More Tomorrow Village Paddlers Gearing Up for River Races
With only two weeks before the highly anticipated Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge, teams across the country are rigorously training. Today, we visited the historic village of More Tomorrow where we met up with a team of young men with big hearts. They go by the name “Young Cutters” and this year they will be competing with support from the Belmopan City Council. News Five’s Paul Lopez was on the river bank today.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The village of More Tomorrow is situated along the Belize River in the Cayo District. With a population of roughly thirty families currently, this village is said to have been established over two centuries ago. Villagers live off the land and river, for the most part. It is along these banks that twenty nine year old Elvis Sutherland discovered his love for canoe racing. He is now the captain of the Young Cutters canoe team.
Elvis Sutherland
Elvis Sutherland, Captain, Young Cutters
“From since we were little boys, we live right up the bank and you could just open up the door and look in the river. When we were young kids we use to hear about Ruta Maya. We use to run down the bank, Ruta Maya is passing and we are excited and we could see the race pass. I think that is where we got it from.”
Today, we met Elvis and his cousin Jermaine Sutherland as they were training for the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge, a one hundred and seventy miles race, spanning over two districts for the duration of three days. Jermaine’s role is to steer the canoe.
Jermaine Sutherland
Jermaine Sutherland, Team Member, Young Cutters
“That entails a lot. It got to do with experience and a lot of training. It is not just about steering the boat. It is to also look and to know, and to stay focus at all time. A normal day of training is, you usually go more than the previous days. So, if I do two hours today, tomorrow I might want to do two and a half. The idea is to get tired.”
They have the kind of experience and training that I do not possess. I quickly learnt how much skills it takes to simply balance oneself inside a canoe. Getting in from the slippery river bank was the first challenge. Once I was settled in, the next task was to ensure that I was not the cause for our afternoon dip in the murky river.
Paul Lopez
“What tips would you have for me, besides losing the belly, what tips would you have for me to become a bit better at what you guys do?”
Elvis Sutherland
“Well, I think it has a lot to do with practicing. You do something one time, you do it two times, three times, and you just get better. So, a lot of it has to do with the amount of hours you sit in a canoe. So, like you for example, you sat five minutes in a canoe. If you come back next week and you sit ten minutes you are going to improve right.”
Elvis has been competing in his first La Ruta Maya River Challenge back in 2010. The team he competed with placed second in the male category back in 2018. Jermaine Sutherland has competed in three races. And Elvis’s brother, Glenford Sutherland, who was not able to make it today, has represented Belize internationally. It is not only high risk, but also a costly sport. This is why most of the young men who remain in the village have committed their time and energy working on the farm or at the nearby sugar factory.
Elvis Sutherland
“Ruta Maya is a very very expensive sport. We look at a canoe; one of those canoes goes around eight thousand, ten thousand dollars. I guess people; our villagers don’t have the resources in terms of buying a canoe, buying a paddle or those kinds of things, or finding the support from the business community outside. That is one of the big barriers that has to do overall with La Ruta Maya participation right.”
To compete, teams secure sponsorship with public and private entities. The Belmopan City Council will be sponsoring the Young Cutters team in this year’s race.
Elvis Sutherland
“Our expectations are pretty high. I hope and look forward to La Ruta Maya.”
And, even the howler monkeys seemed to be excited for the upcoming race. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
