Surinamese tennis coach hard at work

Surinamese International Tennis Federation (ITF) Coach John Goede has begun his four-month stint here and sees only the upward movement for the sport of Tennis here.{{more}}

Bringing to bear his 35 years of experience in Tennis, Goede’s mandate is to develop a national Tennis structure for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Goede sees the National Tennis Centre at Villa with its six available courts as a vital launch pad for development. However, he advanced that the facility must be greater utilized.

“It is very unique for this part of the Caribbean to have a National Tennis Centre,” Goede told SEARCHLIGHT last Saturday afternoon, while conducting a session with about 50 young Tennis players at the National Lotteries Tennis facility at Richmond Hill.

He added that not many countries in the Eastern Caribbean can boast of such a facility, hence “You need to value what you have.”

In outlining his initial mandate, Geode said that his intent was “To help out with the upgrade the levels of Tennis and put a system in place for coaches’ training.”

Diplomatic in his responses, Goede, without divulging many of the negatives, simply said: “So much work is to be done.”

“I believe if Tennis is to develop more aspects must also be developed,” Goede, an ITF expert in development and coaches’ education, opined.

Goede said this country has much going for it.

“There is a good education system here. The sport is decentralized, and that is a base for positive things,” the Surinamese said.

Goede’s visit has been facilitated by the local National Olympic Committee, through the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity arm.

Unlike other such courses in the past, Goede’s four month stint will not be consecutive.

After his first month, he will return to his native Suriname, where the systems that have been set up will be continuously evaluated.

“I will go back, let the coaches do their work, but will be in contact with the coaches through e-mail. They will have to send me reports on their progress,” Goede related.

He revealed that he will return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines after four or five weeks. This he said will be the format, until he has completed the four months of working with the Tennis stakeholders here.

After his first week of work, Goede also sees the increase in the number of persons playing Tennis and the reactivation of the schools’ programme as vital to the continued upward movement of the sport. (RT)