As a result of exceptional performances in both the Welsh and British Indoor Rowing Championships, the Dyffryn Taf senior girls rowing team was invited to compete in the Baltic Indoor Rowing Championships in Tallin, Estonia.
This was an unique opportunity for four athletes to visit a country once shrouded by the Iron Curtain - a country cloaked in secrecy, due to its strategic importance to the once powerful USSR in defending its Baltic coastline. Since 1991, and its independence from Russia, Estonia has grown in stature and importance as an independent state. Its people are most welcoming and they have a keen interest in a variety of athletic events.
The Estonian rowing team has been particularly successful in winning world cup events and team members are strong contenders in the forthcoming Beijing Olympics.
It was with this backdrop that three girls from Laugharne, and one from Narberth, flew to Tallin to compete. They raced against qualifying teams from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden and finished a very creditable fourth in this international championship.
Whilst in the capital, they visited the UNESCO World Heritage medieval old city of Tallin and a range of sightseeing opportunities.
They also took part in press conferences and were special guests at a dinner reception held by the Estonian Rowing Association. However, their greatest thrill was to meet and befriend the championship winning coxless four, who are the selected Olympians for the 2008 Olympics.
This invitation was an opportunity to meet new friends and engage in new cultural experiences, all made possible through the unique passport of sport.