HYDERABAD: MAUD Special Chief Secretary, Arvind Kumar on Sunday inaugurated ‘Waterschool’ the first State-run exclusive school at Durgam Cheruvu, Madhapur in Hyderabad for sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, stand-up paddling and allied water sports.
The school has been set up by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in collaboration with the Yacht Club of Hyderabad to teach yachting and allied water sports, initially for the underprivileged students. In the subsequent two weeks, it would be opened for the general public.
After the inauguration, the Special Chief Secretary encouraged students to utilise the opportunity and enrol. The Waterschool will make accessible to the students the 14 years of expertise of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad that has trained and produced more than a 100 state and national medallists, he said.
“The clean waters of the Durgam Cheruvu will serve as a nursery for future Asian and Olympics champions, apart from serving as a hub for all water sports. A large part of the coaching will be undertaken by homegrown national and state champions,” Arvind Kumar said.
Waterschool boasts state-of-the-art equipment. Sailors who honed their skills at the Yacht Club have already participated in a host of international competitions and World Championships across continents. The school proposes to be a sophisticated training centre for both serious and recreational sports persons and will serve as a nursery to teach the basics after which the sailors selected can aim for national and then Asian and Olympics participation.
The Waterschool authorities said that they expect a large turnout for all watersports on offer, especially sailing and windsurfing for the younger and kayaking and stand-up paddling for the more senior.
They said that sailing is an offbeat sport and many students from Hyderabad have included it in their resumes to great impact in their admission process to US universities where they continue to pursue their inculcated passion for watersports at the university level. Adult enthusiasts can also learn on the Olympics Class Laser and International 420 Boats that will be positioned at Waterschool and the skills learned here will be valuable at any water body across the world.
Waterschool also plans to run water-based corporate leadership and team building and bonding programmes and revive the famous Kayakathan and Hydrathon events that had taken the city by storm in the past. Waterschool also plans to launch life saving certification programs over a period of time.