Coach of the four-year-old Mercury Athletics Club Christopher Gaskin travelled to Argentina on Wednesday morning to participate in a coaching course on Youth Athletics starting today.
Gaskin told Stabroek Sport that the Athletics Association of Guyana selected him to attend the seven-day event. Having already having received accreditation as a qualified level one track and field coach in 1994, Gaskin said he expects the session to allow him to boost and broaden his knowledge particularly in terms of developing athletes.
He said he is looking forward to sharing this knowledge with the Association and other clubs on his return and that he hopes the session would eventually bring long-term benefits to the sport.
Gaskin also said he will be attending the session preceding his club’s performance in Suriname’s National Junior Championships set for August 28-29 and the senior equivalent that will be hosted on September 4 and 5.
He said too after the team’s performance at the Hampton Games in Trinidad and Tobago in early July, Suriname coach Fred Lobman invited it to participate in their junior championships.
According to Gaskin he hopes to send a 20-man team to the event. The team has already started fundraising in order to finance their expenses, however; he is hopeful that corporate Guyana would come on board and support its efforts. The team is expected to include Adam Roberts who placed second in the under-17 800m and 1500m at the Hampton Games, Mattica McAllister who took a bronze in the under-20 100m and Andre Denny who performed in the 100m and 200m races in the under-20 category. Andrew Jarvis, who specializes in the 100m, 200m, 400m and the long jump, is expected to join McAllister and Denny in the under-20 category.
Meanwhile, Mariska Corbin, Mowava Mason and Mariah Corbin are also expected to compete in the under-15 category. In the open category Sigmund Daniels who specializes in sprint events, is expected to display his talents.
