Former SVGVA president accused of wrecking sport

Alana Mc Master did not get a good send-off as she ended her term as president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Volleyball Association (SVGVA).{{more}}

Mc Master had given notice that a General Meeting would be held on Saturday, July 9, firstly at The Grenadine House, but the venue was later changed to the Girls’ High School for a 10 a.m. start.

However, with no quorum being present an hour after the scheduled start, Mc Master chose to leave the compound.

Her departure did not meet the approval of one former president of the SVGVA, Shaun Young, who told her: “You are the one who has volleyball in this state and instead of sticking around and fix it, you are walking away from it.”

When a quorum was finally achieved, sometime after 11 a.m., Young, in his capacity as a member of the National Olympic Committee, facilitated a meeting of those affiliates who were present.

Young informed affiliates that he had to step in and help facilitate the travel of the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) male Under-21 team to the North, Central and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) continental championships earlier this month in Canada.

He noted that it was overbearing seeing emails sent to Mc Master from the NORCECA authorities, which had gone unanswered; hence his intervention.

SVG’s non-participation after qualifying for the event could have resulted in sanctions and fines, as was the case with Antigua and Barbuda last year.

However, Young, who previously sat in the seat as head of the SVGVA, admitted that being a president of a national association “is not easy, as your time is no longer yours.”

Young said that president of NORCECA Cristobal Marte Hoffiz is up to date with the St Vincent and the Grenadines situation and if it means that he would have to come here “to fix it”, he will.

Ultimately, persons representing volleyball teams – Unique Touch, Alliance, Gremlins, Langley Park, Police and South Rivers Wings, voted in favour of a no-confidence motion against Mc Master and her executive.

Elected November 23, 2013 to serve a four-year term, the executive also included vice-president – Kemaul Lee; secretary – Laela Constantine, treasurer – Gary Matthias and committee members – Oris Robinson, Nikita Campbell and Nikeisha Lewis.

They have made way for an interim committee, which will serve for six months.

Heading the interim committee is Suzanna Leigertwood-Ollivierre. The others are Gary Constantine and Bretisha Spring, while Campbell and Matthias were retained from the outgoing executive.

The committee’s immediate tasks are to get an update of the activities of the association for the past two years and eight months and the state of the association’s finances, as there were no statements available for affiliates to peruse last Saturday.

Leigertwood-Ollivierre and her assistants also have the responsibility to get ready the national teams for overseas engagements later this month, next month and early September.(RT)