ARASL to flag off 2019 with a twin regatta
The Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka (ARASL) will set off its annual event calendar for 2019 with the National Junior and Intermediate Rowing Championship, which will be a merged competition from this year onward.
The ARASL made plans to hold the twin competition in late August last year, but failed to accomplish due to outside objections. But this time around, all is planned well, the ARASL states - File pic by Amila Gamage
The ARASL made an attempt to launch twin dual competition last year during the final week of August after making a comprehensive draft to hold a complete five-day event. However it never materialised after certain parties wrote to the Ministry of Education, stating the competition would obstruct the G.C.E. Advance Level examinations.
But after a serious case study on the ability to entertain competitors of all age categories, the ARASL has slotted the dates between February 13 to 16 to hold the National Junior and Intermediate Rowing Championships at the Diyawanna Rowing Centre in Koswatte, Rajagiriya.
The National Junior event will see athletes competing under three different age categories — Under-18, 16 and 14 for girls and boys. In the Under-14s athletes will compete in two categories — the Single Sculls and Double Sculls. Three events have been identified as Single Sculls, Double Sculls and Coxed Fours. The Under-18 age category will include a comprehensive event schedule with the lineup of Single Sculls, Double Sculls, Pairs, Coxed Sculls and Coxed Quadruple Sculls.
“The reason to merge the Junior with Intermediate Rowing Championship is mainly to boost up the potential of our athletes for the future. It’s a long overdue exercise. We have been looking at improving our standards in rowing and the best platform to begin that is with the schools and novices. We tried to hold the Inter-Schools and Intermediate events together last year, but could not fulfill our ambitions. This time around it’s all well planned to finish off in style,” Sithira Wickramasekara, the Administrator of Diyawanna Rowing Centre and Vice President of ARASL, stated.
The Intermediate Championship will have five different categories for Men and Women. The events are Single Sculls, Pairs, Double Sculls, Coxed Fours and Coxless Quadruple Scull. This event would only entertain athletes who are above the age of 18 by January 1 this year, while the winning boat and combination will have the right for automatic qualification for the upcoming National Senior Championships under the same event category.
Events of both competitions are set to take place on a four-lane course of 1960 metres, which meets the basic international requirement for length and breadth in rowing. The efforts of ARASL goes in line with its intention of introducing rowing to the outstations and growing in numbers by the year 2020.
Already the ARASL has tasted success through its initiative of ‘Dakunata Rowing’ programme, where over 10 schools got together to form the Southern Schools Rowing Association. The upcoming competition would see the newly joined schools from the southern region and outstations joining up with the existing schools to take the number of competing schools to beyond 25. Wickramasekara, who is an ardent promoter of rowing among schools, is confident that by end of this year more schools will be engaged in this water-sport.
“We are keen to see the sport grow all across the country, but at the same time quality must be maintained at its utmost. The reason to shift the National Juniors Championship from Beira Lake to Diyawanna Waters is to adhere the international standards from the word go. We see a long way forward if we start implementing the correct moves and paths for the newcomers and also those who are in-between”.
The start line of the 2000m course will be the Boardwalk End near Rajagiriya while the finish line will be at the Asoka Grounds End. Apart from the four lanes, where the Lane 1 will run along the Waters’ Edge Bank and the Lane 4 will be alongside the Buthgamuwa Bank, a warm-up and service lane will be available outside Lane 4.
Following the opening event from February 13 to 16, the ARASL will hold the National Senior Rowing Championship from February 28 to March 2 with February 23 set for time trials on Diyawanna waters. From this year onwards the National Junior and Intermediate Championships will be interconnected with the National Senior Championship as a progression system.