International coaching course begins in St. Kitts
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Scotty Hanley, Dennis Knight and Lester Hanley (l-r) address participants of the IAAF Level 1 Coaching Course |
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-NEARLY 25 teachers and youth-level athletics coaches embarked upon the road to IAAF Level 1 Coaching Certification yesterday (Aug. 27) in a special course being offered over the next week.
With the recent success of Caribbean athletes at major track and field competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships, the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletics Association (SKNAAA) took the initiative to offer a coaching course that would allow homegrown athletes to be further developed.
“What clearly is special is that this training is being done locally. It is all well and good to send someone on a plane, but it is so much better when those persons can come back and give back to their peers,” Director at the Department of Sports Dave Connor said at a brief opening ceremony for the course.
The training seminar will run until September 5 and is the first of three planned courses, with the second beginning in Nevis on September 7 and the third being hosted in St. Kitts sometime in December.
The St. Kitts-Nevis National Olympic Committee (SKNOC) provided the funding for the course, and Vice-President Dennis Knight said that it “puts perspective” on how far track and field has come since he and others helped to revive the SKNAAA in the mid-70s.
He added that the goal of the course is not to “produce a champion”, but rather to build the capacity for a complete national team that would “shine sometime down the line”.
Participants for the course were also addressed by the 2nd Vice-President of the SKNAAA, Lester Hanley, who echoed Knight’s sentiments that building a team from a young age is more important than focusing on building a world champion for the next few years.
“Many of you will be introducing these kids to structured track and field for the first time…and that is important for them when they move from the junior to the senior level because then they will be prepared for competition and know how to do it properly,” he said.
During the courses, the teachers and coaches will receive training from the Department of Sports’ Craig Connor and Elroy Agard out of Barbados, both of whom are IAAF Level 1 certified lecturers.
As a final note before the crucial training began, SKNAAA Public Relations Officer Scotty Hanley asked the participants to pass on their knowledge when the course is completed so the maximum benefit could be obtained.
He also paid special thanks to the Department of Sports, the SKNOC and the Ministry of Education for making the course a reality.
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