Swim head wants more poor people in the sport

Newly elected President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Swimming Association (SVGASA) Stephen Joachim wants to see more poor people get involved in the sport.{{more}}

Joachim, in outlining his plans for the 2013- 2014 term, told SEARCHLIGHT on Saturday at Paradise Inn Hotel, following the association’s annual meeting, that it is critical to get people with natural abilities in swimming in the sport.

“… We want to focus on grass root swimming and talent identification … We have a lot of young people and you hear people say that we have the most coastline around, so we need to find more young people involved … When you get poor people to swim, they cannot afford to pay the coaches,” Joachim said.

“One of the things with swimming, you cannot start swimming when you are 15 and 16; you really need to start when you are 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years old,” Joachim said.

And, Joachim plans to seek help from the National Lotteries Authority in funding the programme, as well as from the Government in accessing a certified coach from Cuba to aid in the training of local coaches and assisting in the schools’ outreach efforts, being undertaken by the SVGASA.

He said that the initiative with the Girls’ High School, undertaken every Wednesday at the Shrewsbury pool facility at Ratho Mill, has taken off beyond their expectation, which means the sport is reaching more persons.

The SVGASA president also identified getting the organisation on a sound financial footing.

“One of the biggest part of my job is to raise funds and we can raise funds,” he said.

But in doing so, Joachim revealed that certain approaches have to be addressed.

“There are several things we have not been good with in the past … We need to have a better relationship with the National Olympic Committee … We need to do better when approaching sponsors … It is not about going to people and demanding money. It is about what do we give you back in return,” Joachim commented.

Joachim also identified the need to have better facilities for the sport and getting students to obtain scholarships to US colleges and universities.

“There is a lot of natural athletic talent here and it is a shame that we have not invested more … Hopefully one day we will understand that athletics is an integral part of an education … There is a lot of scholarships available in the United States for swimmers … It is athletics first and swimming after. Basketball is a lot harder to get scholarships,” Joachim stated.

An upbeat Joachim expressed optimism in getting the job done during his tenure, but added that he would resign if he does not make a positive impression on the sport, especially in the area of fund-raising. (RT)