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Getting ready for the boat racing D-Day

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The Alappuzha Town Boat Club begins trials for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on the Sree Ganesh chundan on the Punnamada Lake on Sunday.

With barely two weeks left for the 56th edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, strategies for the battle on the waters of the Punnamada Lake here are being drawn out.

Boat clubs competing for the prestigious trophy have begun their practice sessions.

The trials, which help the oarsmen get familiar with each other, fix their respective seating positions on the boat and fix rowing styles for the team, will continue for the next nine days, when the team members disperse to get back together on the day before the big event.

On Sunday, two teams began their trials on the Punnamada Lake, with hundreds of people cheering them from both sides of the shore. On one side was four-time winner Alappuzha Town Boat Club (ATBC), trying its luck on the Sree Ganesh chundan, while on the other side, the Punnamada Boat Club (PBC) was preparing to make its debut in the snake boat (chundan) category. PBC had lifted the cup in the ‘veppu’ category of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race last year, rowing the Ambalakadavan ‘veppu’ boat. The confidence has inspired the club to aim higher and bigger this year and to debut on the brand new ‘Karuvatta Srivinayakan’ chundan, which was launched here earlier this week. Led by team captain Joseph Thottukadavil, PBC’s team has 95 oarsmen, five helmsmen and eight ‘nilakar’, who will sing the accompanying songs and inspire the oarsmen. On the other shore, ATBC had a formal inaugural ceremony for the trials with C.K. Sadashivan, MLA, and P.P. Chitharanjan, Municipal Chairman, joining to motivate the team, which is seen as the town’s local team.

Mr. Sadashivan said the team stood a good chance this time, more so because the team is a combination of ATBC’s regular oarsmen and 35 oarsmen from the legendary United Boat Club (UBC), Kainakary. Twelve-time winner UBC is not competing this year, owing to the lack of sponsors. ATBC, led by Sunil Joseph, will have 85 oarsmen, five helmsmen and nine ‘nilakar’ on board.

Dennis Marcus Mathew

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