Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
THE AMATEUR Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) launched its programme to get every coach qualified for at least the minimum international level over the next year.
The announcement was made at the JDF Air Wing where the ASAJ and the American Swimming Coaches' Association (ASCA) hosted a coaching clinic geared towards helping interested coaches to become certified.
Mike Fennell lauded the move by the ASAJ, saying every sport needed to move to the stage where the coaches have a good grasp on the fundamentals as it allows for more competitiveness on the international stage.
"John (Eyre), as president of the ASAJ you should feel particularly pleased with this programme," he said.
"We are coming from a stage in sports, not just in swimming, where coaches became coaches just because they said so, and that creates a situation where players develop bad habits and are successful here, but fall down at the international level," Fennell explained.
LACK OF MANPOWER
According to Jamaica's technical director in charge of swimming, Jackie Walter, the ASAJ does not have the manpower to develop and maintain its own certification programme and so it had to join with the ASCA, which was represented by Matt Hooper, who is also in charge of the coaching clinic which ended yesterday.
Certification from the ASCA is recognised by the World Swimming Coaches' Association (WSCA).
However, the ASAJ is in essence forcing all its coaches or all coaches who want to participate in ASAJ-sponsored activities to join the WSCA and to have at least a level one coaching certificate by the end of the year.
There are five levels of coaching with one being the minimum and five the maximum.
The move means that the various cubs which participate in competitions around the island will have to ensure that their coaches get certified if they want to continue being competitive in ASAJ-run swim meets.
Speaking to Walter after the press conference to announce the new thrust, she voiced certainty that the year-long goal of mandatory certification would be achieved.
FORCE
"The fact that we are ruling that no coach can be involved in ASAJ activities unless they are certified up to level one will force the clubs to get involved in the process. It will be to their benefit and so I'm pretty certain that we will," said Walter.
Walter was also adamant that the move could create an industry for the coaches, as they would now be marketable internationally but that the effect on Jamaica's swimming would be slow.
"It's going to be a slow process but we have new coaches who deal with our 10 and unders and that is our foundation. If we can get those swimmers more technically sound then we can get more swimmers participating at the international level.
"The ones that don't have that foundation don't make it to that level," she added, giving a five-10 year window for obvious differences in performance to begin showing themselves.
