After a seven-year grind, the Coimbatore District Aquatic Association (CDAA) now boasts of at least half a dozen swimmers performing at the national level. “We are quite pleased with our efforts. But there’s something more that can be done. We are working exactly on that, said Vincent Adaikalraj, the CDAA president.
“We have trained most of our swimmers at our pool [Jenneys Residency (P) Ltd]. Most of them have been trained at no cost. We will continue to train them and take them to the next level,” he assured.
Speaking on the sidelines of the district-level junior and sub-junior meet, Mr. Vincent, who spends his time and energy in popularising the sport in this part of the region, said he was happy that the parents are supporting their wards in a big way. “Ï can see the enthusiasm in their eyes. They show great interest than their little ones. That's pretty encouraging for us as well."
“Thanks to that, the numbers keep increasing in our competition. And, with it, the quality, be it competition or performance, has also gone up,” he added.
He also pointed out that the girls are faring better than the boys. “They spend a lot of time and schedule their chars well with their parents. And that has fetched them the desired results.”
However, Mr. Vincent was sceptical about the future growth. “We need to have more pools in schools. It can be used by all. When small districts can have such pools, I am sad that the city, which is the second biggest in the State, does not have one.”
He said: “the pools must be easily accessible for the Government and Corporation school students. Because these children have sound mind and body.
Swimming is a poor man sport. It is not very expensive as well. I think it's time we strengthen the infrastructure and churn many such students into quality swimmers.”
“From our side, we will keep sponsoring all the top stars for the big championships. We are also willing to coach the students who have the quality and dedication free of cost. Let us all join hands and lift the image of the sport,” he concluded.
