Catch them young for canoeing and kayaking
View(s):The month-long workshop for beginners and coaches conducted by the National Association for Canoeing and Kayaking in Sri Lanka (NACKSL) ended last week with success. The workshop mainly targeting the talents of schoolchildren was conducted by world champion kayaker Gergely Gyertyanos from Hungary whose entire stay was sponsored by the International Canoe Federation (ICF).
Gergely Gyertyanos
NACKSL officials Prithi Perera, the President and Captain Perera, the General Secretary were all agog over 35 school boys and girls from leading and emerging schools from Colombo and the suburbs were able to get a firsthand experience from a former three-time world champion and an Olympic medalist in the calibre of Gyertyanos.
The closing ceremony of the month-long workshop, which was held right throughout at the Bolgoda Lake Rowing Club in Moratuwa, was held at the Auston Institute in Colombo on Wednesday. All participants of the workshop which included practical and theological sessions and training programme targeting the physical requirements and fitness for canoeing and kayaking were awarded with a valuable and recognised certificate by the NACKSL.
Canoeing and kayaking, a popular sport in over 150 countries around the world, is expected to take new strides after the comprehensive workshop, which was a first of its kind to be held in Sri Lanka.
Schoolchildren representing Royal College, Prince of Wales’ College, The British School of Colombo, St. Bridget’s Convent, Ananda College and St. Sebastian’s College participated with the blessings of their parents who were keen to see their kids aim for an international medal through this new pair of sports.
“The school children were an important segment of this workshop as we felt since catching them young will be most crucial for the further development of the sport. Since the inception nearly a decade ago, we have been a fledgling association, trying hard to promote this sport, which is more popular among adventure seekers and leisure makers. But with this workshop, conducted by a professional, we can aim higher while thinking of expanding the sport right across the county. Sri Lanka has all the necessary surroundings all over it for canoeing and kayaking. 
Moreover being islanders we possess the natural ability to conquer in water-sports. I’m sure with the experienced theses youngsters gained working very closely with an athlete of this sport, they will be able to impart them to their colleagues and bring honour to Sri Lanka,” Prithi Perera, the President of NACKSL stated.
“Now that a sense of enthusiasm has been created and a momentum has been gathered, it will be our endeavour to make available easily accessible outlets at Bolgoda Lake, Diyawanna Oya and the Beira Lake for schools, clubs and Defence Services to practice this sport on a regular basis, despite the fact that we are spread thin at present, due to the lack of resources,” he added.
“However, there will not be any giving up on our part and we will also be making efforts to encourage more schools to take to the sport in the times to come in order to not to let up on the momentum that has been gathered. Catching them young is the key to the future progress of the sport, but, it is a humonguous task. What with so many other competitive sports and academic demands on the youngsters. We will soon be 
appealing to the Ministry of Education to help spread this sport amongst other schools in the outstations in Sri Lanka, since waterways are a common place in our island nation,” he went on to say.
In addition to the training courses for beginners the workshop had advanced courses for trainers which provided detailed technical and theological lectures. The workshop began on August 20 and ended on September 17 with practical sessions being conducted at the Bolgoda Lake Rowing Club in Moratuwa.
Captain Priyantha Perera, the Secretary of NACKSL stated, “We received a great boost through the enthusiasm of the youngsters and more 
importantly their parents, who were very supportive of the cause. This we accept as a positive aspect in our attempt to produce an international medal sooner or later. Taking this sport to the youngsters was the priority in our list and we have managed to achieve it to some extent. The success of the workshop was evident with the response we received, especially from the young crowd”.
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Pix by Nilan Maligaspe