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TWENTY-NINE coaches and other individuals involved in sport and the development of local athletes will today conclude their participation in a two-day workshop on concepts and approaches to improving athletic performance. The exercise, a collaboration between the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) and BPTT, is being run by the US-based Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) organisation, and is taking place at Olympic House in Port of Spain.

Tied to the TTOC’s drive to achieve ten Olympic gold medals by 2024, the workshop, the third of its kind, has as its theme “Perfecting Performance-Striving for Excellence-Faster, Stronger, Higher.”

Drew Coffee, one of two MJP facilitators, is on his third such mission to TT; he explained MJP’s role as one of exposing the participants to new approaches and ideas.

“It’s just about revamping the coaches, enhancing it, not necessarily changing it,” the former Abilene Christian University football player told Newsday. He added that he expects the workshop will serve to “expose a systematic approach to training, and overall, improve athleticism.”

Having done two previous stints in TT in 2014, Coffee observed the approach to preparation and training is not nearly as intense as what is the norm in the US. “Ideally, if you’re talking TT and the Carnival season is approaching, you can see that there’s a high-performance mentality toward getting ready for Carnival,” he argued. “So if we could just use some of that same mentality to, not necessarily train, but drag that into sport, I think that would help reach our goal of ten gold medals by 2024.”

Coffee’s co-facilitator, MJP’s Global Performance Director Lance Walker could not make the trip; yesterday, Walker delivered an online presentation on the qualities a coach ought to possess.

Coffee, a Regeneration and Recovery Specialist, said it was not that MJP had it all figured out. “There are certain things that people are not gonna agree with,” he admitted. “But exposing them to what we deal with is a big thing, because then you can now take that back with you to whatever athletes you’re working with, you can share that with them, with other coaches in the field on the island.”

The participating group includes Gerard Franklin and Kelton Thomas of Tobago, as well as representatives from Volleyball, Swimming, Gymnastics, Hockey, Cycling and Tack and Field, as well as Shayne Cooper, a strength and conditioning coach who underwent three months of training at the MJP Centre. While the workshop ends today, Coffee will remain in TT until June 6, conducting associated work, including practical sessions and spreading the gospel of high-performance culture and training.

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The 3^rd BpTT Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) Workshop got underway today at Olympic house, 121 Abercromby Street Port of Spain. Amongst the twenty nine (29) participants are two representatives from Tobago, Gerard Franklin and Kelton Thomas. In addition, Shayne Cooper, strength and conditioning coach who spent three (3) months at the Michael Johnson Performance Centre.

To kick start the workshop, participants received a welcome from TTOC President, Brian Lewis, followed by a lecture by Global Performance Director, Lance Walker via an online conference.

The 2015 workshop theme is “Perfecting Performance – Striving for Excellence – Faster, Higher, Stronger”. Participants are gaining knowledge from performance specialists, Lance Walker & Drew Cuffee.

“A very good reminder of the things we need to change in order for us to be game changers” were the thoughts of Gregory Seale, Fitness Trainer at Movement Mechanics.

Participants in the workshop include:

Nicole Fuentes (TT Gymnastics Federation), Sean Morrison (TTVF), Gerard Franklin (Tobago), Mark Alexis (Tsunami Swim Club), Rheeza Grant (TTVF), Brij Parasnath (Caribbean Sport Specialists), Shurland Hartley (West Penn Athletics), Claire Orr (TTCF), Roger Frontin (TTCF), Edward Marchan (Paralympics), Josiah Morales (Eagles Aquatics), Curtis George (West Penn), Jenelle Nedd (MOS/NAAA), Ronald Rogers (UTT/TTCB), Kiron Simmons (UTT), Angel Ottley (UTT), Reynold Lovell (UTT), Shayne Cooper (NAAA), Rodney Liverpool (TTDF), Terron Abner (Marabella Family Crisis Centre), Jo-Ellen Redhead (MOS), Antonia Burton (NAAA), Gregory Seale (Movement Mechanics), Ashlee Alonso (Movement Mechanics), Courtnee-Mae Clifford (TTVF), Nataki Akii-Bua (Ventures Hockey Club), Pau Voisin (NAAA), Colin Syriac ( Bike Smith Cycling Club) and Kelton Thomas (TTBBFF).

The group present for the workshop consists of various professionals in the field of strength and conditioning, sport medicine, fitness trainers, coaches and athletes.

The high performance workshop will conclude today (12^th May 2015).

