Former national football coach, Muhammad Isa, coordinated the football session. Ina report filed by Paul Voisin, Isa explained that the main goal of the Sport Caravan is talent identification.
?I?m very pleased with the turnout. We have what we call a Sports School, every August for three weeks ? a residential sports school. We are looking at talent around the country, and the outstanding talent that we identify, we? will be inviting to participate in the Ministry?s Sports School programme in August 2013.?
The Sport Caravan attracted some 140 children between the ages of five and 17. Three sports were focused on at the Beaulieu Recreation Ground ? football, cricket and volleyball.
Cuban volleyball coach, three-time Olympic gold medallist Idalmis Gato Moya said she was pleased with the talent on show in Cedros.
?There are a couple of young ladies here,? she said, with the help of an interpreter, ??who have really long extremities ? arms and legs ? and these parameters are necessary for volleyball.
?What the Ministry has to do,? Gato Moya continued, ?jointly with the coaches here, is keep doing programmes like this for development so we can have a bigger base for future Olympics and international tournaments.?
Clinton Jaggernauth, a former standout youth cricketer from Cedros, attended today?s Sport Caravan. Jaggernauth, who coaches cricket and football in the area, was very pleased with the Ministry of Sport initiative.
?It?s the first one of its kind in the area. We have a good turnout today ? one of the main concerns down here is getting the youths to come out.
?We?ve always had talent down here,? Jaggernauth continued. ?It?s just getting it from one stage to the other. Over the years, we in Cedroshere have plenty talent, and seeing it go down the drain. We didn?t have the facilities and everything to go to the further level.?
Christian Charles, a Sports Development Officer at the Ministry of Sport, is one of the coordinators of the Sport Caravan. He said the Caravan is focused on four major areas.
?It?s about equal opportunity ? giving the rural areas the same opportunity as the urban areas.
?Continuity, meaning we are not just going to have this for the weekend, but it?s something that?s going to be continuous throughout the year.
?Identifying talent, meaning if we see a young person who can excel, we?re not just going to leave them inside the community. We?re going to see if we could hook them up with one of the elite clubs.
?And maximising potential. We want to bring out the best out of that athlete so they can go on to represent Trinidad and Tobago.?
Charles explained that the Ministry?s Rural Areas Programme will serve as a follow-up to the Sport Caravan.
The Ministry?s goal is to stage 12 Sport Caravans every year. Last month, there was a huge turnout at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet for the Tobago leg.
Source: http://ttnewsflash.com/?p=13462
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.