Visiting coaches give SVGSF high grade for swim meet

The executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Swimming Federation (SVGSF) and all those who played a part in the staging of the 26th OECS Swimming Championships, held here from November 10 to 13, have come in for high praise from three of the visiting coaches.{{more}}

Given it was this country’s first time hosting the championships, the common view expressed was that the organizers gained a very high grade for their execution.

In the opinion of Terrell Bruno of the Antigua and Barbuda team: “The meet itself was like clockwork, with little delays…. Kudos to the organizers, a great effort… They would have put in a lot of work to host a championship like this…. Nothing would be perfect, but we had no complaints.”

Bruno welcomed the fact that St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has joined the sub-regional list of countries being able to host such championships.

“It was good that other islands are getting a chance to host,” he said.

Expressing similar sentiments was coach of the St Lucia team, Andy Edward.

“The meet was well run…. It was well organized; the only thing was the weather…. We were always looking forward to you guys (SVG) to one day be able to host the meet and it has been a great effort,” Edward commented.

However, the speed at which the events were staged, Edward cited as a slight drawback of the meet.

“It was a little too fast for some of the swimmers…. We needed to give some of them a little more time,” Edward stated.

And, Grenada’s head coach Carlton Simon, was equally praiseworthy of the local organizers.

“All yo’ (SVG) have done a fantastic job, the place was well organized, the warm-down pool as well was well organized… It was nice; it was well prepared… I will vote again for St Vincent [and the Grenadines] to host again,” Simon said.

Simon was complimentary of the efforts of the swimming authorities, the Government and other stakeholders, who, over time, transformed the Shrewsbury facility into what it is today.

Simon said he believed that hosting the meet can be a fillip for the sport here.

“Everybody can see how important [the meet] is and how much revenue it brings into the country,” he explained.

The pool activities were held November 10 to 12 at the Shrewsbury Aquatic Centre, while the open water races took place at Villa Bay on the morning of November 13.

The championship was the largest in terms of participation, with the entry of Martinique for the first time, while St Maarten and Sint Martin, were guests.

The other participating teams were Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, the British Virgin Islands and host St Vincent and the Grenadines. The 2017 championships are set for Martinique.(RT)