Garth De Shong wins TASVG’s ‘coach of the year’ accolade

Garth De Shong left Frenches House last Saturday afternoon satisfied that some of his hard work is beginning to pay off by way of recognition.{{more}}

His reward was the bestowing on him of the Coach of the Year accolade, when Team Athletics SVG staged its 2013 awards and recognition ceremony. Having felt that he has been overshadowed by the more established coaches, De Shong thought it was just reward for the efforts he has been putting in over the years.

“This came as a total surprise to me… It is not about me, it is about them (the athletes),” he observed following the ceremony.

Known more for his football coaching with previously – Strike Force and most recently Stingers, De Shong steadily rose to the limelight as his main charges, the Boyde twins – Reberto and Reuberth began to attain national prominence.

During 2013, the twins excelled at the Bishop’s College track and field meet, the Inter-Secondary Schools Championships, the Windward Islands Schools’ Games, the Trinidad and Tobago Junior Championships and the World Championships.

But it was the latter and the most prestigious which elevated De Shong’s acumen.

At the World Youth Championships in the Ukraine, Reberto reached the semi-finals of both the 100m and 200m, while Reuberth got to the semi-finals of the 200m.

Their performances were the best showing for St Vincent and the Grenadines to date, which tracks back to 1999.

De Shong’s soaring interest in track and field saw Team Athletics SVG facilitating his travel to pursue a Level Three track and field coach course in Puerto Rico in August. (RT)