The Director-General of Archery Guyana, Nicholas Hing, has said the recently concluded World Archery Coaching Clinic has fulfilled a crucial role in the progression of the sport locally.
Hing on Saturday told Guyana Times Sport he was happy with the outcome of things after AG wrapped up the 8-day-long Level 1 course, facilitated by world renowned instructor Phillip Graves of the USA.
“The course was immensely important. This was, as you know, not just a course in archery, but a seminar for coach certification. This meant that every participant, all 19 of us, had to learn (or re-learn) the fundamentals of properly practising and being able to teach archery,” Hing explained.
Archery Guyana Director-General Nicholas Hing
Greaves, a Level 4, NTS, CT Coach with a long portfolio to boot, ensured that participants, who arrived from Regions 1, 4, 7, 8 and 9, were properly certified following the conclusion of the clinic, held at the National racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue.
Speaking on the significance of having this particular coach on board the session, Hing said: “Mr Phil Graves of World Archery Americas is a Level 4 NTS Coach and National Judge. He developed the Coach Certification and Assessment programme which was accepted and made mandatory by WAA.
“He also assisted in the development of the Caribbean Championships, which help to prepare intermediate level archers for international competition, and to gain valuable competition experience. He has definitely given the sport a push in the right direction,” Hing pointed out.
The interactive course saw a number of topics being discussed and reviewed, but Hing has identified specific areas which he thinks were most beneficial to the participants.
He continued, “All that we learned during the 8 days is now going to be dispensed throughout Guyana by those of us from the 5 regions that participated”.
“The most important, I think, was learning the shot process, and being able to teach it to beginners, and the Safety rules. The shot process is a set of positions and movements (that begin) from the time an archer stands on the shooting line to the time he or she releases the arrow. The safety rules must be adhered to at all times, during practice and at competitions”.
Concluding his interview with this publication, Hing added that a new direction has now been forged, and he expects the sport to have a clearer path to expansion.
“We have held discussions with the Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, and the Director of Sport, Christopher Jones. Mr Jones has indicated that he is engaging the Chief Education Officer of the Education Ministry to include archery in the P.E. programmes in schools, and have archery as one of the events at school sports, eventually leading into Regional and National Schools’ Competitions”.
“The ‘archery in schools programme’ is also part of Archery Guyana’s National Development Programme too, so this lends to what the NSC and Education Ministry are doing. Eventually, we hope to have university scholarships for our youth archers, who will be representing the country in the near future. Our regional coaches are also laying the groundwork in their respective communities to begin their school programmes,” Hing explained. (Clifton Ross)
