After a long hiatus, the young skaters got active again in the 32nd District Level Championships held in 12 types of skating categories.
The newly-renovated VMRDA Park and the skating rink at Shivaji Park once again bustle with activity.
After a hiatus of over a year, the young skaters are back.
Visakhapatnam hosted the 32nd District Level Championship cum Selection Trial in Skating organized by Visakhapatnam District Roller Sports Association earlier this week. The competition, which was attended by hundreds of participants, was held in 12 types of skating categories.
The mesmerizing atmosphere enthralled the spectators and the skaters. Pain, falls and misses are a part of a player’s life, but it doesn’t matter when victory is near.
All eyes on the speed rink were a group of five younger skaters competing in their first district-level championship in the five- to seven-year-old category. “I get terrified to see my daughter on the rink,” said L Lakshmi, “but then she surprised me with her confidence and positive spirit. She finished third after falling twice and ran like a pro. Of.”
Visakhapatnam has produced many national and international skaters over the past decade and more. The infrastructure support in VMRDA Park with Andhra’s only 200m long banked track and five more flat tracks spread across the city has helped budding talent.
“The participation numbers have been very encouraging, especially after a long hiatus in training at the rink due to the pandemic,” says speed skating coach K Kalyan. Under his guidance, many talented skaters have earned fame at the national and international level.
At Shivaji Park where artistic skating competitions were held, young skaters looked back on, doing camel spin, contact spin and goose lift. More than 120 talents from different age groups participated here. With a thunderous – and loud – applause, the winners exited the rink.
“Winning this time meant something else. The pandemic curtailed access to the rink, but the coaches lead the youth through a daily fitness regime through online classes,” says Sharmila Shekhar, whose daughter D. Grishma won one silver and five gold medals in artistic skating competitions.
Grishma was introduced to the sport at the age of four by her mother. “My skating is given top priority at home, but my parents always tell me to give my best; The results are secondary. I feel great to be back in the rink after a hiatus and look forward to the championships ahead,” said the 13-year-old, who has made it to the national level championships in artistic skating for the past three years.
According to coaches, pair skating is particularly physically demanding with its lifts, jumps and spins. “It looks effortless and glamorous with all the synchronized moves on the rink, but it actually takes a lot of effort,” says Seelam Laxman, secretary, Visakhapatnam District Rollers Sports Association.
The winners will take part in the inter-district championship to be held at Bhimavaram in November.
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