Strokes in Creek
Ratu Kadavulevu School swimmers had to practice their strokes in a creek beside the school, which they named ‘Stadium’, to take part in the schools swim meet this year.
Team manager Titilia Baleidreketi said the students were keen to try something new; that was why they practiced at the Stadium, preparing for the two-day National Schools Swimming Association championship, which started at the Suva Olympic pool yesterday.
“Although the school is known for its dominance in other sports, swimming is not new to the students,” Baleidreketi said.
“Unlike other schools we do not have a proper pool; we have a creek beside the school which is good enough for the swimmers to practice their strokes,” she said.
Saturday was not the first day for them to be in the swimming competition. They took part in 2019, with six athletes. This year, there are 14 swimmers.
“We just got to know about this competition six weeks ago,” she said.
“The Stadium is not big but it’s the only resource we have to train our swimmers. We come to the Suva pool once a week, the rest of the days we do land training practice and at the Stadium (creek).
“By next year we will know how to compete in this tournament, the numbers and other information. Some of our swimmers are also in
our athletics team. Next year, we will look at getting in a big number.”
Team captain Akariva Nawai said: “I thank the Lord for our team and bringing us together and to my teammates for carrying our school’s name in swimming.
“It means a lot to us, especially for the OBs and parents; they helped us in getting into this competition. Preparing was a challenge. The Stadium (creek) is okay and it is free; to come to the pool in Suva we have had to pay for pool fees and transport.”
Twenty-three primary schools and 17 secondary schools, totaling 1198 swimmers, are taking part this year. The championship ended on Saturday.