Ten months – that is how long the training season is for the oarswomen of Ladies’ College and Musaeus College. They dedicate these ten months of their year to the sport that they love; and they spend these ten months preparing for one day. This year, that day is Saturday the 12th of October.
The 10th annual LCMC Regatta calls an end to the rowing season for these two schools. It is also the single most important regatta of their season. Every other regatta is simply a stepping stone that they use to build themselves up for this day. I know many people who refer to rowing as a ‘cult’ that sucks people in; others refer to it as a way of life, or a religion. When you watch the way these two crews train, you can understand why such terms have been chosen to define the sport. They train early morning before school, and then train again under the harsh rays of the afternoon sun, until it is too dark to see on the waters of the Beira. When they are not on the water, they’re at the gym. They eat, sleep, talk, think and live for rowing, all in the hope that on the day of LCMC, their bow-ball will pass the finish line first.
The 12th of October is bound to bring with it both ecstatic and heart-breaking moments for each crew. Both crews want this win this regatta more than anything else. Every year the competition is fierce as both crews train hard in order to seize their moment of glory. Ladies’ College won 40/0 at the inaugural regatta in 2004, Musaeus made a quick comeback by winning in 2005. 2006 there was a draw after which Ladies’ won for three consecutive years until Musaeus took home the cup in 2010. Ladies’ went on to win in 2011 and 2012.
The captain of the Musaeus Crew, Nathira Wijemanne, told ThePapare how hard her crew has been working to reclaim the cup. The girls are determined that this year will not be a repeat of the 2012 encounter. Nathira said, ‘We hope to correct the mistakes we made last year and row harder and better than before.’ The girls have been training vigorously in preparation for this encounter and hope that all their hard work will pay off.
When asked what this regatta means to her crew, Captain of Ladies’ College, Ashani Welikala said, ‘It means everything to us.’ Ladies’ managed to pull through last minute and scrape a win at last year’s regatta. Ashani feels that as defending champions this year’s crew has a lot to prove. Ladies’ has two new coaches this year, Sharen kannangara and Peter Christy. Ashani told The Papare that ‘working with different coaches was a new experience, but the crew adapted to their methods and they have helped to bring out the potential in each and every girl.’ Ashani is optimistic that her crew is inspired and ready for this challenge. She said, ‘Kanna (their coach) always says, ‘if your body is tired row with your heart’, and that has really hit us all. We hope to give it our all on the 12th, and have no regrets at the end of the day.’
One thing is for sure, those of you who turn up at the rowing club at 1pm next Saturday are destined to witness excellent racing. The races on Saturday will bear testimony to all the hours of training and hard work that has gone into preparing each oarswoman for their moment on the water. The best of the best from both schools will be pitted against each other. The question is, which crew will emerge victorious?
Drop by the rowing club on the 12th of October at 1pm to find out!
Rowing for Ladies’ College – Ashani Welikala, Dharini Samarasinhe, Marihah Idroos, Thiranya Fernando, Isabella Sansoni, Anika Ahamed, Anoushka Tissera, Nashalie Goonetileke, Tarea Karunaratne, Yellani Rasaputhra, Tarea Karunaratne, Tehani Walpola, Yellani Rasaputhra, Ashmitha Gunaratne, Chanika Goonetilake, Ishara Abbey, Davina Koch.
Rowing for Musaeus College – Nathira Wijemanne, Vinuri Wickramasekera, Janethri Marapana, Dilki Wijesekera, Pahan Widyalankara, Megara Wijemanne, Ashvini Jayathilaka, Sarith Ratnayaka, Janisha Ratnayaka, Ranuli Wickramasekera, Malki Wijesekera, Senuri De Silva, Ama Sedara, Ovini Paranagama, Isuri Kumarasinghe.
