Volleyball enjoyed encouraging resurgence

Jan 04, 2012 Sports

---

-Acquisition of TARAFLEX Floor was highlight

By Rawle Welch
After suffering from a lack of steady activity, local volleyball made an encouraging resurgence last year and with the acquisition of what could safely be described as a permanent home with the laying of a TARAFLEX Floor, at the National Gymnasium, the sport is set to take off even further next year.
The Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) has teamed up with the Ministry of Sport and the collaboration is anticipated to benefit the sport tremendously according to Federation President Lenox Shuffler, who made the disclosure during an interview recently.

Last year saw many competitions being staged, while the resuscitation of the Georgetown Volleyball Association (GVA), the continued vibrancy of the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA), all developments that fittingly described the positive movement of the sport over the past year.
Shuffler, who retained the Presidency, spoke with Kaieteur Sport recently and he said that the TARAFLEX Floor which was a gift from the International Body (FIVB) was a dream come true for him.
According to the GVF Boss, the constant battle to get the use of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall had almost taken its toll on the game indoors since it was always a case of other disciplines vying for the same venue and that was really unhelpful for the progress of the game.
“It became more and more difficult for us to plan tournaments and that in itself was a turnoff for aspiring players, while clubs found it difficult to organize tournaments due to the uncertain scheduling of other activities,” he stated.
Shuffler regarded 2011 as a revival year for volleyball in Guyana and highlighted a few developments to support his claim.
He spoke of the ascension of Gregory Rambarran to the Presidency of the BVA as a positive for the game in the County because it has seen regular activity since and it has also resulted in many old and new clubs participation in quite a few tournaments.
A female team also emerged with some of the players going on to represent Guyana at the under 19 Inter Guiana Games in Suriname.
The GVF elections were held in January last and Shuffler was re-elected unopposed as President for a third term.
Following his return, a Strategic Plan was presented and among the main areas addressed were the revival of the Demerara Association which eventually came on stream, while the Plan also attended to a similar course for the Essequibo Association. Elections were held for Demerara and Dwayne Scott was elected to serve as its President.
Volleyball in schools, community volleyball and beach volleyball were some of the activities that were given priority with the schools segment receiving a boost when the FIVB approved a four-year nationwide project that will see the game being introduced to 400 schools within a specified period.
Already 1200 balls for children have been sent for this project which started last month with two festivals played in Region 10 and 4.
According to Shuffler, fifteen schools have so far participated, linking the nationwide project with FIVB’s ‘Cool Volley’ programme, and a real winner emerged since it catered for 8-10 years old, Level one, 11-12 years old Level  two and 13 -15 years old Level three.
Shuffler said the project will now see under-16 national teams being able to feed players to the under 19 Inter Guiana teams.
Another 10 ‘Cool Volley’ Festivals are planned for this year and it is anticipated that over 100 schools from Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo will participate in the programme.
Also, last year saw a FIVB Teachers Course conducted in September by FIVB’s International Instructor Holz Bodleander from Chile where 26 of 31 participants received certificates.
The Castrol/Tradewinds Tankers “True Champions” Annual Tournament started Sept and once again it showcased the potential of the players resident here which observers felt if properly harnessed could see Guyana rapidly develop into a country that could compete with success on the international stage.
During the period that matches were played before it had to be halted due to the unavailability of venue, Young Achievers confirmed why they are the leading club in Guyana by topping the table.
The Inter-Guiana Games which were held in Suriname saw the Male under 19 team ending second after some tight matches, while the Female Under 19 gained third spot, going down to French Guiana in a hard fought battle for second and third places.
Female volleyball made a remarkable return with teams now located in Berbice and Demerara, while the potential is rich in Region 9 and some other outlying areas and this according to Shuffler will be among the GVF’s many targets for this year.
Young Achievers toured Suriname in December to play in an Inter-Guianas Club Tournament sponsored by Lyzecks of Suriname and they won the tournament by beating
Yellico of Suriname 2 -1 in the final.
In summing up the year, Shuffler disclosed that the greatest achievement for 2011 was getting a world class Taraflex floor from Gerflor as a donation from FIVB with approval from CSV.
He added that after years of effort to get a proper facility to play top quality volleyball, the floor with the help from the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony was received duty free and subsequent approval was given for it to be placed at the National Gymnasium which has already begun to benefit not only volleyball, but other disciplines as well.

---

---