  It’s 23 days until the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games kick off. You know that the YOG has something to do with sports but you don’t know what sports exactly. You know the basics of football, basketball and tennis, but what about less familiar sports such as shooting, wrestling and equestrian? You want to watch the Games, but you don’t know the rules. There, there, troubled soul. Fret not, we’re here to help.
In this 26 part series, Youth.SG will do you a favour by compressing the 26 sports into bite-sized crash courses to give you an introduction to each individual sport. One sport a day. And we’ve roped in specialist help from athletes of various ages to shed some light on their individual sport.
Today, we dive into the water sport of canoe-kayak. We have with us national canoe-kayak athletes, 17-year-olds Leon Chng and Lim Jia Ru. Leon wasn’t really the sporty type when he was in Secondary 1 but that soon changed when he got involved in the sport of canoe-kayak. He now trains 12 times a week with the national team. The same goes for Jia Ru who got into the sport when she was noticed by a teacher-in-charge of canoeing for her built. She says her height and size lend an advantage to her in the sport. We think she’s just born to canoe.
Youth.SG crashed their training session to learn more about the battles they fight with their paddles and vessels.
Introduce the sport of canoe-kayak in 10 words or less to those who have never seen the sport before.
Leon: Canoeing involves using one-sided blade to propel yourself through water.
Jia Ru: Kayaking uses both hands to propel, with one being the master hand.
What should people watching canoe-kayak for the first time know?
L: Canoe-kayak is very much like swimming, in the sense that the same muscles are used in both sports. Most people think that what we do looks very awkward and it looks tough to balance. So I hope they appreciate what we do. I hope that more people in Singapore actually take interest in the sport. It’s a growing community, but beyond school level or national level, there are very few organisations or clubs that take interest.
Just so you know!
For the YOG, in sprint events, the athletes paddle on a circuit, and compete against each other over a 420m course. For slalom events, the athletes compete on a calm water surface and not on a natural river or artificial slalom course. However, they still need to demonstrate the skills of a slalom athlete by manoeuvring between gates and also beating their competitor on the course.
The Canoe is an open canoe propelled with a single-bladed paddle with the paddler kneeling in the boat.
THIS IS A KAYAK...
The Kayak is a covered deck canoe propelled with a double-bladed paddle with the paddler seated in the boat.
AND THAT IS A CANOE
What makes canoe-kayak a sport worth playing?
JR: It challenges us mentally and physically. It’s a passion.
L: Also, we have to strike a balance between school and sports. So, we have to plan our time wisely.
AND YOU THOUGHT DRIVING WAS TOUGH
Any sporting idols you look up to?
JR: Adam Vankouverden. He has this special perseverance that you can tell that he wants to win so much. There is this hunger to win. That’s what I tell myself sometimes too.
L: Maxim Opalev. He’s a Russian who is almost 40 but he’s still going strong. At the recent Olympics, he got a Gold medal despite competing against opponents who are a lot younger and supposed to be at their prime. He inspires me because since young, he was already very focused. He knew what he wanted as soon as he started. At age 15, he conquered the World Juniors. And that inspires me because it tells me that it’s not the age that matters.
ALL SMILES AFTER ANOTHER HARD DAY OF TRAINING
Anything to say in support of YOG 2010?
L: The YOG is a very good experience for Singapore. I guess it is an honour to host such a large event and I think the world will finally focus on Singapore in the sporting arena. As canoeists we like to promote our sport as well. Hopefully more people will be exposed to the sport through YOG.
JR: People will go for the event as it is a very big event that everyone will look forward to after AYG. It can also promote all the sports and hopefully inspire some to try the sports out some day.
If you’re interested in kayaking, head down to PA Water-Venture (Changi/Kallang/Pasir Ris) and sign up for their introductory kayaking courses. Courses start from $50 for non-members who are below 18 and $80 for members who are above 18. For more information, click here.
Count down the days to the YOG with this sports series and stay tuned as we bring you taekwondo tomorrow! HA
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26 Sports to YOG
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