Children make a splash at the summer camp at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Tuesday. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, May 10: All play makes Jack and Jill winners, leaders and team players, if Tata Steel sports department authorities are to be believed.

Cocking a snook at the mercury, 1,100 schoolchildren enrolled for the 20-day summer camp organised by the sports department of the steel major, starting today at JRD Tata Sports Complex. And this year, the camp, an annual affair, will cover as many as 12 sports disciplines — archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, handball, table tennis, volleyball, roller skating, badminton, cricket, golf and swimming. Students can take their pick from any of these — even more than one, if they so wish.

Charles Borromeo, senior manager of Tata Steel sports department, said the objectives of the camp were to equip students with a winning attitude, develop leadership potential and teamwork, and improve fitness levels by several notches. “Coaches at our training centre will groom the campers,” he said, adding the steel city had no dearth of young talent.

Which proved to be true, as entry applications for the camp have burst at the seams, forcing organisers to stop enrolment. “The response has been stupendous this year. We have already registered over 1,100 boys and girls from different schools,” Borromeo said.

For students who couldn’t make it this time, there’s hope. “We’ll try to host a short summer camp in June for those who missed the bus now. If all goes well, that will be held right after this camp ends on May 30,” Borromeo, a former 800m gold medallist at Asian Games, said.

In an early morning inauguration at the hockey grounds of the sprawling complex, Vivek Kumar, area manager of South Eastern Railway, appreciated the efforts of Tata Steel in grooming students under experienced hands.

The sports department runs training centres for various disciplines, with experienced coaches, some of whom are internationals, at the helm.

“Students will gain immensely. The quality of training, infrastructure and structured modules will make the 20-day event a lifetime experience,” an official said, adding that the positive response to the summer camp was indicative of the sporting spirit of the youngsters.

Students, meanwhile, were seen padding up for the tenure. “We want to use our vacations judiciously, and this is where we will gain the most,” said a cricketing aspirant.