Swim Coach gets certified

SWIM

Coach

Tamarah St.

Hilaire has successfully completed the National Coaching Certification of the Coaching Association of Canada.

In so doing, St. Hilaire, a coach with the Blue Marlins Swim Club of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has met the requirements of the International Support Programme to African and Caribbean Sport (PIAPAC). She was among participants from nine other Caribbean countries, in the certification course that started in 2022.

Funded by Olympic Solidarity, the programme comprising both theoretical and practical sessions and engaged the participants in the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD), Performance Planning, Physical Preparation, Mindfulness, Olympic Programme and Nutrition.

St. Hilaire journeyed to

Montreal, Canada, for face-to-face sessions from May 15 to June 1.

Commenting on the programme that began online, St. Hilaire said: “It was a programme that I thoroughly enjoyed… I would have learnt some new things and reinforced some stuff that I knew before.”

With the new knowledge gained, St. Hilaire plans to apply it to her immediate charges as well as others.

“Certainly, I am ready to try some of the new things to local swimmers and help build the sport here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” she indicated.

She thanked the Executive of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Swimming Federation for selecting her, as well as the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC) for facilitating her travel to Canada.

St. Hilaire has been a countries, should be equipped to produce national swimmers.

“Having completed this, they are expected to operate at a national level and to be able to work with teams at a national level, because we are looking to develop swimmers at the national level that a national coach will need,” Farmer commented.

He advised that the coaches spend a few years mastering their Level Two coaching status, before going on to the next level of certification.

“It’s always a pleasure to partner with the cricket associations in the different territories to deliver these coaching programmes,” he said, “because we see this continuous learning process as only aiding the development of our players through the pathway with the view to represent the West Indies team.” five years.

He assured that given the new technique, new ideology, new ways of doing things, it is incumbent that “we continue working on ways to improve the programme.”

Bhagoo urged the coaches to continue to coach instead of waiting on the certificate.

“Our main intention here is to see coaches going back, not so much getting the certificate, but go back to their environment, clubs, schools and help develop the players and the game.”

Before certification, participants, within the next three months, will have to submit a video of them coaching and accompanying documentation.

Among the 12 participants in the programme, was national player Stacy-Ann Adams.

She shared that she would now be able to challenge the players while allowing them to have a voice. “The biomechanics was one the terms that stood out for me and how the players implement it in their game,” Adams said.”

Afy Fletcher, Windward Islands captain and West Indies leg spinner, said. “It was very informative. As a player it will help me to better work and I now have a better idea of my approach to work with kids,’ Fletcher said.

I.B.A. ALLEN