Barbados’ rising gymnasts are set to scale even greater heights after benefiting from a one-day clinic put on by the Gustavus Adolphus College of the United States.
The training seminar, which was held at the local body’ training gym in Wildey, saw 11 local competitors including the highly talented Latoya Ince being given vital bits of information and strategies by coach Kris Glidden and assistant coach Jon Janzen.
Eighteen gymnasts from Gustavus took part in the special clinic as well.
Glidden was very impressed with the talent of the local gymnasts and even before she had seen the full group in action she was bowled over by Ince and indicated that she would love to recruit the first-year UWI medical student.
“We love to grab the bright ones who have talent,” Glidden said.
The group had received rave reviews about Barbados from a Harvard athletic squad that visited and trained in the island.
After raising the funds for the one-week camp in Barbados, Gustavus left temperatures minus zero to arrive in what they termed paradise, with lodgings on the South coast offering them the utopia of jumping into the blue Caribbean sea every day.
Local coach Allison Jackson was thrilled for her charges to benefit from the special clinic put on by Gustavus, but she was saddened by the fact that the camp was only for one day as the group had come to the island to prepare themselves for competition.
Barbados have been making tremendous strides on the regional circuit and the locals recently returned from an impressive showing in Carolina where Renee Reader captured the Crown of Carolina after winning every event in her age-group. (KB)
