New GASA President Goodridge calls for support as he aims to expand the sport

Jan 23, 2020 Sports

By Zaheer Mohamed

Newly elected President of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Brian Goodridge is calling on support from the business community as he aims to take the sport to another level.

The newly elected body of GASA and the NSC will be looking to expand their annual swimming camps.

Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Goodridge who was elected to the post last September said there are lots of areas in the sport that need much emphasis.
One such area is to expand the pool of swimmers whereas more emphasis can be placed on camps. “We would like to give more support to the children in Linden and other areas so that the sport can expand, but this is proving to be very difficult due to the financial constraints, so I am calling on the business community to lend support so we can render assistance to the swimmers in these areas,” he posited.
Goodridge indicated that they are also hoping to have the support of the parents so that they can host fund raising activities. “We are working towards paying off our debts so we can give the children more exposure which will help them to develop.”
He explained that they are working to have a better financial reporting and filing system in place. “To date we have trained three members of the team to utilise the financial tool QuickBooks, compliments of PPDI and Zamcorp”.
Goodridge added that they want to re-introduce water polo at the club level and to have a timing system for the swimming pool at the National Aquatic Centre.
“We have had the support of the National Sports Commission for the utilisation of the facility for our office, so we are happy for this.”
While the GASA have their annual tournaments, the NSC usually hosts camps for the young and aspiring swimmers during the school vacation and the President stated that they are working to expand on these camps as well.
Currently, the GASA are working on putting together a team for the Carifta games which is set for April and the President feels that with the help from the Government and business sector, more talent can be unearthed.
He expressed gratitude to the clubs and for electing him in office and urged his fellow executive to work collectively for the growth of swimming.
The other executive members are: Elke Rodrigues- Vice President Admin., Shefetah Tzedeq Vice President Technical, Yelema Phillips Secretary, Valmikki Singh Treasurer, Renee Charles Assistant Secretary Treasurer.