School shooters receive skill boost
View(s):By Naushad Amit ; Pics by Amila Gamage
The Sri Lanka Schools Shooting Sports Association (SLSSSA) conducted its inaugural coaching camp for 24 selected shooters, who had excelled at the first-ever National Schools Rifle Shooting Championships.
The coaching camp was held at the Nalanda College Shooting Range in Colombo last Saturday for shooters in the girls and boys categories of the air rifle and air pistol classes. The SLSSSA, which was formed after recognising rifle shooting as a school sport in May 2011, has come a long way. The sport, which was introduced by Nalanda College Cadets in 1993, had its annual national competition in 1994 but it was last year, at the inaugural Schools’ Nationals, that over 700 competitors, from schools in many parts of Sri Lanka, participated.
Nalanda College and Devi Balika Vidylaya, the first boys and girls’ schools respectively to take up rifle shooting, earned major honours at the inaugural championship. Nalanda and Devi Balika possess their own shooting ranges but to conduct the inaugural national schools competition, SLSSSA officials made swift plans to convert the small auditorium of Bandaranaike Central Veyangoda into an indoor shooting range, a first of its kind in Sri Lanka at school level. One of the leading personalities spearheading rifle shooting at school level is Captain H.S. Weerasuriya, a former rifle shooter from Nalanda, who works tirelessly to promote the sport among schools.
“It’s a sport that needs total focus and concentration. Since 1993, it has developed to be one of the most attractive school sports. The fraternity is growing and this proven at the inaugural schools’ national competition, which was held last November. This coaching camp was aimed at the top six shooters from the pistol and rifle classes in both the boys and girls segments. This will be a very good platform for their future as well as for those who get selected for the International Air Gun Championship 2013 in Munich, Germany,” Weerasuriya revealed.
Apart from the shooters of Nalanda and Devi Balika, competitors from Trinity, Ananda, Dharmasoka Ambalangoda, Rahula Matara, Bandaranaike Central Veyangoda, Maurapada Central, Harischandra National 
School Negombo, Sri Sumangala National School Wariyapola impressed in the boys segment while from the girls’, Bandaranaike Central, Dharmasoka Ambalangoda, Rathnawali Girls’ School Gampaha, Gothami Balika Vidyalaya, Ananda Balika Vidyalaya and Swarnamali Girls’ School Kandy came to the top. Six top performers from two categories each were called in for the coaching camp which was held for six hours including a lunch break.
“This is just one of the few developments we are hoping to inaugurate as annual events. We are going at a steady pace on our way to becoming one of the popular sports at school level. Shooters from all schools can expect more activities like these in time to come,” R.M.S. Ratnayake, the Secretary of the SLSSSA said.
| Following are the shooters who took part in the coaching camp held last week. | |
| Girls | Boys |
| Air Rifle: Methsarani Lokuge (Devi Balika), Malindya Ravihari (Dharmasoka Ambalangoda), Dinithi Karunaratne (Ratnavali BMV Gampaha), Sandeepani Balasuriya (Visakha), Sandini Piumika (Bandaranaike Central Veyangoda), Randima Casetti (St. Mary’s Matara) Air Pistol: Kaveesha Hansini (Bandaranaike Central Veyangoda), Hansani Jayakody (Devi Balika), Yahani Welhena (Dharmasoka Ambalangoda), Nusha Ghaffoor (Bandaranaike Central Veyangoda), Sanduni Perera (Visakha), Sanjeewani Panduwawela (Yasodhara GS Gampaha) |
Air Rifle: Prabuddha Deshan (Nalanda), Ashan Chanuka (Rahula Matara), Kavinda Fernando (Nalanda), Anjana Dissanayake (Ananda), Dumindu Dulara (Nalanda), Chamara Priyamantha (Asoka V) Air Piston: Lusith Jayaweera (Nalanda), Haritha Pilapitiya (Trinity), E.A. Jayasinghe (Trinity), Thisal Jayasinghe (Dharmasoka Ambalangoda), K.D.H. Wickremarachchi (Nalanda), Madusanka Saram (Nalanda) |
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