6’2’’, 20 year old goalkeeper currently playing for CTSA U21. I’ve been playing soccer since I was able to walk. My dad was an amazing player back in his days, and I’ve just been born into the soccer lifestyle.

Editor: You represented Team Tamileelam at the Tynwald Hill International Football Tournament in the Isle of Man as part of Tamileelam F.A.. How did it feel to represent Team Tamileelam and wear the Tamileelam F.A. jersey?

Umaesh: Representing TEFA at the Tynwald Hill International Football Tournament was a huge honour for me. Being selected to represent a nation, especially Tamil Eelam, having gone through many struggles, to the amount of lives’ that were taken, really makes a player feel as if he’s a symbol of the nation itself. It was a huge honour wearing the TEFA jersey and performing at an international stage.

Umaesh1

Editor:  In your opinion, what are the most important skills needed for a soccer player? How have you developed these skills, and how would you encourage younger players to develop these skills?

Umaesh: I would say the most important skills needed for a soccer player is quick-thinking and knowing when to act. Timing must be absolutely perfect and honing it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. For anyone trying to improve that, my advice will be “practice makes perfect”. However you need to be dedicated to the task if you ever hope to see any progress. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” This shows that every player has the ability to be their best. As long as you work hard on and off the pitch, that ambition and dedication won’t fail you. You have to want to be better, and to never give up!

Editor: When you tell others that you are from Tamileelam, how does it feel? What are you most proud of about being Tamil?  

Umaesh: Tamil Eelam represents much more than a nation. Being born from struggles and being raised in conflict, our nation is represents so much more to me. It is a symbol of strength and reminds me constantly to never give up. That alone brings me great pride and joy to call myself a Tamil.

IMG_20130709_201139

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor: A lot of youth now look up to you as the players of Tamileelam, and see you as their role model. What is something you would like to say to these youth?   

Umaesh: Give it your all on the pitch and never give up. Like I’ve said before, and I cannot stress this enough, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Attitude is 90% of the work. You really have to push constantly both physically and mentally. If you keep that up, who knows? Maybe it could be you representing your nation too, one day.

Editor: Finish the sentence. “To me, Tamil youth are..”

Umaesh: The building block of the Tamil community.

Editor: Anything else you would like to add?  

Umaesh: I’d like to take this time and thank a few groups of people for providing me with this amazing opportunity. First of all, I major thank you to CTYA and CTSA for giving us the opportunity to represent Tamil Eelam at the Tynwald Hill International Football Tournament, it would not have happened without them. Also I’d like to thank TYO UK for their constant support in England. Finally, a massive thank you to all of our supporters around the world and my team; it brings me great pride to know that people from different corners of the world can unite and work together for such a great cause.

CTYA Blog Team: Thank you Umaesh for sitting down with us today. We wish you well in your future games and endeavours! For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org! Catch up with us next Friday where we’ll be bringing you another Talented Tamil youth story!

 

Tags: ,

Leave a Reply

*