Inter-School Kayaking Competition: Organizer grateful for students’ eager participation

Following the successful hosting of the Third Annual ExxonMobil Inter-School Kayaking Competition last Saturday at the Watooka House in Linden, organizer Deon Anderson has been ecstatic about the dedication of the participating teams, and support received from the spectators.
With their ability to move swiftly through the water, District 10, who finished with 71 points, walked away with a $400,000 grand prize. District 9, the 2023 Champions, had posed a threat to the title winners, but have had to settle for second place and a $250,000 reward. District 7 was forced to settle for third place and $150,000.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, event organizer Deon Anderson expressed gratitude for the large participation of youths among the districts and the skills they displayed.
“We are feeling elated to have all of these regions here present to witness our Third Annual Inter-District Kayaking Competition sponsored by our title sponsor ExxonMobil. And to see all these youths come out in their numbers to support and participate and showcase their talent; not only their talent, but to showcase their skillset that they practice in every aspect of their livelihood, their day-to-day lives; to bring it here in a competition level, we feel very elated, and we see very interesting competition happening. Right now, we have three districts that are neck-and-neck, that is: District 9 – Rupununi, we have District 7, and of course we have district 10 and District 2. So, when you look at these areas – these are areas that have a lot of rural communities, well-known for things like regatta and so forth so – interestingly, they are leading in the competition,” Anderson detailed.
Anderson went on to divulge that safety has been a number one priority, and the emphasis in that regard has been placed on the competition.
Anderson divulged, “Well, when it comes to safety, we ensure that is our number one priority. So, we have lifeguards on the water-top, we have lifeguards on the jet skis, we have lifeguards in the boats; but also we have (a) mobile medical unit on the water ambulance, where we have doctors and nurses and so on to render assistance. Even in some of the races, we had participants who didn’t feel that they could make it to the finish line, and the medical personnel are there for assistance, so that they can be comfortable and, you know, also feel well throughout the entire competition. So safety is intact, and you can never be too safe, so we would ensure that this continues to be covered at all times.”
He also shared on the behind-the-scenes staff and the importance of corporate sponsorship towards the successful hosting of this competition.
“It’s a lot of work, but I must say kudos to the team; they have really been supportive, and they are good team players to pull this event off. We were extremely happy to get the moral support of our Prime Minister today, where he delivered the feature address and declared the sports open. Of course, like our corporate sponsorship: the Guyana Tourism Authority; Ministry of Tourism; our ExxonMobil title sponsors; SLB, who have been our inaugural sponsors; as well as the support from our students from our community, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. So, it’s a lot of feeling right now, a lot of excitement, a lot of competition and healthy rivalry going on,” Anderson told this publication.
This competition has seen participation from 10 districts from the North West District, Essequibo Coast/ Pomeroon, West Coast Berbice, West Coast Demerara, Corentyne, Bartica, Potaro/Siparuni, Rupununi, Upper Demerara, and New Amsterdam. (Omar McKenzie)