SVG track and field sitting on gold mine – Phillip

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), given the existing track and field talents, is “sitting on a gold mine.”

Expressing this view is Grenadian field events coach Paul Phillip, who concluded a 10-day visit here last Thursday, on the invitation of Team Athletics SVG, the local governing body for the sport.{{more}}

Phillip, who was here on his second visit to SVG in three months, opined to SEARCHLIGHT, “It is a bright future in the field events here.”

Noted for identifying field athletes in his native Grenada, Phillip observed that Vincentians have the natural physical attributes needed for the throw events.

“I stood up in town a few days ago and just looking at people passing…. One of the things that stood out, you have so many strong people…. It’s the hills, the hard work in the agriculture sector and that is a foundation which you can build on,” Phillip cited.

“The throws require certain base strengths and all you need is to impart proper knowledge and guidance for techniques and refine the strengths to be more specific in conditioning those athletes towards whatever event you have,” Phillip added.

Phillip has identified two athletes – Girls’ High School student Krystal Foster and Andre Spencer, a student of the Intermediate High School and a member of the IT–DAT Academy, as the greatest prospects at the annual junior Carifta Games.

“I have seen two outstanding talents (Foster and Spencer) … If guided right, they will be on the final list for Carifta,, even as early as next year…. If you continue to work with them, you will get medals from both before the age of 20, and for Krystal she could have multiple medals, because she is still pretty young,” Phillip projected.

Continuing his projections, Phillip said, “The future looks good and there are many little ones not too far behind…. They are small, but (they) are people who you can look for in the next five or six years.”

Phillip, who, in February 2014, made the first of his three visits here on the same assignment, noted that there are some good signs for him.

“I have not seen many new faces, but what I have seen, the numbers may have looked small, but it is the best of the best …It is the third time and it is the same faces that I am seeing … It means that they love what they are doing … They have the same vision that the administration has … I encourage them (the athletes) to continue, [be]cause I am seeing progress,” Phillip noted.

“I am seeing the people have been actually working on what I have imparted on my second visit. What I have been able to do on this visit is just advance them, giving them more tools to work on in my absence,” Phillip stated with a smile.

Phillip is an International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) level three certified field coach.

He is the founder of the St David’s Track Blazers in his homeland Grenada.

With him at the helm, that club has won the Grenada National Championships for eight successive years of its 10-year existence.

Also, Phillip has assisted the St David’s Catholic Secondary School to 16 titles at the Intercollegiate Games in the Girls Division and more than five top finishes in the Boys Division.

Phillip has backing with a number of successes, thanks to his expertise.

Among Phillip’s stock taking of medals are Shamir Thomas, who has the most medals at Carifta for an individual; Keron Francis who has four Carifta gold medals in the javelin and combined events and Anderson Peter, who has the most gold medals in a single event – the javelin throw.

In 2014, Phillip was the field coach of the Grenada team at the Carifta Games in Martinique, and guided his charges to four medals, all in the field events.