IT- DAT Academy completes six- week camp

All good things must come to an end, and certainly that was the case with the 2023 July/ August edition of the IT- DAT Academy Athletics Camp.

For six weeks, spanning July 17 to August 25, 81 participants got an opportunity to improve their track and field abilities, communication and inter-personal skills, as well as other developmental attributes.

President and Director of the IT-DAT Academy Michael “Lord Have Mercy” Ollivierre, reflecting on the camp, declared that the sessions overall were worth the time, effort and investments.

“Overall, I am pleased with what took place… Special commendations must go to Ms Sorenya Miller, who took charge in my absence, as I attended to some personal issues,” Ollivierre said.

He also lauded the input of Jamaican Kanhai Senior, who worked with athletes in the area of the Hurdles.

“He spent four weeks with us… He was very impressive in the Hurdles and the Jumps,” Ollivierre confirmed.

Ollivierre was also thankful for the financial contribution made by the Executive of Team Athletics

SVG towards the realization of the camp, noting that it was necessary to defray some of the expenses incurred.

Buoyed by the camp, Ollivierrre believes that “some decent” athletes are in the making, based on the athletes’ tenacity and interest of parents.

Zooming in on the specifics, Ollivierre commented, “We focused a lot on techniques and getting the basic techniques in order as these are important to the athletes’ development in the sport.”

Noting that camp was not all about track and field, but the social development of the attendees,

Ollivierre disclosed, “We had guest speakers on various topics…We played games…We had Tug -O –

War and what people look forward to most, the Talent Show which was very successful this year

…We also took some of the kids to the Diamond Track Facility to see what goes on there”.

Looking beyond his camp, Ollivierre wants the other coaches to use the camps to work on specifics.

“Most of the camps are two weeks, which I think is not enough, as a matter a fact I think that the camps should focus on some specifics, because we are deficient in some areas and the camps should be used to address and correct these deficiencies,” Ollivierre advanced.