Linden’s Torpedo Swim Club Coach Chung-Phillips calls for corporate backing

Mar 02, 2018 Sports

By Zaheer Mohamed

Mary Chung-Phillips (right) and Dedria Thom Secretary/Treasurer of the Torpedo Swim Club.

Mary Chung-Phillips, Coach of the Torpedo Swim Club which is based in Linden said there is a need corporate support as she aims to take the sport to another level in the Bauxite Mining Town.
The club was founded in May 2017 and became affiliated to the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) in August the said year, currently has 33 members including eight females. These swimmers are being taken through the paces three times per week at the Watooka Swimming Pool from 15:00hrs to 17:00hrs under the guidance of Chung-Phillips and Crystal Thom.
Speaking with Kaieteur Sport at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara on Wednesday night, Chung-Phillips said that despite the challenges being encountered, she is confident that the athletes can do their country proud, but support is needed.
She added that the response from the business sector has not been good and this is a challenge for the athletes since funds are needed to cover travelling, meals and training equipment.
“Every time we journey to the city we have to provide accommodation so this puts us at a disadvantage however, things could be better providing we get support from the business sector and Government”, she added.
Chung-Phillips stated that the Watooka Pool is only 20 yards long and there is also limited equipment. These factors she posited, hampers the swimmers at training sessions.
“The swimmers find it difficult to finish a 50-meter in competition because of the size of pool in which they currently train so I have to devise various strategies to help them improve,” she pointed out.
The experienced coach said that there is a private pool in Linden but this is costly for the swimmers and they would like to see the Mackenzie Sports Club Pool which is the correct size being rehabilitated soonest since the swimmers have shown keen interest in the sport.
“We received $30,000 from the Mayor and Town Council to assist us with affiliation for GASA; we usually host fund raising activities to assist the swimmers who have the talent but these challenges somewhat hamper their development.”
The Coach informed that they are planning a swim event for March 11 and are looking forward to sharpen their skills in coaching so they can further enhance the swimmers ability.
She opined that some businesses can help to fund some of the swimmers and strongly feels that once support is given, they can produce swimmers who can do their country proud at high level meets.
Chung-Phillips first represented Guyana at the 1976 Inter Guiana Games in Suriname and copped silver in the 4×50 individual medley relay. She was also part of the relay team that took gold.
In 1980 she was the most outstanding female swimmer at the Caribbean Championships in Trinidad and Tobago. She also took part in races in the Essequibo River where she was the only female out of 21 athletes that swam from Parika to Leguan. She also took part in races in the Demerara River at a tender age.