BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH a number of regional and international meets remaining on the 2013 athletics calendar, the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletics Association (SKNAAA) has established a National Development Squad, aimed at training and selecting a team to successfully represent the Federation in all disciplines of track and field.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Public Relations Officer of the SKNAAA Evris Huggins explained how the squad was assembled.
“The National Development Squad is basically a group of athletes that the (St. Kitts-Nevis) Track and Field Coaches Association selected based on their performances during the 2013 athletic season.
“We looked at a number of things, including their performances at the development meets. We looked at the performances at the national youth and junior championships, the RAM’s Primary School Championships and also the performances at the TDC Inter-School Championships. Based on one’s positioning and commitment, one would have been selected for the development squad.”
The squad is currently divided into three categories – Under 20, Under 18 and Under 15 - and it focuses on all the disciplines of track and field.
Huggins further explained the purpose of having such a programme.
“The purpose of having the development squad is basically to foster the selection of a national representative team. We have this year the World Youth Championships, the CAC Age Group Championships, the Pan Am Juniors and the Leeward Islands Junior Championships.”
He further expounded, “It is much easier to have an athlete who is being trained in a controlled environment...athletes who may have competed in different competitions and different training camps and for different clubs around the islands. It is always good to have them in one area with a concentration of national coaches who assist in enhancing the techniques and skills of athletes to bring out better performance.”
Huggins explained that there are just under 100 persons attending the camp and the number is expected to increase.
“We have a total of 93 persons in the squad. My understanding from the Coaching Coordinator - based on the performances we see in the development meets and with the world athletics day coming up - we should expect to see the squad grow. The entire CARIFTA team is a part of the squad. It is a very healthy mix of athletes from a wide range of talent.”
The coaching staff is headed by Lonzo Wilkinson and comprises more than 12 coaches.
“It is a collaborative effort with the St. Kitts and Nevis Track and Field Coaches Association headed by Timothy Morton, and we have well over a dozen coaches who participate.”
Huggins also revealed that the squad has been together for the past two weeks and the athletes are already reaping the benefits. He noted that the programme is a continuous one.
“The squad has been training together for the past two weeks and so far, at the development meet on Sunday, we had close to 10 personal best performances. So we are already starting to reap the benefits of having such a squad together.
“Based on the performances, I can tell you the SKNAAA does plan to maintain these squads and academies year-round so that we can constantly have a set of elite performances over the next couple of years.”
