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| L-R: Reggie Douglas,
Greg Phillip, James Weekes and Winston Crooke |
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Even as the Nevis Cycling
and Triathlon club prepares for what is expected to
be an action packed season, one of its key athletes
over the last few seasons is preparing to leave the
island on a coaching stint.
Tri-athlete James
Weekes will leave the island on Saturday en route
to Loughborough in England where he will engage in
an intense course of training for persons interested
in the coaching of Tri-athletes. Weekes who has already
completed a level one course will go on to do the
level two course which will commence on January 27th.
The coaching program
will last for three days but it will be three fully
packed days of intense work which will involve the
practical aspects of swimming, cycling and running
and then there is the theoretical aspect which will
involve research work and the developing of coaching
programs to suit the needs of the participating countries.
On his return to Nevis
however, Weekes will be required to stay in touch
with the Course officials over the next six months
as he would be implementing certain specified projects
and sending updated reports to the course Facilitators
as they assess his progress.
Weekes indicated that
he is at the stage of retirement from the grueling
sport and would like to enhance the skills of the
youths on Nevis. "I want them to get where I
did not get in the sport", he explained.
President of the club,
Winston Crooke indicated that the Triathlon season
will start on the 30th of January with the first in
a series of mini-triathlons. In March the club will
host its flagship event which will in effect be, the
8th annual Nevis Triathlon which would also serve
as the National championships both for the Olympic
and Sprint distances.
There will also be
a Tri-a-tri as part of the calendar as well. Greg
Phillip who is one of the leaders within the club
indicated that the Cycling season commenced on the
2nd of January and that two races have been completed
thus far, with another race, a time trial set for
this coming Saturday. No fewer than twenty races are
scheduled for the season with one of the major races
set for the 27th and 28th of February which is the
Major Taylor Honour day race which will involve Cyclists
from Nevis, St.Maarten, Anguilla and the Windward
Islands.
There is also the
big Independence road race set for the end of August.
He further indicated that the club continues to train
interested persons which include youngsters and females.
He is very impressed with the progress of young 14
year old Asim Chapman who in the two races thus far
came third in both events, actually pushing the senior
guys to the limit.
Nevis' number one
Tri-athlete, Reggie Douglas indicated that he has
had a sluggish start to the season thus far, despite
his two wins, as he has just recovered from an illness.
He however indicated that these initial races are
being used as a build up for the remainder of the
season and is absolutely sure that Nevis will represent
well in the upcoming major events.
Winston Crooke also
explained that his club members who participated in
the international meet in Switzerland last year, were
treated like super stars and actually got a major
write up and photo shoot in no less a newspaper than
"The Switz National News". They also got
write ups in some of the major cycling magazines.
He is elated due to the fact that not only did the
Nevisian athletes get recognition, but that Nevis
as a tourist destination also received major advertisement.
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