JALANDHAR: Could hockey sticks coated with condoms be the reason for India pumping in 20 goals against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup at Chennai? The hockey sticks of Tirkey, Prabhjot or Raghunath could have been manufactured using a condom at its tip, that makes it stronger.
A local sports goods manufacturing firm, RK Sports, which makes the popular 'Rakshak' brand of hockey sticks, has evolved the new technique of using condoms to make the sticks smoother and stronger. Sanjay Kohli, the managing director of RK Sports claimed that the idea of using condoms to make the lower part, the hook, came to him a few years back after a large number of hockey sticks began getting damaged. ''The hook of a stick has to be tough as it strikes the ball,'' he added.
Explaining the technique used, Kohli said seven pieces of mulberry wood are bound together, then boiled, dried, glued and bent on a machine to make the hook. It then goes through several processes, including sawing and polishing, before the handle is added to it.
Earlier, the manufacturer used a plastic net which was pasted to the front surface of the hook to prevent it from splitting after a few games. But once the net came out, the stick could not be repaired. Kolhi then began experimenting with various products to make the hook tough. "One fine day, I tried a condom and found that it gripped the wood better than the conventional net," he added. "Initially I was embarrassed to go ahead with the condom part but then I could find no other alternative."All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment