Mirror
Magazine Techno
page by Harendra Alwis
|
||||
|
Silent
to the fore The finals featured ten teams traversing a ruthless 55km course from Town Hall, Colombo to Bolgoda, passing Bulathsinhala, Mathugama, Kalutara and Panadura on the way. Over three days, the Kit Challenge Finals included a series of demanding and energy-sapping events such as rock climbing, abseiling, trekking, mountain biking, and a 20 km speed march. The river crossing event saw teams conquering the Kalu Ganga while they also negotiated the river from Panadura to Bolgoda on kayaks. A beach run before the kayaking saw weary competitors, weighed down by sand bags, walk from Kalutara to Panadura. The winners ‘Silent Saviours’ were Kasun Sellahewa, Danushka Perera, Sisira Fonseka, Amila Perera, Ramachandran Krishani and Ramachandran Ilukshani. They were united by their common interest – lifesaving. Said Captain Kasun Sellahewa, “Five members of our team are trained lifesavers registered with the Lifesaving Association of Sri Lanka and are attached to the Old Thomians Swimming Club and the Preethipura Life Saving Club.” The four boys have been crowned national lifesaving champions in the past two years. “Amila and Krishani have toured the Commonwealth as part of their lifesaving trainings,” he added. The team was in high spirits after a tiring, but thrilling final, with Kasun describing their experiences as “commando training.” The KIT Challenge 2003 was held in two phases, with 80 teams taking each other on over four weeks of preliminaries to stake their claim for a place in the final. Ten teams progressed to the final, having stamped their authority on the rugged surroundings of the Diyawanna in events ranging from mud kabaddi, to confidence jumps, log climbs, aerial roping and tubing which tested their physical stamina and mental strength. Each team participating in the Kit Challenge comprised six members between the ages of 18 - 30, of whom at least two had to be girls. After five weeks of power packed action, the presentation ceremony held on a floating stage in the Bolgoda lake was spectacular. The top three teams aerial roped to the venue while a sparkling bonfire and exhilarating fireworks display topped off the celebrations. Amazing prizes were on offer to the best. Silent Saviours, the winners, walked away with an all expense paid week long vacation in Malaysia while the team placed second, Leopards II, received state-of-the-art camera phones with connections. Bows, in third place, were rewarded with Colour Screen Phones with connections. All competitors who reached the final received 103 exclusive packages from Dialog GSM (Rs. 100 rental and 3 minutes incoming free). The sensational success of the pioneering Kit Challenge 2002 inspired Sri Lanka’s largest and fastest growing cellular service provider Dialog GSM to host the unconventional event this year as well. Wild Holidays – the adventure sports and professional guidance experts – were Dialog’s partners in the Kit Challenge. Wild Holidays’ expertise together with Dialog’s commitment to prepare the youthful participants for the future ensured that the Kit Challenge 2003 was indeed the experience of a lifetime. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
The
Silent Saviours are the Ultimate Challengers – they dared,
they persevered, they thrived and ultimately proved their physical
stamina and mental strength. Team ‘Silent Saviours’
were the winners of the KIT Challenge 2003, after withstanding the
pressures of a gruelling three-day two-night adventure sports final
in December.
The
tough course was filled with obstacles from start to finish, and
these were designed to test physical and strategic skills, mental
toughness and ingenuity. Throughout the three-day final, the competitors
survived on a paltry ration pack while little treasures littered
over the course rewarded them with a few additional morsels to last
them the weekend.