Region’s 9 Stephen making waves in the Pool

Dec 02, 2018 Sports

By Sean Devers

Region nine swimmer Coleen Stephen grew up in the village of Kardarnaua and started swimming competitively at the age of 10 and this year was her sixth year at the just concluded Nationals Swimming Championships held at the National Aquatic Centre on the East Coast of Demerara.

Coleen Stephen collects her Gold Medal.

Like most persons from the Hinterland she began swimming even before she could walk like a duck takes to water. Coleen, who turned 16 in September, made her first trip to Nationals was in 2011 and since then has captured 15 medals.
In the 2018 events Coleen won 3 silver, 2 bronze and Golds in the 50 meters and 100 meters in the backstroke events.
This was the first time in her six years of competition that she had secured Gold Medals, making this year her most successful Nationals.
Quado Vancooten who was appointed Swimming coach for the Region 9 team for the first time this year, says, Coleen is very talented but like the other hinterland swimmers, lacks the luxury of proper training facilities which has caused her development in the Pool not to be at the level that it should.
“My biggest challenge as Coach is getting the swimmers to have actual pool experience to practice and that is something that is where Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sports Dr George Norton can help fix that problem for the swimmers, especially those in the indigenous Communities,” lamented Vancooten.
According to Coach Vancooten, his team, which stayed at the National Gymnasium, arrived in the City just two days before the Championships commenced.

Coach Fraser allowed the Region 9 swimmers use of the pool for practice.

“We are thankful that Coach Stephanie Fraser who was able to help us to get the pool for about an hour to get the techniques right since the biggest disappointment is the lack of a pool presently in the entire Region 9,” said Coach Vancooten.
Vancooten added that he wants to see the Region 9 swimmers not only win races but hopefully in the not too distant future start winning the entire thing. North Georgetown will continue to dominate since they have access to not only the Pool at the Aquatic Centre but several other pools in the City.

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