We must celebrate achievement of George Bovell

THE EDITOR: Trinidad and Tobago must celebrate the achievement of George Bovell. We are lucky to have had this son born right here. The swimming fraternity must be thinking that their hard work has now started paying dividends. It is important, however, that a close examination be done of the administration of this sport in order to determine our exact position relative to the world. We will eventually have to ask ourselves difficult questions, such as how does a country produce an excellent athlete without world-class facilities?  I must admit that national swim coach Anil Roberts has, on more than one occasion, been leading the charge for acquisition of better facilities such as 50- metre pools and where these should be located. I note as well that he contends that these additional 50M pools should be in North Trinidad (West and possibly East).

We must, however carefully assess our needs before diving head first in that direction. The construction of new swim facilities is a long-term endeavour and cannot reasonably bear fruit within the next ten years at least. One only has to look at the football stadia that were constructed for the Junior World Cup some time ago. For one thing, sport personalities such as Larry Gomes, Ato Boldon will have their names known forever. Any observer will contend, however, that TT is yet to benefit significantly from these modern facilities. Maybe in time this will be. Are there any new systems that we can implement at this stage that will result in improved performances of our swimmers right now?  The Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago is now embarking on projects that can result in improved performances. These include the hosting of Coaches Training Sessions conducted by a FINA (The world body for swimming) recognised Instructor. This is albeit too little and too slow. One or two sessions annually is just not good enough. How is it that our swimmers will develop if the governing body in TT does not have the technical back-up such as electronic touch pads, underwater video cameras and other similar paraphernalia that our swimmers can benefit from. To add to this confusion, there is the situation where parents frequently “time” their own children in swim meets where national teams are to be selected. How unsavoury a situation, especially when compounded by the timer openly urging his or her child or children even as the event is in progress. Even worse is the fact that a parent can time his or her child or children for more that one event on the same day at the same meet for the same national selection to the detriment of other deserving and even superior swimmers.

A close look at cricket and football reveals that significant attention is paid to these sports at the school level. This is the real breeding ground for the future stars in both these sporting disciplines. What is happening with swimming?  Not because the last attempt at a schools league failed miserably should the idea be scrapped. It may be contended that schools swimming cannot co-exist with club swimming. This is not true as there has been more support for schools swimming than any other swim meet, barring meets to select national teams over the last two years. It is apparent that the inefficiencies that exist at these meets have resulted in the demise of the meets involving schools. This is a grand opportunity for ASATT to improve. There is a perception too that not all swim clubs in Trinidad and Tobago really operate in as transparent a manner as other sports clubs. The structure of some swim clubs does not allow for election of officers, selection of swimmers to represent the club, open discussion on issues involving swimmers and swim teams. In fact, the management and decision-making in some cases resemble some clandestine back room or boardroom situation. The open infighting that takes place between senior coaches at swim meets (La Joya in 2002 and Flying Fish in 2003) does not help the situation any. This does not augur well for a sport that Trinidad and Tobago featured in prominently this week. The strength of swimming does not lie in George Bovell III. He is the shining star of Swimming in TT. The strength of swimming lies with the other swimmers such as Nicholas, Sharntelle, Aeisha, and others. How well they perform is a reflection of where our swimming really is. How well our swimmers performed in Mexico and Jamaica this year in addition to Barcelona is a reflection of how successful our swimming is.

GANESH NARINE