“KALLOLOO BLAZERS” Table Tennis Club formed

A series of discussions held over the past three weeks at the Anglican Annex Building to discuss the present state of the sport of Table Tennis in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the way forward has led to the formation of a new club to be known as “KALLOLOO BLAZERS TABLE TENNIS CLUB”.{{more}}

The sessions were chaired by Tyrone Jack.

Jack stated,“The present status of Table Tennis here makes those of us who know the value of sports, the health and social benefits which can be derived from playing sports and the unique ability of Table Tennis to transcend into all age groups, very uneasy.”

He pointed to the present lack of a youth development thrust from those who now administrate the sport nationally, citing that Vincentians no longer hear of the exploits of our junior players on the regional Cadet Circuit as they did four to five years ago, when players like young Kavir Gaymes, Darrel Dickson, Jovan Carrington, Jabarri Jack, Dominic Evans and Luc Velox travelled the Caribbean and beyond and returned with very credible results.

He further pointed out that he had neither seen nor heard of any National Junior Tournaments or an open tournament over the past four years, and there is a lack of transparency and accountability, as no General meeting has been held over the said period.

The ensuing discussions have led to the formation of a new table Tennis Club whose Mission is:

To create a progressive Table Tennis Club which will promote and encourage the playing of Table Tennis for players for all ages, ethnic origin, background and abilities; allowing them to enjoy sports within a safe and welcoming arena in the community, while providing every participant on every level of play with a clear pathway to Table Tennis success and enjoyment.

The Club’s name represents its all embracing mission, welcoming players from all “walks of life” into one callalloo mix, the “K’ in the name indicates its aspiration to be the leading source of table tennis delight and success in SVG, and beyond.

Some of the core values include: To be welcoming to all; not tolerating harassment, bullying, abuse or victimization of any individual. This includes sexual or racially based harassment or other discriminatory behaviour. Providing an atmosphere of positive encouragement to all those wanting to play tennis; having a progressive and contemporary approach to promoting the sport and the Club; demonstrate financial prudence; safety consciousness towards children and youth; continuous improvement of the quality of the facilities and players; transparency in our communication and administration of the Club.

Aspirations include: To contribute to the health and vitality of Vincentians by raising the profile of table tennis and making the sport more readily accessible to the local community; to provide a welcoming, safe, responsible and relaxing atmosphere for Club members and visitors; to encourage more people, particularly youth, to play table tennis and contribute to the running and vitality of the Club; facilitate opportunities for people to develop their table tennis playing abilities and to progress in the sport, maximize the participation of club members in local regional and international tournaments; to provide members with the means to enjoy the widest range and choice of all aspects of table tennis including social and other activities; to maintain and enhance the quality of table tennis playing facilities and its environs and keep under review future short and longer term development opportunities; to encourage competitive tennis by providing teams and promoting competitions and tournaments.

Affiliation: The Club will seek affiliation to the National Table Tennis Association and other regional and international table tennis bodies and shall adopt and conform to the Rules of these organizations in so far as they can apply.

Management: A ten-Member management Committee is proposed, consisting of seven elected members and three appointed members.

The club will be managed during a short interim period by a Steering Committee headed by Tyrone Jack and including Dennis Gaymes, Andrew Lockhart, Giles Garraway, Kamal Hunte, Sean Stanley, Roger Reddock, Jerome Deshong, Karen and Damion Dublin.

They will finalize the drafting of the constitution and the Bylaws, initiate contact with stakeholders, as well as developing dialogue with those individuals who now assume the mantle of National Table Tennis Administration in SVG.

Club membership shall be subject only to the acceptance of the the Rules of the Club. The public is invited participate. The Registration/ Joining fees are set at $15 for adults and $10 for junior players. An annual fee of $36 or $3 monthly is proposed. All are welcome, even those who cannot yet play the sport.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Prospective members are asked to bring along their registration fee.

For further information please contact Tyrone Jack at tel. 454-3217 tjreynold@ yahoo.com or any other member of the steering committee.