Innisfail's Darius Ramrattan is preparing for a world junior championship run with Team Canada one paddle at a time.
The 16-year-old Ramrattan, a member of the Cottonwood Kayak Club, has been selected as part of Team Canada after a fairy tale summer during which he was part of three winning kayak polo teams.
“We won provincials, nationals, and the Alberta Summer Games,” said Ramrattan. “It was a very busy summer for our family, but in the middle of that, the national team held tryouts.”
He said tryouts were in Calgary and the top three out of four runs determined selection to the team.
“My first run was disastrous,” said Ramrattan. “I knew I had to paddle well over the next three events to be considered. My next three runs were flawless, no faults, and I was named to Team Canada, which includes three athletes under the age of 16, and 23.”
The rising young star athlete is amazed at his success to date.
“My early individual goal was to make Team Canada,” said Ramrattan. “I did that. Now, as part of Team Canada I want to make it to junior worlds, then through the semifinals, and onto the world cup competitions. After that who knows?”
Goal setting is just one of the skills Ramrattan has developed during his kayak career, and he has now set his sights on learning and fine-tuning a second language.
“I attend École Notre Dame High School in Red Deer,” said Ramrattan. “All through high school, I took French, and this is an opportunity to keep my French current if I will be part of Team Canada, which is based in Quebec.”
Ramrattan trains with the Cottonwood Kayak Club under the tutelage of Team Canada member Shylo Hendrickson. They are preparing for their first open tournament in December in Edmonton.
“She brings a lot to the pool and works us hard,” said Ramrattan. “It's good for me to be pushed as part of my preparation for international competitions.”
Ramrattan, a Grade 11 student, coaches with the local club, and trains in Kananaskis Country and Calgary and is part of the Alberta Sports Centre.
“It's difficult to travel and train for kayak slalom competitions,” said Ramrattan. “Canadian athletes are often left to their own resources to train and pay for international events, where British athletes who make national teams live in sponsored housing and their training is their work. Going to Brazil for the Canoe Slalom World Championships with Team Canada in April of next year will be difficult but worth every sacrifice.”
Meanwhile, Darius's younger brother, 14-year-old Alex, trains alongside him in preparation for Team Alberta slalom events and is an active part of the Cottonwood Kayak Club as well, which is running with last year's championship team intact.
“Kayaking, whether it is slalom or water polo, is something my whole family enjoys,” said the athlete.
The Cottonwood club is part of the Alberta Whitewater Association under its closed deck category. The 21-year-old club continues to produce world level athletes in all categories of closed deck, which includes slalom, freestyle, and kayak polo.
To get more information about the Cottonwood Kayak Club, contact Julie Ramrattan at 403-227-1135 or email her at [email protected].
Darius Ramrattan
"Kayaking, whether it is slalom or water polo, is something my whole family enjoys."
