The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN their bid to provide an opportunity for more coaches to get exposure to coaching in all areas of the sport, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Coaches (BAAC) is hosting a three-day throwers’ clinic under the supervision of American coach Greg Jack.

Despite the inclement weather, the session got started in a classroom format yesterday, but BAAC president Corrington Maycock is hoping that the weather will clear up for their outdoor session today at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

On Saturday, the clinic will conclude with a weight training session at the Empire Fitness Center before the local coaches participating will have a practical session at Queen’s College where they will get to demonstrate what they’ve learned with some of the local throwers, especially those in the Blue Chips Athletic Club programme.

“The purpose of this clinic is to educate as many coaches as possible in every discipline,” Maycock said.

“This is just one of the series that we want to implement going into next year and hopefully we can take these clinics up to level two, three, four and five.”

Maycock said eventually they want to get coaches to sit the World Athletics or the United States Track and Field Coaches courses to earn their international certifications.

At yesterday’s session, at least two local coaches indicated that they were thrilled with the information that coach Jack imparted to them.

Sydline Justilien, a physical education teacher and coach for the Lions at HO Nash Junior High School, said the session has been quite informative for her.

“I know that we are more dominant with the track events and not the field, so this is a good opportunity to get some information that I can provide some more knowledge for my students with the shot put, discus and javelin.”

Justilien said with the knowledge, she can help them to apply it as they prepare for the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s track and field championship next year.

Ann Bullard, now assigned to CC Sweeting High School where she’s grooming the once dominant Cobras’ programme, said she liked the way that coach Jack was able to break down the concepts of the throwing events.

“He’s made it so easier for us to impart the knowledge to our athletes,” she pointed out. “It’s so important for us to get as much knowledge as possible so we can make it better for our programme to improve.”

Having spent some time coaching on the Family Islands, Bullard said the challenge is greater here in New Providence because the student-athletes are easier distracted than those on the islands.

“On the Family Islands, we also have to struggle in providing the equipment to train the athletes, but there is a bigger crowd,” she said.

“Here in Nassau, the crowd is bigger to select from, but it’s harder to get the student-athletes to come out and participate. “I think based on what I’ve heard from coach Jack so far, I can better encourage more of the student-athletes to come out and participate in the throwing events, rather than just focusing on the track events.”

Coach Jack, a multiple thrower who attended Florida State, started coaching at the University of Pittsburgh for two years before he moved to Virginia Tech where he stayed for 17 years.

He then ventured in track and field consultancy where he’s travelling around helping universities, coaches and coaches with their throwing programme.

Since he first came here to do some recruitment, coach Jack said he met Maycock through his Blue Chips Athletics and he fell in love with two of his standouts Keyshawn Strachan and Rhema Otabor.

“We stayed in touch and he told me that he wanted me to come back and get this thing going,” coach Jack said.

“We have different levels of coaches here and that will only snowball because they are all eager to learn.”

Once this session is over, coach Jack said he would love to return in the future and continue to work with the local coaches to follow up how they have been able to apply the knowledge shared with their athletes.

Maycock said he’s excited to have coach Jack in town and he’s certain that he will be able to impart a lot of knowledge to the local coaches during the sessions.