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GASA enjoys another good year despite challenges
Access to facilities and lack of pool time hampers progress
The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) recorded another good year (2008) despite the many challenges faced, the major challenge being the continued lack of pool time.
Dr. Karen Pilgrim
“Our young swimmers overcame the odds to improve their times and to get medals at the Carifta Swimming Championships and ASATT Invitational. Our greatest disappointment was the lack of progress in the construction of the fifty-metre (50m) pool. Until we have such a facility available for training and competition our swimmers will continue to be at a great disadvantage in international competitions. On a scale of one to ten, I would give GASA an eight (8) for 2008.”
The Association held a number of local meets while participating in various overseas competitions, one of the high points would have been the hosting of the 14th Goodwill Swimming Championships from August 15 – 17 at the Castellani Pool. In attendance were teams from Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname for a combined total of 148 swimmers.
Suriname ended as champions with a total of 1507 ahead of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname in that order. Guyana fielded its largest team ever with a total of 30 swimmers of a maximum of 40. The final medal count for Team Guyana was two (2) Gold, six (6) Silver and twenty-one (21) bronze medals.
Jessica Stephenson
Dr. Pilgrim noted that the major administrative task for them was the raising of funds to cover the over twelve million dollar ($12M) Goodwill budget.
International Competitions
Carifta
The XXII Carifta Swimming and Synchronised Swimming Championships were held in Aruba from March 26 – 31 and for financial reasons, GASA initially made a decision not to participate, but this changed when Mrs. Davina Stephenson approached the Trinidad & Tobago team for inclusion of Team Guyana on their chartered flight.
Additionally Jessica Stephenson’s coach, Franz Huggins, indicated his willingness to function as Tour Coach for the Guyana team. Mrs. Stephenson functioned as Team Manager.
Niall Roberts
The team comprised Niall Roberts, Ronaldo Rodrigues, Linden Wickham and Jessica Stephenson and this group achieved the best results that Guyana has ever produced at this competition. Jessica Stephenson won Guyana’s first Carifta Medals; Gold in the 200m Breaststroke and Bronze in the 100m Breaststroke. The major sponsors were Scotiabank, Digicel and Cara Lodge.
Funds were also raised through other efforts which included a Swim-A-Thon and Breakfast and a Raffle.
Olympic Games
As no swimmer attained the Olympic qualifying times, FINA selected Niall Roberts based on his performance at the 2007 Melbourne World Championships; also dictating his participation in the 50m Freestyle only.
Roberts was trained by Coach Sean Baksh and traveled to Beijing with Coach Stephanie Fraser. He entered with a seed time of 25.37 seconds (attained at Carifta) and, despite a bad start finished seventh in his heat with a time of 25.13, ending up at 69th of 97 swimmers.
Inter-Guiana Games
The first segment of the Inter-Guiana Games was held in Suriname from May 1 – 5. Kristyl Robinson, Noelle Smith, Tiffany Nedd, Ashley Layne, Steffi De Nobrega, Jamaal Sobers, Earlando McRae, Stephen Soares, Alan Lowe, Henk Lowe and Niall Roberts attended. Unfortunately Niall was severely stung by ants during the in-bound journey and could not compete except on the final relay. This loss, combined with the unavailability of Jessica Stephenson (also due to injury) deprived Team Guyana of the best-ever opportunity to climb from third place. The final team scores were: Suriname 232, French Guiana 197 and Guyana 127. The team brought home four (4) Gold, two (2) Silver and eight (8) Bronze medals.
Noelle Smith
Local Competitions
Due to restrictions imposed for “security reasons” in February 2007, most of the local competitions were held at the Colgrain Pool, Camp Street, which is a twenty-five yard (25 yd) pool.
The uses of this facility according to GASA, worsens the disadvantages faced by swimmers when they have to compete at the regional and international levels. Apart from the “muscle memory” issues which make the transition from short-course to long-course pools difficult, only times attained in twenty five (25) or fifty (50) metre pools can be used for seeding in international competitions.
Inter-club meets
Since the decision was taken, in 2006, to have clubs improve their meet management capabilities by hosting competitions, 2008 was the first year that all clubs took up the challenge.
Linden Wickham
The meets provided an opportunity for all levels of swimmers to compete and to contribute to their club’s overall score.
Silver Shark Aquatic Swim Club won two (2) of five (5) meets and can be considered the 2008 inter-club champions.
Other meets held during the year under review were for Mashramani (March 15 – 16),
Independence (May 24 – 25), Goodwill Time Trials (July 25 – 27) which saw a total of sixty eight (68) athletes participating in 112 events. Ten (10) of the swimmers achieved the Goodwill Qualifying Times; only Linden Wickham achieving “A” times. Six (6) National Records were set by four (4) swimmers.
Nationals were held November 6 – 9 at the Castellani Pool. The level of participation from the previous year was almost doubled, one hundred and thirty (130) competitors participating in one hundred and sixty (160) events.
A total of twenty-four (24) new records were set by eleven (11) swimmers. Ronaldo Rodrigues was outstanding achieving six new records. Noelle Smith, Niall Roberts, Accalia Khan and Telena Smith all got 3 each.
On the administrative end, a number of seminars and courses were hosted. GASA’s international body – Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) provides funding for each Federation to hold an annual training course.
2008 was the third consecutive year that GASA was able to access this funding. An Intermediate Level Coaching Clinic was held from February 29 – March 9 with Mr. Gerd Nottelmann, of Germany, a former competitive swimmer and a coach with over thirty (30) years of experience, as the lecturer.
Swim-A-Thon
For the first time in many years, GASA held a fund-raising Swim-A-Thon. The fun-filled event was held at the Colgrain Pool on February 10 and 46 swimmers participated, swimming a total of three thousand and forty eight (3,048) lengths, equaling seventy six thousand two hundred (76,200) yards or forty three point three (43.3) miles. Niall Roberts was the only swimmer to complete the maximum of two hundred (200) lengths.
Pool Project
GASA was excited to learn of the Government’s intention to build an Olympic size Pool but according to Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, the project had to be halted since the initial budget did not cater for the driving of piles.
More monies he said would have to be procured before the start of construction and as it stands, no one knows when this project will really get started. So in the meantime, it would have to be business as usual at Colgrain Pool, Camp Street.
GASA is extending thanks the Ministry of Culture Youth & Sport for allowing them access to the Colgrain Pool, especially for competitions throughout the year.
Gratitude is also extended to the Guyana Olympic Association for the uses of the Michael Parris Gym for dry-land training and Olympic House for their monthly Council meetings.
Special thanks is extended to the Office of the President for support and use of the Castellani Pool for the Goodwill Swimming Championships.
Meanwhile, GASA’s Annual Awards Ceremony, for the 2008 age-group champions, will be held sometime during this month.
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