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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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US coach Edson impressed by response at swimmers camp by Leslie Fernando The recent Residential Swimming Coaches Clinic and Coaching Camp conducted jointly by NAASU, Sri Lanka Aquatic Coaches Association and American Swimming Coaches Association at the University of Peradeniya Sports Complex was a great success and it cannot be measured in mere worlds alone. Guy Edson was the Residential Swimming Clinic/Camp Director. Edson is the Technical Director for Clinics and Seminars of the American Swimming Coaches Association. The idea of organising this project came from the former NAASU President, C. Vijitha Fernando. He had organised two residential coaching camps in 1964 and 1965 at S.Thomas' College, Gurutalawa with the then Ceylon Amateur Swimming Association (the predecessor of NAASU of which he was Secretary and the Late Dudley Senanayake its President). Fernando was solely responsible for the overall organisation and was Project Co-ordinator. He was assisted by D.U.M. Jayatilleke (Director Department of Physical Education University of Peradeniya), E.G.A.Wilson (President Sri Lanka Aquatic Coaches Association), Shantha Wijeratne (NAASU Swimming Controller), and Ms. Sheena Samsaudee (Milinda Moragoda Institute). Eighteen coaches who had followed the December 2002 American Swimming Coaches Association levels one and two, Twenty-three swimmers who were selected from the criteria set by the National Amateur Aquatic Sports Union participated. Twelve officials were in charge of the operational aspects of the clinic and camp. One of the primary objectives of the camp was to ready and prepare those potential swimmers for the August 2005 Colombo South Asian Games to be held in Colombo. The kind of coaching and training these swimmers received in Kandy was never seen before, and it is unlikely that they would see it in the future unless the authorities theme on such coaching camps in preparation for such an event. Those swimmers who participated fared prominently at the Sri Lanka Schools' Swimming Championships held at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming pool from June 24 to 27. Sisters Uma Kavya and Prabha Madavi Dharmadasa, Dilanthi Ranaweera, Heshan Unamboowe, C.L.B. Wijeratne, Mihri Kandanarachchi, Thaksila Daluwatta, Dilina Dissanayake, Devinka Gunathilake, Eshan Fernando, Guyam Samarakoon, Dasun Perera, Piumal Aruna Weera and Yohan Samaraweera proved their class with some pleasing feats. NAASU should continue similiar projects in different parts of the island for the greater promotion of swimming in the future. Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, President NAASU said that the clinic/camp came at a momentous time for swimming when the impending 2005 Colombo South Asian Games is only 14 months away. The NAASU boss said he believed in focused training programmes and thought that residential camps was the way to achieve those objectives. He thanked the Vice Chancellor and the Sports Complex Management for having given such great support that eventually made this clinic and camp the success it was. Edson thanked the organisers for their wonderful co-operation and he had never felt neglected. The response from the swimmers outstripped the enthusiasm of the coaches and that of course did not mean the coaches did badly. Edson also said that he would be glad to come sometime in the second half of 2005 if there was the need for his presence and help the Sri Lankan contingent to compete at the South Asian Games. Dilanthi Ranaweera, a national swimmer representing the swimmers, on their role in the residential coaching camp, said that this was an extraordinary experience as this sort of clinic/camp has not been done before, and was delighted they had the opportunity to participate. Dilanthi said that in many aspects all the swimmers exceeded their expectations because their coach Edson had set the correct motivation and challenges everyday and it was their obligation to achieve them and it was rewarding to be told that what they did the day before was satisfying. While complimenting Edson, Dilanthi called upon the NAASU President to make arrangements to have such coaching camps before the Colombo 2005 South Asian Games and they were looking forward to the needed training to represent Sri Lanka. She also thanked Vijitha Fernando for the fantastic arrangements made to make the clinic and camp. |
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