Chief Coach of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Elton Smith said there was no significant development in athletics locally during 2007, and despite the lack of facilities local athletes must share some of the blame for the lack of progress.
“Despite the many disadvantages that we face locally in terms of not having a synthetic track and other training necessities, most of the competent athletes are still not utilizing the current facilities to their advantage,” he declared.
Smith was referring specifically to the use of the Michael Parris Gymnasium in the National Park in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport.
He explained: “Athletes have the special privilege of free use of the Michael Parris Gym in the National Park, but instead of maximizing this privilege, some athletes cry out that the weights are too heavy for them.”
Smith suggests that the athletes probably do not realize the importance and benefits of weight training.
Another bugbear is the lack of discipline shown by the athletes, as some of them failed to turn up on time for their training sessions on a regular basis.
He finds it very ironic that the gifted athletes were often the ones complaining about the hard work while the less talented were the ones who worked the hardest.
Smith said that in order to achieve success the athletes must be fully committed to the sport over a continuous period.
He also contend ed that parents must support the work of the coaches and there should be a system in the schools to help aspiring athletes.
Finally, he said, there must be more support from the government and the business sector. Smith also noted that often parents have pulled competent athletes away from the sport because they were afraid that it would affect them academically.
However, he argued that when the two were successfully combined they produced the most disciplined and complete individuals who would enjoy the benefits of healthy lifestyles.
He also pointed to the need for an active sports-oriented curriculum in schools so that other persons with an interest in the administrative aspect of sport can follow that trail.
“With that said, there still needs to be sufficient funding for athletes who have demonstrated their competence to compete abroad. Many athletes have hung up their running shoes after experiencing disappointment with the association not funding them to compete overseas,” Smith stated.
He called on the AAG to focus on marketing the sport more in order to attract involvement from not only the business sector but from the government since much of its development is hindered by financial inadequacies.
Smith said that although the AAG was the governing body for track and field in the country, there was much need for governmental involvement.
General Secretary of the AAG Cornell Rose said he supported the idea of being able to generate funds, adding that the association needed to be more proactive in its marketing and should strive to work along with coaches to acquire sponsorship for developing athletes.
Smith acknowledged that young athletes were affected greatly by coaches who do not have any certification and added that the effects are becoming more noticeable through the overall performance and conduct of the athletes.
“My perception is that all these problems that are faced in athletics can be eliminated and a positive image can be generated, but one of the most important variables is support from the government and other investors, both financially and in terms of promoting the sports more, and one way that they can achieve this is by fulfilling the promise of providing a synthetic track as promised in their manifesto,” he concluded.
