SPRINT09…
You Aspire…We Inspire...

SPRINT, the Annual National Inter B-School sporting extravaganza at SPJIMR just concluded on the 1st of February 2009, with participation from 13 top Business Schools from different parts of India competing against one another in the true spirit of participation and the zeal to win. SPJIMR is known for innovating new path-breaking ways to produce the best of managers for the India Inc. Organizing a grand show of best sporting activities at a national level, by future leaders of corporate was a part of their learning of managing people, operations management, marketing management and also management of finance. Initially conceptualized as a sporting event for leading B-schools in the western zone, SPRINT has established itself as a behemoth to host the best of athletes of the premier B-schools in India have to offer, in the years to come.

SPRINT09 witnessed over 450 participants representing 13 of the 20 top B-Schools in India. This included six B-Schools from outside Mumbai coming in. SPRINT09 had participants coming from IIM-Indore, FMS-Delhi, MDI-Gurgaon, IIFT-Delhi, JBIMS-Mumbai, NMIMS-Mumbai, IIT-Mumbai, KJSOM-Mumbai, Wellingkar-Mumbai, SCMHRD-Pune, NITIE-Mumbai & IMT-Ghaziabad. SPRINT-08 was the first year of this event, and started on a modest scale with participation from 8 of the top 20 B-school with around 200 participants. Two institutes from outside Mumbai (IIM-Indore and SCMHRD, Pune) participated last year. This year, there were also a few participants hailing from France and Italy, who took part on behalf of their institute IIFT, Delhi.

Think of an MBA graduate and the image which comes to one's mind, is of a guy in plated suit with a chauffeur driven car. All those who thought so, were up for a rude surprise. They witnessed the heated action going here at SPJIMR campus for the 2 days. The sheer amount of talent and grit among the participants made SPRINT09 look similar to serious Olympic trials, rather than a B-school event.

SPRINT09 covered several sporting events like Athletics (12 categories), Swimming, Chess, Carrom, Basket Ball, Badminton, Volleyball, Throw-Ball, Cricket, Football and Table-Tennis. The race to win the overall SPRINT championship trophy intensified on the final day, with teams putting in extra thrust to grab the title. It all went down to the wire, with last few events deciding the fate of the eventual standings of colleges. In a nail-biting ending SPJIMR edged out NMIMS to triumph and retain the SPRINT championship trophy.

There were incidents like a B' School cricketer being hit by a bouncer and bleeding profusely, but declining to walk back cowardly, a badminton player strapping her swollen knee to take on competition even when her team mates begged her not to play, a 4x100 meter relay team winning a silver despite one of their runners stumbling and falling to ground. All these reflect all what SPRINT stands for.

SPRINT is all about that Adrenalin surge of winning and still retaining the humility thereafter, the retrospection after losing and the determination to try harder the next time, the combined cheering and mourning of teams after each win and loss, the smiling faces moving all over even though they were being carried by stiff legs and a bruised body, of future managers coming together on a common platform interacting and bonding with each other. SPRINT stands for much, much more. It champions the cause of Hope. It champions the cause of Courage. Its champions the cause of Human Spirit and Goodwill.