The 2015 Arima Invitational Games ended in anticlimactic fashion at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima, yesterday.
The main event on the programme was the women’s 200 metres, featuring Semoy Hackett in her first race since completing a 28-month doping ban on April 30. But with natural light fading fast, and no sign of the floodlights coming on, completing the 33-event programme following a late start was always going to be a challenge.
The announcer called the names of the sprinters expected to the face the starter in the women’s half-lap. Included among them was Hackett. But the anticipation was short-lived. At 6.38pm, with the stadium enveloped in darkness, Games chairman Ainsley Armstrong informed the crowd that the rest of the meet had been cancelled.
No women’s 200m. No Semoy Hackett comeback race.
“I understand for the last five-six years,” Armstrong told the Express, “there haven’t been lights at the Larry Gomes Stadium. And that is sad, that every sporting activity in Arima has to finish by 5.30. Next year I have to make the adjustments to start the meet at one o’clock so we wouldn’t have that light issue.
“I really wanted to see Semoy run,” Armstrong lamented.
Before the lights—or lack of lights—brought the curtain down on the Games, St Kitts and Nevis sprinter Brijesh Lawrence emerged as champion in the men’s 100m dash.
Halfway through the century, Lawrence and Barbadian Ramon Gittens were tussling for the lead. It was Lawrence who had the edge on the day, taking the title in 10.20 seconds. Gittens got to the line in 10.24 to claim silver.
T&T’s 2002 100m world junior champion and 2003 IAAF World Championship silver medallist in the same event, Darrel Brown battled to the line, but was unable to challenge the top two, and had to settle for bronze in 10.32 seconds.
Gloria Asumnu captured the women’s 100m title. Asumnu stamped her class early-on, taking the lead in the eight-woman race. The Nigerian sprinter stayed well in front of her rivals to secure a comfortable victory in 11.44 seconds.
T&T’s Kamaria Durant was next best, the 2014 IAAF World Relays 4x100m bronze medallist earning Arima Invitational Games silver in 11.60. Jamaican Audrea Segree clocked 11.68 to take home bronze.
Jernail Hayes was the class of the women’s 400m field, winning in 53.33 seconds, from her fellow-American, Brandi Cross (54.01). Bronze, meanwhile, went to T&T’s Romona Modeste, in 55.09.
For three-quarters of the race, Modeste was very competitive. On the home straight, though, she faded out of contention. In stark contrast, Hayes finished strong, storming to an impressive victory.

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TRINIDAD and Tobago’s men struck gold when the curtain fell on the first-round Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) men’s beach qualifying tournament for next year’s Olympic Games yesterday at Saith Park, Chaguanas.
The hosts defeated Jamaica 2-1 in the gold-medal match to be crowned beach volleyball champions of the Caribbean, after their men and women swept the indoor titles in the Caribbean Championships at home in August last year.
The only senior CAZOVA title that T&T do not hold is the women’s beach crown as the two pairs (Apphia Glasgow,La Teisha Joseph and Elki Philip,Shenelle Gordon) claimed the bronze when Jamaica edged Cayman Islands for the title in the women’s first-round Olympic qualifier the weekend before in Jamaica.
T&T were the top-ranked of the 14 countries involved in the men’s tournament, mainly because of Fabian Whitfield and Daneil Williams.
And the “Toco Boys” proved without a shadow of a doubt that they are head and shoulders above the rest by not dropping a single set over the three days, just as they had done in all ten local tournaments at the same venue this season.
With the gold-medal match deadlocked at 1-1, Williams and Whitfield defeated Mark Lewis and Ryck McKenzie 15-12 in the “golden set” decider to gain revenge as Jamaica had taken down T&T in the women’s semis the week before.
Lewis and McKenzie had forced the decider by beating Tevin Joseph and Josiah Eccles 21-15, 21-13, after Whitfield and Williams had drawn first blood for the hosts with a 21-10, 21-15 triumph over Donovan Richards and Christopher Richards.
T&T coach David Thomas stated: “As we planned before the tournament started, our aim was to get to the second phase of qualification by taking gold and showing that we are the top team in the Caribbean, and we proved that here today”.
Earlier in the day, the ‘Toco Boys” cruised past Carlos Rosa Jr and Edward Peter Jr 21-13, 21-8 while Eccles and Joseph defeated Bradley-Reading Connor and Gustavo Cintron 21-16, 21-18 in T&T’s 2-0 triumph over the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) in the semi-finals.
The Jamaicans also did not drop a set as they dismissed Curacao for the other place in the title match.
The USVI were forced to default the first match in the bronze-medal contest because Rosa Jr was suffering with heat exhaustion and they ended up being edged 2-1 by Curacao.
The Barbadians ended up fifth after Elwyn Oxley and Daran Gill edged Roberto Joval and Eurwin Daansi of Suriname 15-12 in a “golden set.”
As was the case with the women, the top six countries advanced to do battle against the top six from the Eastern Caribbean Zonal Association (ECVA) region in a few months in the second round of regional qualifying.
There are four rounds of qualifying in the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) region for the Olympics.
T&T, Jamaica, Barbados, Suriname and USVI advanced from both the men’s and women’s tournaments to the second stage. Silver-medallists Cayman Islands picked up the other spot for the women and bronze-medallist Curacao clinched the other place for the men.

