Alappuzha: Rowing a snake boat is as musical as composing a unique symphony. More than one hundred rowers need to move their oars rhythmically, with precision, for the ship to power through the mighty waves of the lake. The training camps are where the rowers learn this resilience and rhythm. When the season began, the rowers spent more time at the camps than at their homes. They develop a unique bond of love and camaraderie when the camp is over after almost a month. A proper routine that includes physical training and exercises to build mental resilience is part of every rowing camp. Auditoriums and the church halls in the locality are rented for holding the camps. Meanwhile, the rowers stay at the camp until the season ends. Only those who have their homes nearby go home at night after dinner. They have to return to the camp early morning before the routine starts.
The training ground
The camps get active at 6 am, and the rowers are given sprouted Bengal gram, cowpeas, mung beans and peanuts by 6.30 am. These protein-rich foods help them build muscles and strength, especially during the initial days. This will be stopped later when the rowers have achieved the desired physical strength. Exercises begin at 7 am, followed by practice sessions on the boat. There will be four sessions of 10 minutes each or two sessions of 20 minutes on the ship. Meanwhile, every rower would be given two eggs each. The breakfast is served on boats after the practise session. Regular breakfast items like appam, idiyappam, and curries will be served. The rowers can rest after breakfast. The lunch includes fish curry, avial, pulissery, pickle and thoran. The next session begins with exercises and then training on the boats by 4.30 pm. Robusta bananas and oats are served on the boats. The dinner is served in the camp at 8.30 pm. Appam, chapathi, or rice would be served with meat dishes. Everyone needs to hit the beds exactly at 10 pm.