New Delhi, Jan 14 (NationPress) Poland's Dagmara Skirzynska embarked on her athletic journey at the tender age of nine. Captivated by the sport of volleyball, she began competing at the school level. Growing up in Gdansk, in the northern region of Poland, Dagmara advanced her volleyball skills at the university level before discovering the fascinating world of Kho Kho three years ago.

"I started playing Kho Kho roughly three years back. It all began when a representative from Satyam visited our university. Satyam is a management organization, and there are cohorts involved in it. That’s how my journey started," she reminisced.

Now 22, Dagmara is in India for the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup, where she proudly leads the Polish national team as their captain. Although she is shorter in stature, Dagmara played as a libero in volleyball, and she now utilizes similar skills in Kho Kho to support her team.

"It's a thrilling game and something entirely different for me compared to Poland. It reminds me of childhood games we played in Polish barracks. The gameplay is quite akin to Kho Kho, which is why I found it exciting to give it a shot. The coordination I developed in volleyball is extremely beneficial. Just as in volleyball, where attackers must plan their spikes ahead, in Kho Kho, you need to strategize your next move," she explained.

"Being a libero revolves around possessing speed, agility, and quickness, and all those attributes are crucial for excelling in Kho Kho. Therefore, my transition has been quite seamless," she added.

Dagmara is also pursuing advanced studies in Physical Education at Gdansk University. Over the past three years, she has been actively promoting Kho Kho among her primary school students, teaching Physical Education from first to eighth grade. "I am currently studying while also serving as a physical education teacher. The children are genuinely thrilled about Kho Kho, and we believe it holds a bright future globally," she noted.

While Poland is yet to commence their tournament, the team had a productive training session despite the cold weather back home. "It can be quite challenging. The temperature is currently around 1°C, and snow is falling like it’s Christmas. We trained indoors because it's too frigid outside, but we had productive training sessions. We are ready for the tournament," she concluded.