Ladies’ College took home every medal and trophy possible at the 10th annual LCMC regatta. The Ladies’ crew finished off their season with a spectacular 52-0.
However, this was no easy feat. Almost every race was neck to neck, with LC pulling away with mili-seconds to spare. Yellani Rasaputhra and Janethri Marapana set the trend for the regatta with Yellani winning the A-scull race by one second and scoring the first 6 points for Ladies’ College. Every race that followed was nerve-wrecking as eager LC supporters constantly wondered if their winning streak would end, and hopeful MC supporters held their breath, waiting for the race that would turn the regatta in their favour. The Ladies’ crew had a tendency to give their supporters heart attacks before just managing to pull away with the last few strokes. The Musaeusites did not give up on a single race but continued to give the LC crew a good fight.
In any encounter there is bound to be a mix of emotions, for there can be only one winner. Ladies’ certainly proved their worth with a clean sweep this year – winning both the sculls, pairs, and double sculls. They won both the exhibition races – the C four and the old girls four, and took the regatta home by winning the B four and the prestigious Boat Race. The pier was full of excited school girls, overly emotional old girls, and extremely proud parents and coaches. Sharen Kannangara and Peter Christy have certainly had an outstanding first year as coaches. Thiranya Fernando and Isabella Sansoni were awarded ‘Oarswomen of the regatta’ as they contributed 20 points (A pair and A four) to Ladies’ College. Yellani Rasaputhra and Ishara Abbey clocked 4.20 on their scull races, breaking the A and B scull records respectively. Captain, Ashani Welikala said ‘I’m in shock. I can’t believe we actually won 52-0 for the first time in history. I am so proud of my crew! I want to thank the 22 girls who trained super hard, our coaches, and our parents, for making this dream a reality.’
As it stands now, Ladies’ has proved to be the superior crew this year. However, there is no doubt that Musaeus will come back better and stronger than ever in 2014. Until then, the LCites can live off the glory of being a part of the crew that painted the waters of the Beira bright red with an incredible 52-0!
