Dayne, the young Goan surfer, is riding the waves and is poised to make a mark not only in the state events but in the international arena
Goa provides excellent setting for windsurfing. And to gowith the setting, the state also has a great history when it comes to surfingwith the likes of Donald Coelho and Derrick Menezes being big names on thenational scene for a long time. It’s however time for new talent to breakthrough and one name that has been consistently making waves is, Dayne Coelho.
Dayne from Dona Paula, has already won three national youthchampionships. The under-15 boy won the national titles for three consecutiveyears from 2010. Recently, Dayne went up to the next level with aninternational participation late last month. For the first time, Dayne competedin the Asian championships in Singapore from January 17-20.
Dayne was placed 17th among 25 participants, but then theresult was disappointing from the performance point of view, says his coachDonald Coelho. The competition was in under-17 category and to add to the woes,the points were calculated on the basis of a three-race series, when the usualpractice is to have 12 races where the best 10 races are considered for points.In other words, Dayne was faced with a bigger task than expected withconditions alien to him.
"Nevertheless, Dayne tried his best and managed to getgood exposure in Singapore, followed by an international event in Malaysiawhere he was placed 7th in the under-19 category," revealed Donald, whoruns the Goa Beach Sport Academy at Hawai beach in Dona Paula.
Asked what Dayne needs to do to improve in the future, thecoach said: "He is not up to the mark physically as he is on the higherside with respect to his bodyweight. For his age category, Dayne needs to weighbetween 55-60kg but he weighs 67kg at the moment. He has to work hard and shedweight. The higher weight becomes a problem during light wind conditions. Thatapart, he is alright with his strength."
So what is the best way for Dayne to improve?, "thereis no substitute for participation in events. Dayne has to keep onparticipating in the competitive events. With different wind conditions andcompetitive pressure, he will learn to adjust to wind shifts and this willsharpen his skills," Donald summed up.
