A dream that came true to two lads from deep down south

Sports

By Natasha Fernandopulle, Pix by Sanka Vidanagama

Uyana Hewage Pemlath

Ruwan Manawadu

Passion coupled with hard work always takes you places and there are no two short cuts to it… And the stories of such individuals never fail to inspire…

This week we feature the current swimming coaches of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and Trinity College, Kandy who started small how through sheer perseverance have managed to reach the top and make their dreams become a reality…

“I left school in 1979 and worked as a lifeguard at a few places,” said Ruwan Manawadu, Head Coach of the St. Joseph’s College swimming team. He hails from Galle and was a student of Mahinda College, Galle. “And it was when I was a lifeguard at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, that Mr. Ranil Gunasena met me,” he says adding that at the time Mr. Gunasena was the Outstation Head Coach and suggested he head back to Galle and help in coaching there, by assisting him.

“I was asked to demonstrate and show the kids how to correct their strokes and come 1983 he asked me to help with the coaching,” Mr. Manawadu says adding that he went on to become the assistant coach for the National Amateur Aquatic Sports Union (NAASU) in the Galle area.

Manawadu went on to form a swimming club in the Dodanduwa area in 1987. In the same year, swimmers from Devapathiraja Maha Vidyalaya, Rathgama and Piyarathana Maha Vidyalaya, Dodanduwa benefited from the club and went on to be placed at the Sri Lanka Schools Swimming Championships.

Mr. Gunasena was the Head Coach of St. Joseph’s College in 1990 and upon the success of Manawadu’s club he was asked to assist him with the Josephian swim team. And in 1999 he took over from Mr. Gunasena as Head Coach.

In the past five consecutive years, St. Joseph’s College has been placed at the Sri Lanka Schools Swimming Championships as well as in National Meets, the Short Course, Long Course, and the National Age Group Swimming Championships.

“When swimming in Galle we didn’t have a coach, we had to come to Colombo and see how they swam,” Manawadu says, adding “My mother was an English Teacher and my father a Railway Head Guard, and they never got the opportunity to see me swim in Colombo, this is why I wanted to be a coach.” Manawadu has now completed the level four certificate of the American Swimming Coaches Association.

From an pool attendant

Uyana Hewage Pemlath is currently the Swimming Coach at Trinity College, Kandy. Pemlath started off as the pool attendant and life saver in 1991 at Trinity College. While in school, at Matara Polhena Maha Vidyalaya, he also swam for his school and went on to swim at the Nationals. “I was an assistant coach while in Matara and when I came to Kandy I started up a private squad,” he says, adding, “I had swimmers who were placed at National level, which was when Trinity recognised me and I started coaching them in 2004.” Under him Trinity College has been placed three times at the Short Course Swimming Championships, five times at the Pentathlon Swimming Championships, and in 2007 they were placed Runners-up at the Relay Carnival as well as Runners-up at the Sri Lanka Schools Championship.

“I started learning life saving while I was still in school and it was then that I progressed to swimming,” he says adding that Mr. Kodikara and Mr. Yasaratne of the Polhena Aquatic Club have helped him improve his standard.

“I wanted to learn to coach and it was my dream to produce swimmer who could compete at National level and SAF level,” he says. In fact one of Mr. Pemlath’s star pupils is Heshan Unamboowe who currently holds the record at the Asian Age Group Swimming Championships in the 50 Metre Back Stroke. In the past two years Unamboowe has held the 100 and 50 Metre Back Stroke as well as the 100 and 50 Metre Free Style at the National Swimming Championships.

A goal can certainly get you somewhere and take you far, and the results of these two schools show how well these coaches have done through which their dreams have been achieved.

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