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| Sahan Fernando in action |
Sahan Fernando of Chandler, Arizona USA took to rowing as a sport seriously no sooner had he entered Brophy Preparatory campus Phoenix Metro four years ago. Sahan born to Sri Lankan parents, currently is an undergraduate of the University of Gonzaga, Washington where he will continue rowing.
He joined the rowing club at Tempe Town Lake his home town four years ago to avoid any hiccups with his carpool arrangement. He never thought the once convenient activity would blossom into a passion that would take him to competition at the national level.
But, it has.
Fernando, along with teammate Tito Pickering, were at Lake Harsha, just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio recently at the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals Championships which had 1500 competitors from 144 Rowing organizations. Coach Alicia Stuebner, who traveled with the teens, thinks the experience is great exposure for Tempe's city-run program but also for Arizona rowing in general.
"A lot of times people make fun of rowing in the desert," Stuebner said. "Where do you row?"
They row at Tempe Town Lake. And they do it just about year round. When it's hot, they sweat it out. When it's cold, in the winter months, they bundle up and hit the lake.
The Tempe program has only been around for about six years. Stuebner has been there for four of them, and has seen the numbers of participants climb each year.
She started with six kids. Now she averages 25 to 30 a season, one in the fall and one in the spring.
The rowers compete against other club teams. A couple of teams are local, but the team also travels out of state six to eight times a year for other competitions, known as regattas in the rowing world.
It was at regionals in Sacramento when Fernando, of Chandler, and Pickering, of Mesa, learned they were headed to the three-day national competition. They had to score a top-three finish in an event to advance. Fernando came in second as a single, and Fernando and Pickering took third as doubles.
Even though it is a national competition, Pickering is confident he and Fernando will perform. They've been getting in twice-daily practices since school ended.
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| Sahan Fernando |
"I'm thinking we're going to do pretty well," Pickering said, as he waited for his plane to leave Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix Arizona. "The chemistry between us has really grown. We're almost exactly together on double."
At nationals, Fernando finished 14th out of 19 boats in the singles competition, while Fernando and Pickering finished in 15th in doubles.
Despite their finishes, Stuebner said the two are looking at it as they are the 14th and 15th best rowers in the country, as they should.
Synchronization is clutch in rowing. Fernando said the two have an unspoken understanding. They can almost sense when something needs to be adjusted, and they just do it.
That understanding didn't just click. It took a lot of hard work, Stuebner said.
"They were relentless in their dedication," she said. "There were times when they didn't win any races. It was a long hard road. They just kept going and plugging away."
They had to. The sport is about endurance. Races range in length between six and seven-and-a-half minutes. The same motion, over and over.
Although Fernando didn't love rowing the first few weeks he tried it, he liked it enough to keep coming back. Now, there's nothing he would rather do. He and Pickering, both 18, plan to row in college.
"I'm quite honestly ecstatic for this," Fernando said. "To make the nationals is a culmination. I've definitely had the dream since I started."
Apart from being nearly involved in rowing while at Brophy Campus he played a significant role in campus extra curriculum activities. He was the Associate Editor of 'The Roundup' the quarterly news bulletin.
He is the second son Prof. Harindra Fernando of Arizona State University, Tempe and Ms Ravini Fernando |
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