PUNE: Soma Baruah is on her first assignment with the Indian rowing team, having been named as assistant coach for the women's squad at the World Cup 2 in Poland, and she intends to give her best.
"We arrived in Poznan on June 13 and the first couple of days it was very cold and windy. The water was choppy, but the weather has improved, and it is stop-water today," Baruah said from the venue over phone.
India, which did not field a women's team in World Cup 1 in Serbia last month, has entered an eights team comprising Rose Mariya Joshi, KB Varsha, Sonali Swain, Khushpreet Kaur, Avinash Kaur, Rose Mastica Meril, Deepika Xess, Ritu Kaudi and Srikanth Veldi (cox).
Baruah will be assisting former men's rower Inderpal Singh, who is the women's head coach.
The Indian rowers' schedule has been put in disarray in the wake of the cancellation of the Asian Games. And they are trying to make the most of the international events which they had originally entered to prepare for the quadrennial event.
According to Baruah, the head coach decided to skip the first World Cup since he believed that the sweep team needed more preparation.
The rowing calendar consists of three World Cups, with the third set to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland, next month.
Indian men have entered in lightweight double sculls, quadruple sculls and eights.
"We have a lot of expectations from our girls. The focus in not on winning a medal, but on our timings since we are competing with the Europeans. We cannot match their height," said Baruah.
"If we can do 6 (minutes) 20 (seconds), it would be remarkable," she added.
Baruah, who hails from Assam, knows well the odds that her wards are up against.
The field consists of just five teams, but India are the only Asian team - Australia, Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany are the others.
Baruah had competed at sub-junior and junior levels before turning to coaching.
"I hail from a middle-class family and have been through a lot, both in rowing and life," said Baruah, her voice filled with excitement rather than any bitterness.
"We have issues regarding equipment. But most importantly we need land," she said, referring to the rowing scene in her home state.
"We practice in 300 metre course when internationally you have to compete in 2 kilometre events," said Baruah, who is with the Assam Boat Racing and Rowing Centre in Guwahati.
"So their morale goes down the moment they come to a bigger course. They need support from the central and state governments for getting a proper facility."
