Honduras benefits from Southern Californian Generosity

Used rowing equipment left for Honduras on May 6

A container filled with 18 boats, over 70 sculls and oars, a trailer, 2 ergs and various parts and equipment set off from California on 6 May and is expected to reach the Central American country of Honduras at the end of the month as part of a FISA development program project.

This shipment of used rowing equipment is the fruition of a project, which was launched after the 1999 Rowing World Championships in St. Catharines, Canada.  Jean Reilly, a United States International Umpire came up with the idea after taking part in a meeting covering rowing development. 

The ?Boats for Central America? project took shape under Reilly together with Suzy Sunahara-Walker and husband John Walker, also an International Umpire and Rowing Course Manager for the 1984 Olympics.  The Walker’s along with Pattie Pinkerton and her husband Charles Luckman, Jean Reilly, Billy Whitford and many other volunteers collected boats from around the country and repaired them with the intention of donating the equipment after it was repaired and ready.

Loading of the container before departure

The shipment of boats was prepared over many weekends of volunteer work and has been ready to go for over a year and half. However, logistical problems made shipping difficult, and it was only after several attempts that a solution was finally found.  After months of collaboration between Mr. Salvador Jimenez, President of the Honduran Olympic Committee, FISA Continental Representative Eduardo Palomo and Honduran Coach Captain José Meza the boats are finally scheduled to arrive at destination this month.

This donation of equipment is of great significance to the Honduran Nation. It allows 6 single scullers to train for the upcoming 2004 Olympic Qualification Regatta and the Pan American Games in Dominican Republic. It also allows for the further development of rowing of young men and women in Honduras.  And in the future it is hoped that Honduras will help develop rowing in other parts of Central America.

Thor Nilsen, FISA Development Director wished to congratulate all the parties involved especially the Walkers for their donation of time and energy.  ?The people who have been involved in this project have shown an incredible amount of dedication to the development of rowing world-wide. We are very lucky in FISA to have such supportive member federations and individuals who give back to the sport? Mr. Nilsen commented.

18 boats are being shipped all the way from California

Special thanks go out to all the contributors to this project: Salvador Jimenez, President of the Honduran Olympic Committee, Eduardo Palomo FISA Continental representative, Captain Jose Meza coach of the Honduran team, Jean Reilly and the Walkers, Salvador Jimenez Junior and Claudia Santos of KOG Transport Inc, Billy Whitford and the Newport Aquatic Centre who provided storage space for the equipment for the duration of the project, and also drove the trailer to be loaded onto the cargo container, California State University Long Beach Rowing Program for donating the trailer, Concept II for their generous donation of sculls, the US FISA umpires for their generous cash donation to start the project as well as the other numerous volunteers.