19 to boost skills under Youth Podium project

by DWAYNE GIBBS

dwaynegibbs@nationnews.com

NINETEEN BARBADIAN athletes from within the sporting disciplines of athletics, judo, wrestling and tennis will have a life-changing opportunity to have their skills honed and developed through the Youth Project Podium Initiative.

The effort, which is a collaboration between the Amarone Charitable Trust, the Barbados Sports Medicine Association and the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) will be working with the athletes between the ages of 16 and 23 with funding provided by the Amarone Charitable Trust and Panam Sport.

The chosen athletes are Keiron Haynes, Justin Forde, Dario Gaskin, Amari Knight, Amani Mascoll-Beckles, Nikolai Clarke, Jahkye Brewster, Tylan Mayers, Mathieu Clarke, Teon Haynes, Tia Applewhaite and Aniya Nurse.

Judo’s sole representative is Asondre Alleyne, with Aidan Clarke and Nadja Gooding representing tennis. The four athletes in the sport of wrestling are Rebecca Williams, Zachary Small, Jaydon Alleyne and Adrian Maynard.

Senior Operations Officer of the BOA, Kendia Brathwaite was beaming with excitement last Friday as she spoke to invited guests, athletes and members of the media about what can be expected from the project which she conceptualised and will be operating as the project lead.

“This initiative is a transformative one, and I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead. Now the BOA Youth Project Podium Initiative is not just another programme, but is a launching pad for greatness and success for our athletes and for the organisation. This programme will require intentional and targeted investment for both body and mind.”

“Due to it being holistic in its approach, the athletes have already begun to be assessed by sports medicine doctors, nutritionists, strength and conditioning professionals, podiatrists, physiotherapists and psychologists,” said Brathwaite.

Over the next 12 months, the athletes will continue to work with the aforementioned professionals to ensure they will be prepared to give optimum performances in their respective disciplines with readily available feedback given through the collection of performance data.

Baseline assessments will include body composition, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and movement screening.

Brathwaite added that although it is a pilot project, the intention is to have it developed from strength to strength where more athletes and disciplines can be eventually included.

The National Olympic Academy will also be taking part in the initiative with the purpose of assisting the athletes with communication skills for media preparedness along with sessions on public speaking and education on how best to utilise social media.

Dr Adrian Lorde, treasurer of the Barbados Sports Medicine Association said that based on what he has seen so far, the project is expected to be a huge success.

“We’ve been able to identify and rectify various problems the athletes have which is important at these early stages because it will help them to compete effectively. Most assessments have already been done and the recommendations are being discussed as we meet on a frequent basis.

“In the past, it has been a problem where there was a lack of access to sports medicine, nutritionists and strength and conditioning professionals has hindered athletes. We are going to ensure we work along with the respective athletes’ coaches as the aim is not to take over their programmes, but to share our findings with them to discuss the best way forward,’’ Lorde said.

From left back row: Aidan Clarke, Amani Mascoll-Beckles, Justin Forde, Tylan Mayers, Adrian Maynard. From left front row: Mattheiu Clarke, Dario Gaskin, Rebecca Williams, Zachary Small and Jayson

Alleyne. (GP)