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Posted: Thursday 13 July, 2017 at 1:53 PM

Plans afoot to resuscitate lawn tennis in St. Kitts and Nevis

By: Jermine Abel, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER being dormant for close to 10 years, la group of lawn tennis enthusiasts are working to resuscitate the sport in St. Kitts and Nevis, with the view of putting the Federation back on the regional map.

     

    Led by Watkins Chiverton, they are looking at putting in a place a national association, which is expected to be operational within the coming months.

    It was only early this year that the Ministry of Sports had completed upgrading works on the courts at Warner Park.

    Speaking with SKNVibes after a meeting at Warner Park last evening (July 12), Chiverton explained his vision for the sport in the coming years, while stating that lawn tennis has long lost its fame in St. Kitts.

    "There are lots of persons who still play, but we do play out of the fun and for fitness. There is a need to revive the game and to spark interest back, and to get the interest back to where it used to be."

    In retrospect, Chiverton said they always talk about and continue to long for the return of those days when the Davis Cup – the premier international team competition - was played in St. Kitts and Nevis.  

    “To have it [Davis Cup] here means a lot,” he said, noting that other enthusiasts want the game to return to that stage where it would be a household name like some other sport disciplines.

    He stated that if one should take a trip around the island, one would see a number of courts in a dilapidated state upon which people would be playing  with no intent.

    “We felt that the time was ripe; the time was ready for us to try to revive the game of tennis,” he said in response to a question on why after 10 years they saw it fit to resuscitate the sport.

    Speaking about his plans to revive the sport, Chiverton pointed out that he and the others want to start from the ground up. The first of which would be to revive the association to ensure there is a functional head and body.

    “The next step would be legitimacy, which would allow for the crafting of a business plan to take to the government, specifically the Ministry of Sports and the Minister of Sports, to be able to secure the funding as well as benefits that the other associations, football and track and field are benefiting from.”

    According to Chiverton, he and other enthusiasts had drafted a three-year strategic plan that they want to have implemented for the revival of the sport.

    The first goal they are looking to achieve in the first year is the “reformation of the association”. He added that within the same year they are looking at having some of the courts around the island resurfaced.

    “In our second year, we are looking to get back our ITF membership – which, again, is a membership that allows us to be part of the International Tennis community globally – And with that, we are going to be able to attract coaching benefits from what the ITF has to offer.

    “In the third year, we would like to see a fully-fledged academic or tennis academy and competitions among youngsters who are not just interested in the game, but who are playing the game. Because, we are looking at skills development from as low as grade one and grade three in the primary schools right up to inter-school competitions.”

    Asked about the decline of the sport, the enthusiast said, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

    He explained that it could be based on the fact that there is only one fully functional court in St. Kitts, as of December, and it has lighting facilities and proper surface.

    Last year, the government had resurfaced the Warner Park facility with the hope of improving the sports in St. Kitts and Nevis.
     
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