Teachers and Prison Officers taught Table Tennis skills in Berbice

May 27, 2019 Sports

Another successful Basic Table Tennis Coaching Course was recently conducted by the National Sports Commission/Guyana Table Tennis Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture Youth and Sports.

The participants and officials take a group photo during the programme.

The 12 hours training sessions was conducted over three days at the New Amsterdam Prison Sports Club, Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam, Berbice.
The programme which involved both theoretical and practical sessions was conducted by National Table Tennis Coach, Linden Johnson. The majority of the participants were teachers drawn from both primary and secondary schools in region six.
The aims and Objectives of the programme was to-enable each of our teachers to become self-supportive by developing an infrastructure of administration, coaching and officiating with clear development plans in place, which will ensure sustainability of initiatives; create an integrated coaching structure that incorporates teacher education and player development at school, club and also at the national and international levels; create an umpiring structure that incorporates umpire education, participation and development at the school, club, national and international levels; motivates and encourage schools and players to join forces and work in partnership.
According to Johnson the programme was a bit challenging for him at first since most of the teachers were first timers. He however noted that they gradually developed an understanding of the sport and adapted well. He is hopeful that the knowledge learnt could be transcended to the students, since the main objective of the programme is to have the students benefit through the reintroduction of table tennis in schools.
He noted that the programme provided the teachers with the ability to be self-supportive and develop a coaching an administering perspective.
Each participant received table tennis rackets and six tennis balls to be used in the schools.
Johnson explained that a similar programme was already held in Region No 3.
Other courses are planned for Bartica in May, Essequibo in June, Linden in June and Georgetown later in the year. An ITTF level one course is planned before the end of this year.
The activity involved schools and Clubs from Crabwood Creek Upper Corentyne, schools from East and West Canje, New Amsterdam and East Bank Berbice.
Among those participating were St Therese’s Primary, Berbice Educational Institute, Port Mourant Sec, Canje Secondary, Central Corentyne Secondary, Berbice High School, Tagore Memorial Secondary, Tutorial Academy, Fort Ordnance Primary, Vryman’s Evans Secondary, New Amsterdam Prison Service Sport Club, Skeldon Line Path Secondary and New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary.
The participants will be presented with certificates of participation at a presentation ceremony shortly. (Samuel Whyte)