SVGOC facilitates rowing technical course

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Rowing Association (SVGRA) recently made use of an eight-day technical course, facilitated by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC).{{more}}

Utilizing the expertise of Osvaldo Borchi, a FISA expert/consultant of the continental region, the course took place at the Layou Roman Catholic Centre, with Jackson Bay at Layou being used for the practical sessions.

The course ran from August 21 to 28 and included some prospective local coaches, the latest cohorts of young rowers and two participants from Jamaica – Robert Scott and Otis Harvey.

Scott, the secretary of the Jamaica Rowing Federation, used the course to get certified as a level one coach. He told SEARCHLIGHT that his attendance here was to fill the void left in his country by the exit of a certified coach who is no longer with the sport.

“We had the assets, but not the formal structure of training …. By coming here we now have the formal structure,” Scott confirmed.

Looking at the course as a means of regional co-operation, Scott said that it helped to forge the linkages between his organization and the Vincentian set-up.

“We recognize that the Caribbean has a lot of talent; what we need is the opportunity, equipment and having assistance in techniques … Rowing is one of the oldest Olympic sports, but still relatively new to the Caribbean…,” Scott acknowledged.

The course saw 13 participants being engaged in theoretical sessions, which focussed on mastering the basic technical aspects of rowing and techniques in rigging the sculls.

St Vincent and the Grenadines, through representation from Kevin Gibson and Daron Shallow earlier this year, attempted to qualify for the Rio Olympics; however, they failed at the qualification exercise, staged in Chile in March.(RT)