Sindh

Students brave dawn training sessions to prep for regatta

For the first time in the history of the competition, a TCF school will take part in the inter-school regatta.

Husna Anwar/samia Saleem December 22, 2010

KARACHI: Every year schools from all over Karachi participate in the Inter-School Regatta. For the school-going rowing enthusiasts of Karachi, this event holds the same amount of importance as the boating equivalent of a world cup. Students undergo strenuous training both on land and water, sometimes twice a day, for months in advance. On occasion, the rowing teams can even be seen trudging into school at 7:30 am, having already undergone their morning training session. This year there is a new addition to the competition. The event, stereotyped as fairly elitist, will also include The Citizens Foundation’s Machar Colony Branch School.

So far, 15 schools and about 250 students have registered to take part in the regatta. And from among them, 16 children from the TCF school will vie for medals. The event is being held for the third time in the city and will be inaugurated on January 5. About 65 competitions, both on land and water, will be held through January 7 to 9.

“We want to make sure that we don’t just give formal education in a hut but provide quality training and opportunities that will open our students’ minds,” said Nelofer Saeed, the director for TCF and a member of its committee for this activity.

Arif Ikram, a committee member for the regatta, told The Express Tribune that the basic idea behind organising the event was to provide children a platform for tough sports. “There are plenty of other enjoyable sports in the world, it’s not just about the idea of rowing,” he said. “It teaches them teamwork, leadership and coordination for their future lives.”

The children in the TCF team comes from grades VI to VIII. Their zeal is such that, Rasool Jan, a seventh grader and the captain of the rowing team, believes they can go all the way to gold in the 500-metre “Ergometer” race. This is one of the dry races, which means instead of rowing on water, the competitors pump the oars of an automated machine which calculates their pace.

Rasool explained that in the beginning they were under the impression that it was a swimming competition, a daunting prospect. “When we went for our first practice session we were amazed to see machines and the rowing gear,” he told The Express Tribune. Rasool is estatic with the performance of his team members and how quickly they picked up the technique in comparison to other, much more experienced rowers.

“Our coach has told us that we have a fair chance of winning the machine competition,” he said. “I therefore push my boys harder.”

Head coach Asghar, who also coaches the Karachi Grammar School rowing team, is in charge of training these students. He says that the TCF children do encounter some communication problems but that never deters their enthusiasm. “Their training sessions take place between 10:30 am and 11:30 am, they are always punctual and extremely eager,” said coach Asghar, “even though some of them don’t speak Urdu very well and we have some trouble making ourselves understood, it does not affect their performance one bit.”

Every school has its own trumpet to blow. “We are the best,” said last year’s vice-president of the Karachi Grammar School rowing team, Saleem Nasir. “Us and The Lyceum, we always win.”

“We have a record to maintain,” said Zeeshan, the captain of the Rowing Club from The International Schoool. They may be dark horses but the other schools aren’t taking the new competition lightly and all the students are gearing up for what promises to be an electrifying event.

Participating schools