Certification for local Volleyballers

The possibility of this country’s sporting bodies receiving Olympic Solidarity Courses in the future depends on the continued involvement of those persons trained in the disciplines.

And the local Volleyball Association is trying to ensure that it gets more of its share of courses. The association is the recipient of the two courses, the latest of which ends today. {{more}}

At the closing ceremony of the Level One Certification course, which ended last week Friday, President of the association Shaun Young said that his body is working assiduously to get the new coaches active and remaining so for a long time.

Reflecting on the first part of the course, which targeted teachers from both the primary and secondary schools, Young said, “Our intention is to get Volleyball in the primary and secondary schools, wherein the primary mini Volleyball will be introduced and in the secondary, actual Volleyball.

And, with all seventeen coaches successfully completing the course, Young is optimistic that the new focus will facilitate longevity of service.

This is the fourth such course afforded to the association and they are yet to get to the Level Two stage.

Young, a Level One certified coach, having attained that status in 1993, identified migration and the change in social life of the trained personnel as responsible for the lack of continuity.

“These persons have too much of a life; they have families, their work, so they cannot put the kind of dedication that we need”, he observed.

He is hopeful that the new crop of coaches will jump start the association’s initiatives to have a tournament in June of this year.

He plans to merge the coaches with the established ones to have both a male and female team to the OECS Championships in St. Lucia in September and October.

St.Vincent and the Grenadines has been absent from the sub-regional Volleyball circuit for the past eight years. Outlining more of his association’s programme, Young said that they plan to work closely with the hotel establishment to have the sport incorporated into the activities for their clientele.

Young, who assumed the top position last year when the revival of association began, stated that he was pleased with the just ended phase of the course.

He based his assessment on the participation of the coaches and the public interest shown.

The course, held at the National Lotteries Tennis Facility at Richmond Hill, attracted curious onlookers as the coaches went through their paces.

That phase was conducted by American Sue Gozandsky, a veteran of 35 years experience in coaching and Cuban Jose Louis Santana- Lugouaz. The first part ran from March 13 -24.

Gozandsky, a former USA Women’s team player, is the facilitator for the second phase, a Young Players Volleyball Co-operation Programme geared at attracting beginners to the sport. Its target group is persons between 18 and 25 years old.

According to Young, the aim of this second phase is to get persons involved and help select a formidable St. Vincent and the Grenadines squad to the Windward Islands Inter -Secondary Schools’ Games in August.

The programme began last Monday and ends tomorrow.