Swim programme hailed a success before conclusion

The Easter Swimming programme of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS), which is a collaborative effort with the National Sports Commission (NSC), commenced last Monday and is expected to be concluded this Saturday.
While revealing that the programme has had no hiccups thus far, Deck Coach Kenita Mahaica went as far as to say that this year’s programme has possibly been the best yet.

“So, I’m on the deck right now, and I would say that the programme is definitely a success. We had no incidents, our medic team was here throughout the programme, and there were no problems; we had no hiccups,” Mahaica explained. He added, “I think that this programme has grown from the time we started to now, and to me there might be room for improvement; but this one was by far the best, so far. Everything was smooth, the parents commended us for our neatness in the online registration, in putting the programme together this time. So, I think the programme has run smoothly so far, and it’s going well.”

Additional safety measures at this year’s programme included recruiting the services of 40 coaches, with 2 coaches assigned to each class of 6-8 children. With these factors in mind, several parents and caregivers applauded the efforts of organizers and the coaches.
“To me, the swimming programme is a very successful programme. Some kids come knowing not much, not leaving with the full 100% capacity, but the knowledge they will gain is good. I have four kids here, and so far they show a lot of improvements. From the time they didn’t know nothing, at least now they will learn a little skill. So, I think the programme means a lot to the kids them,” parent Dwayne Baker shared.

Caregiver Ms. Juliet of the Hope Children’s Home, East Coast Demerara, spoke on the experiences of the ten children the Home has in the activity. She said, “It’s a wonderful experience for them, because some of them have never went to something like this before. Some of them don’t know anything about swimming, and so this is a wonderful experience for them.”
Touching on her observations on the coaching, parent Faneeza Khan explained, “Being a parent, I must say everyone would study ‘Oh this programme consists of 2000 children, how do these coach cope with that?’ For me, I see the coaches are doing a great job, that is why I think the best thing the organizer had did was put them in different age groups, so that the children would be more attentive to the coaches.
“I must thank them very much for that, because their life at risk along with our children, and they take our children life in their hands, which is such a high risk, and I must applaud them for the good job they have done,” Khan went on to share.
Meanwhile, Director of Sports, Steve Ninvalle, during a brief comment, stated that the annual initiative is indicative of Government’s resolute commitment to the development of the sports landscape via an encompassing approach.
He explained, “The growth of the programme, which has witnessed a 200% increase from the previous iteration of 600 participants, underscores the Government’s modus operandi in that the development of the sports sector should entail and be guided by a comprehensive blueprint.”
According to Ninvalle, the overwhelming success of this edition would certainly serve as a clarion call for expansion of the annual initiative. He declared, “The expectation is that the programme will eventually serve as a catalyst and conduit for the emergence of many Raekwon Noels, who historically clinched five gold medals at the recently concluded Junior CARIFTA Games (in Curacao).”
The Easter swimming programme will conclude this Saturday, April 15. This year’s initiative saw more than 200% increase in participants, with well over 2000 children being registered. It is likely that the programme would return for the summer vacation, with registration being free and online-based once again.