Important Initiatives in Vincentian Sport
While many Vincentians profess an interest in sport, few seem keen enough to allow that interest to extend beyond attendance at sporting activities. Most Vincentians who express an interest in sport are lovers of the activities engaged in on the field of play.
It is not surprising therefore that local discussions on sport tend to revolve around winners and losers, with little attention paid to the fact that sport is a social institution and that it impacts the lives of those involved as stakeholders.
Generally, Vincentians want to hear of their sportsmen and women doing well at every competition in which they participate. They want winners, regardless of the strength of the opponent or the differentials regarding possession of the resources necessary to facilitate quality performance.
When Vincentians individual athletes and teams lose, there is public outcry, bereft of scientific analysis.
Suffice it to say here that there are some important initiatives taking place in sport and their stories should be told. Unfortunately, much of what they are doing is left untold, often, through no fault of their own.
Table Tennis
For many years Table Tennis was mired in controversy, so much so that even some lovers of the sport began to turn off once the very name was mentioned. For those who have stayed with the sport, whether as players or enthusiastic supporters, however, there has been something of a quiet revolution taking place over the past few years.
In the recent past we have witnessed a significant increase in the accessibility of table tennis boards to the average Vincentian, whether student or adult. This fact has been made possible, in large measure, because of the Vincy Table Tennis Foundation (VTTF), established by international table tennis expert coach, Georg Silbersmidth, of Switzerland. He was invited to our shores to conduct a Development of the National Sport System (DNSS) programme for Table Tennis, under the auspices of and funding from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC).
It was the VTTF that began the process of placing table tennis boards all around the country, beginning with schools. It was this same organisation that started the process of paying coaches to assist with the national development of the sport’s programme.
The full-time engagement of Romano Spencer as the national table tennis technical director and head coach, has already led to a significant growth in the popularity of the sport, increase in the numbers practising longer hours, more competitions and better performances of our players, especially the younger ones.
With Spencer attending an extended advanced coaching programme in Germany and a willing sponsor already committed for the long haul, the sport of table tennis may well move up the ranks of national sports practised in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The visionary work undertaken by President, Orville Haslam, has certainly paid off with handsome dividends.
The emphasis now being placed on a clearly defined development pathway augurs well for the sport, the federation and the nation.
Sailing
Sailing in St Vincent and the Grenadines has been somewhat challenging at the very beginning. However, the commitment of the Jenny Trumble, the head coach of the national governing body has begun to pay off. This has not necessarily put an end to the challenges. If anything, it may well have created a new set of challenges.
The truth is that sailing is an extremely expensive sport and there is already, a comprehensive strategy being planned for taking the sport to a much higher rank amongst sports practised in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Sailing Association is currently enjoying the last phase of the DNSS programme, an activity that helped the sport’s leadership in readily accepting one of the two universality places that were awarded for the recently concluded, Pan American Games.
With continued growth and enhanced performances from the young sailors, the Association is on the move. CG United Insurance Ltd has announced its continued support of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Sailing Association (SVGSA) by serving as the Title Sponsor for the 2023 SVGSA Youth National Championships, scheduled for the weekend of December 17th.
According to The News dated 2 December 2023, Jenny Trumble of the SVG Sailing As- sociation was quoted as saying, “We are very pleased to have CG United on board to support this tournament. The event would not be made possible without the generous support of good corporate citizens like CG United Insurance. We have some talented young sailors who have been training hard for this tournament and we look forward to seeing that training translate to podium positions. This tournament is very important and helps participating sailors advance to other regional and international level competitions”.
Swimming
The sport of swimming continues to be the second most successful sport, practised in St Vincent and the Grenadines, in international competition. Recently, the sport’s achievement in the 31st OECS Swimming Championships realised the most medals ever won at this level.
The official News Release from the Swimming Association reads in part, “Our team comprised a total of 26 swimmers (14 males and 12 females), and we were the first country to include a para-athlete (Kentreal Kydd) in our team.
“The SVG Swimming Federation is very pleased at the results of our individual swimmers. Twelve years ago, SVG swimming won a total of 4 bronze medals by two swimmers, and we were very pleased at that time. This year Team SVG brought home a total of 92 individual medals (72 last year) which included 29 Golds, 33 Silvers and 30 bronze medals. In addition, our relay teams won 2 gold, 6 silvers and 3 bronze medals. Twenty-two of the twenty-six Team SVG swimmers brought home medals and three swimmers broke OECS records. This is clear evidence of the tremendous progress that has been made”.
The success of the national representative must be taken against the backdrop of there being a national six-lane pool of 25m. Congratulations are in order for this phenomenal achievement.
There is no doubt that with continued emphasis being placed on increased training there will be higher levels of competition readiness and ultimately, better results.
The Swimming Association will once more play host to the OECS Swimming Championships in 2024, the year of the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Vincentians must seize the opportunity to witness, first-hand, the performance impact of the impressive strategic plans being implemented in the nation.
Athletics
The nation’s most successful sport at the international level, athletics, continues to facilitate its development in several ways.
Over the past several months, Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines has been engaged in a flurry of training exercises.
Paul Phillip, the expert Throwing coach from Grenada, is winding down the first phase of the 4-month DNSS. He has identified athletes with the skill competency potential and coaches that will lead the discipline’s development, going forward. TASVG has committed to building a robust throwing programme over the next year, hoping that. The organisation can have representation amongst the selectees for competitions.
The training programme of TASVG included extensive sessions on Safeguarding. This aspect of sport is now in vogue, since the exposure of the criminal abuse of athletes in US Gymnastics that has landed a once-outstanding coach a lifetime in prison.
Shimano Bailey, the beneficiary of an international course that certified him as an instructor of safeguarding in sport, convened the sessions for TASVG. Several athletes attended the training sessions and will continue to be trained over the next several months.
Neeka Anderson-Issac has been assisting TASVG with sessions on communications, an area that needs development in sport, generally.
The communications sessions have been well attended and the athletes and coaches who have attended them are now armed with new skill confidence when engaged in their sport, at all levels.
Another area of education of TASVG’s athletes has been the training of a new, additional cadre of persons to allow for the creation of a second team capable of executing Meet Management software and photo-finish. This will allow TASVG to cover two (2) competitions at the same time on any given day.
Finally, TASVG has also trained an additional cadre of 13 technical officials that would be able to oversee the application of the rules of the sport of athletics.
TASVG is also planning to repeat the education programmes, during 2024. Additionally, TASVG has planned to pay special emphasis on running the hurdles events during 2024. This is an area that has not been receiving the attention it deserves. That is about to change.
Conclusion
The foregoing narrative does not in any way exhaust the number of national sports associations that are seeking to engage new initiatives in their sport. We are certain that with those featured in this week’s Column there would be much impetus on the part of other national sports associations to undertake their own initiatives on the pathway to regional and international success.
Mandela declared, “Sport has the power to change the world”. If we truly believe that this is indeed the case, then we must commit our associations to building character amongst its athletes, coaches, technical officials and administrators.
We must continue to expose our stakeholders to continuous education.
St Vincent and the Grenadines has an abundance of sport-talented people. We must always avail our children and their parents to the immense benefits of physical activity and sport. These twin disciplines together have the power to produce a disciplined nation. Together, our sports associations can build a better St Vincent and the Grenadines.
