The Indian rowing team may be on a historic high, after having clinched a host of medals in the recently concluded Asian Games in Guangzhou, but the team is in the process of furthering its bench strength.
For starters, the 31st Junior National Rowing Championship to be held at the Hussainsagar Lake Regatta course from December 3 to 5 could provide the future stars for the rowing side. “It is an important event for us. Firstly, it gives us a good first-hand account of the participants and if they fare well, they could be selected for the Indian junior rowing side. A consistent show in the junior side could possibly give you a berth in the senior squad,” says Ismail Baig, national coach in a chat with this newspaper on Wednesday.
The tournament, organised jointly by the Rowing Federation of India, Sculling and Rowing Association of Andhra Pradesh and Artillery Centre Water Sports Association will feature teams from 15 state rowing associations.
“We have over 170 rowers participating in this event,” Ismail informs. However, without divulging on the spots that are up for the grabs in the junior team, the coach says, “It all depends on the performances of the participants. We are looking for rowers who are physically fit, tall and who can handle pressure not just in domestic events but also in international meets.”
The heats for the competition will be held on December 4 while the finals of the competition will take on Decemver 5 from 4pm onwards. There is good news for all those who aspire to win a medal in the tournament.
The medal winners in the meet will be selected to attend the national coaching camp to scheduled from the last week of January 2011.
The camps will be held to prepare the side for the Asian Rowing Championships and the exceptional ones could find a place in the Indian team that participates in the Asian Games to be held in Korea in 2014.
“To graduate from the juniors to the seniors, it takes about 2-3 years and a consistent show can guarantee a spot in the Indian side,” Ismail says.