Two weeks ago, I wrote about, a “Community Sports Clinic” being held by Altus Health Services Ltd as part of its corporate social responsibility.  It will take place from July 16-20, from 8 am to 2 pm. Centre-stage in this event are two skilled professionals in the realm sports industry: Carlos Salvador Joao, a UK-based Angolan coach and entrepreneur in the field of media and advertising, alongside Trinidadian national, locally based Kamu Laird, also a coach but his profession is as a US-trained clinical psychologist. The team effort that has gone into designing this programme is tremendous. Existing simply as an idea, a concept in our heads, fate would bring us together to design a programme, employing all our skills to create a clinic that would expose children from ages seven to 18 years to an experience like no other. The objective of this clinic is to introduce children to different techniques of athletic development. For a change, the emphasis is not on athletic competition but on athletic development.

For a change, the focus is on musculoskeletal development that will be complimented with neuromuscular development, utilising the skills of two specialists in two different areas of physical and mental development. As we sat together to discuss and hash out ideas and approaches to the programme, it was like Disney magic dust was being sprinkled on us as I sat back at times to witness Carlos and Kamu work together to build out their areas, piggy-backing on each other’s energy.  Although specialists in different areas of sports medicine, they both have experience working with young athletes of all performance levels and talent from the early starter to the very gifted in international settings with both girls and boys. They both really enjoy working with children and youth development is something they are passionate about. Each day a different component will be addressed. There will  be five days and five components and for each component there is the physical as well as the mental training to develop the child as it relates to the component carded for that day.

The conponents will be:
1. Mechanics of Movement
2. Explosive Feet
3. Core Stability, Visual Awareness and Athletic Power
4. Multi Directional Movement
5. Multi Functional Sports Day

As with any properly covered athletic event, there will be athletic trainers available to serve as first responders in the event of injuries whether minor or major. We are hoping to attract children from all walks of life and through corporate sponsorship this can be made even more possible. The National Lotteries Control Board has supported us through their “Now Lets Create Benefits” programme, but there remain many opportunities for funding and support in many different ways that will help to realise the full potential of this programme. The Community Sports Clinic intends to use sports as a vessel for mentorship and positive growth. Although this clinic is only five days long, there will be other clinics of the same ethos to follow later in the year that will build on the principles and concepts of mentorship and positivity. Aside from the physical and mental training that the young children and teens will be exposed to, we intend to open the children’s eyes to the world of opportunities that sport can expose them to as stepping stones to other hopes and dreams they children always have. Next week, we will launch our facebook page. The Altus Health Services Ltd. Web site will also give information on the camp from next week, including registration forms to start signing up your children. As always, feel free to contact me at; dirtunderthenails@gmail.com or asha.defreitas@gmail.com if you are interested in registering your child or would like more information to provide sponsorship support.

-Asha DeFreitas-Moseley

Source: www.guardian.co.tt