Pan Am Gymnastics Union impressed with Jamaican progress
Published:Thursday | December 15, 2022 | 1:37 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
CARLOS SANCHEZ from the Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) technical committee praised Jamaica for the progress it has made and the impression its representatives are making at international events.
Sanchez, who hosted the three-day Pan American Youth Gymnastics (Hope) Championships camp, which followed the December 2-11 championships in Colombia with 40 athletes and 18 coaches, said he was pleased to see Jamaica making serious strides in world gymnastics.
“It (camp) was an amazing event. Coaches say the training was supergood. So I am happy, and I am blessed to have an opportunity to meet the Jamaica team, who we have been working superclose with all the time.
“I once kept training with representatives in Jamaica after being in Jamaica for the national championships. I was so glad to see how far the country has grown and are having more presence in international tournaments.
“So best of luck to Jamaica next year, and we hope to see you at the next Pan American championships,” he said.
“We finished the Pan American Hopes tournament, and we just finished the training camp, which is a guide for our coaches and athletes to help them to better perform and have a good understanding of the rules,” he said.
Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica Amatuer Gymnastics Association (JAGA), Nicole Grant-Brown, said the camp taught them much and that it would assist them in identifying areas they need to work on.
The young Jamaican team of Sukhuri-Shay Smith, Savanna Adams, Zuri Matandara-Clarke, Christiana Martin, Mariah Gordon, and Emelia Sharpe, ended the championships with two individual silver and a bronze and one team bronze medal.
LENDING EXPERTISE
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Technical Committee recently visited the island, and members took the time to visit the Jamaica School of Gymnastics to lend their expertise.
Grant-Brown, at the time, said that it would greatly assist their preparation for the Pan American Youth Championships, and she said she believed that the three-day camp would help to continue lifting the level of the Jamaican coaches and athletes for upcoming events in 2023.
“The girls learnt a lot, and they are very happy that they stayed for the camp. Likewise, the coaches, myself and Tristan Hall. We also expressed the major deductions of the meet and the areas we need to improve,” she said.
“Carlos (Sanchez) is an FIG-accredited judge and coach. He divulged some much-needed information to assist us in preparing the girls for the next PAGU age group (Hopes) tournament in 2023.”
She added that the young girls were totally engulfed in camp activities and stood out among their peers.
“Sukhuri Shay Smith, Savanna Adams, as well as Mariah Gordon, Christiyana Martin, and Zuri Matandara-Clake and the lone Level Three in Emelia Sharpe, shone at the Pan American Hopes Camp. They all did really well,” she said.
For 2023, the nation’s young gymnasts will have a host of events to keep them active, including the Jamaica Gymnastics Classic and national trials in February; the Junior World Championships in March; Pan Am Championships in May, which also serves as qualifiers for World and Pan Am Games; then CAC Games in October; the World Championships in October, if the team qualifies; and then the Pan Am Hopes tournament again in November.
She added that their participation at the championships would not be possible without the support of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and the Ministry of Sports, Elite Diagnostic, the Peachtree Centre and the parents.
“We must thank them for making this trip possible for us.”