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16 February 2011

Regattas for paddlers - Fiji Times Online

Regattas for paddlers - Fiji Times Online

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Thursday, February 10, 2011
THE Fiji Outrigger calendar for 2011 will have over 18 national regattas.
With sprints, individual marathons, team marathons and business house regattas to be held in Nadi, Suva, Pacific Harbour, Vuda and Savusavu it is looking to be huge year for outrigger canoe paddlers in Fiji.
With the opening event of the season just one week away, Fiji Outrigger development officer Michael Crowe says the early signs are extremely encouraging for a big season.
'The late release of the calendar has come as we look to capitalise on the great momentum built last year."
"We have hundreds of new participants from across Fiji stepping into the canoe for their first competitions to post a legitimate challenge to our seasoned veterans with teams from across Fiji looking to claim an early advantage in the race for Club Championship honours," Crowe said.
Each one of the regattas will count towards the season end points tally with the best performing clubs, individuals and teams set to take hope a bounty of awards.
Crowe said the newly formed Pacific Coast Canoe Club which is based at Uprising Beach Resort in Pacific Harbour will look to make a huge entrance into the competitive paddling scene with three of its teams from the Under 19, men and women ranks lining up on the starting line for the first regatta.
"The development of the new club at Uprising as been a huge success and has lead to the ongoing growth of the sport in some of our key focus regions."
"We've been running regattas for the past several years around Pacific Harbour so to see that interest manifest itself into a self sufficient club with in excess of 50 members is a huge vindication of the strength of outrigger canoe paddling in Fiji at the moment" said Crowe.
Fiji Outrigger will host two regattas in Pacific Harbour this year including a one-man canoe marathon and a 6-man canoe marathon. The idyllic surroundings of Beqa Lagoon make the waters around Pacific Harbour an ideal site for paddling.
Also included in the 2011 Calendar are 4 business house regattas, spread across Nadi and Suva and Fiji Outrigger is confident it can build on last year's numbers to make this year's BHRs even bigger.
"Businesses have already been enquiring about our BHRs for this year which is great, so we've moved the races slightly forward to June and July to accommodate as many business teams as possible."
Throughout August and September local competitions will make way for the much anticipated South Pacific Games as Fiji's best paddlers will make their way to New Caledonia where they're confident of bringing home medals.
"The best paddlers in Fiji are training extremely hard for their position in the number one crew for the SPGs and with limited places available only the most disciplined and dedicated paddlers will make the cut. Fiji Outrigger isn't interested in sending a team to simply make up numbers."
"We're going to SPG to win medals and will only take athletes with the determination and work ethic to make that happen.'

More here at FijiTimes.com

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