A number of persons, who have shown themselves to be competent and influential leaders in athletic sports in Anguilla, have been attending a five-day Level One workshop on the island this week.
The Technical Officials Education & Certification System Level One workshop opened at the Anguilla Commonwealth Games Association’s Office, upstairs the Lanville Harrigan Pavilion, at the Ronald Webster Park on Sunday, November 9.
The facilitator is Mrs Esther Maynard of Barbados, a Technical Instructor with the International Amateur Athletic Federation.
Mrs Lorna Rogers, President of the Anguilla Amateur Athletic Federation explained that her organisation was hoping to host the Leeward Islands’ championships next year, and that the workshop was aimed at improving the standard of officiating at the forthcoming athletic championships and other games on the island.
She took the opportunity to welcome Mrs Maynard to Anguilla and commended her on work which led to the efficient organisation of the CARIFTA Games in which Anguilla participates annually. “This is her first visit to Anguilla and we are fortunate to have her,” Mrs Rogers added.
Mr Delano Mussington, Programme Officer in the Sports Department, said in part: “We are truly happy to start this Level One Officiating Course as one of our Department’s goals is to develop qualified sports professionals in Anguilla. This is the first course since we had a Level One Coaching Course way back in 1993. We believe that a constant development of our human resources will bring about better athletes with greater potential to attain the highest level of performance locally, regionally and internationally.”
Mrs Maynard was delighted to have the opportunity to conduct the training. “I am looking forward to working with you over the next five days. I am a very open and adaptable individual,” she told the participants. “You can come to me privately and ask me something up to ten times and it makes no dfference to me because we all come with different levels of knowledge and experience. It is not the one who runs the fastest to the goal. It is the one who, at the end of the course, has taken in and applied what what we intend to do.”
Mr Rolins Richardson, Acting Director of Sports, who gave the Vote of Thanks, joined in welcoming Mrs Maynard to Anguilla and in hoping that the participants would find the training a rewarding experience.