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Gordon wins 200m, 400m in St Martin

Trinidad and Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon completed an impressive same-day double at the International Meeting, in St Martin, on Saturday.
Gordon grabbed gold in the men’s 200 metres event in 20.53 seconds. The double Olympic bronze medallist was also triumphant in the 400m, clocking 45.50 seconds to finish ahead of Netherlands athlete Lee-Marvin Bonevacia (45.59).
Another T&T quartermiler, Jarrin Solomon secured bronze in 45.85.
Kai Selvon picked up silver in the women’s 100m dash. The T&T sprinter clocked 11.68 seconds, while the winner, American Tawanna Meadows got home in 11.59.
And T&T’s Wayne Davis II finished fifth in the men’s 110m hurdles in 14.29 seconds.
At the University of North Florida (UNF) Invite, in the United States, Emanuel Mayers picked up silver in the men’s 400m hurdles in 50.98 seconds. He also competed in the 100m dash, finishing 11th overall in 10.85.
Mikel Thomas bagged men’s 110m hurdles bronze for T&T at the Jamaica International Invitational, in Kingston. Thomas clocked 13.44 seconds to trail a pair of Americans to the line. Aleec Harris was first home in a world-leading 13.16 seconds, while the runner-up spot went to Jeff Porter (13.36).
Ayanna Alexander captured fourth spot in the women’s triple jump with a 13.52 metres effort. Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen dominated her rivals in the event, the reigning world champion taking gold with a world-leading 14.87m jump.
Richard “Torpedo” Thompson matched his 10.04 seconds 2015 opener. The fine run, though, could only earn him fifth spot in Saturday’s men’s 100m dash.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell sounded a World Championship warning, the Jamaican sprint star capturing the top spot in 9.84 seconds—the fastest time in the world this year. American Ryan Bailey and Jamaica’s Nesta Carter also dived under 10 seconds. Bailey finished second in 9.93, while Carter was third in 9.98. Another Jamaican, Andrew Fisher clocked a personal best 10.01 seconds to secure fourth spot.
Meanwhile, Jehue Gordon finished sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles, the reigning world champion completing the race in 49.97 seconds. Former world champion Bershawn Jackson was the class of the field, the American winning in 48.47.
Cleopatra Borel opened her 2015 campaign with women’s shot put bronze at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, in Japan. The T&T field athlete’s best throw in the competition was 18.41m. Hungary’s Anita Marton produced an 18.94m effort to finish first, getting the better of American Brittany Smith (18.61m).
And at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Alabama, USA, Texas State University sophomore Aaron George finished 15th in the men’s long jump with a wind-assisted 6.81m leap.

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TRINIDAD AND Tobago were crowned champions of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Federation (CAZOVA) Men’s Beach Volleyball tournament following a nerve-wracking final against Jamaica at Saith Park, Chaguanas, yesterday.

The hosts owed much to the duo of Daniel Williams and Fabien Whitfield, as they won a deciding “Golden Set” to clinch the championship, following a one-all stalemate with the Jamaicans.

Under the early afternoon sun at the Saith Park Beach Volleyball Facility, Williams and Whitfield put the hosts in front in the final, beating Jamaica’s B team of Donovan Richards and Christopher Walters 21-10, 21-15.

But the Jamaican A team of Mark Lewis and Ryck McKenzie responded by defeating TT’s B team of Abraham Eccles and Tevin Joseph, 21-15, 21-13, levelling the tie.

However, Williams and Whitfield came through for the hosts, beating the Jamaican top pair of Lewis and McKenzie 15-12 in the “Golden Set,” setting off wild celebrations among home supporters. A relieved Whitfield said they had always expected Jamaica would be the team to stand in their way.

“The Jamaicans are a very good team so we had to be on top of our game,” he said following the win. “We had a great game to win all of our points in complex one, which we did mostly and also we had a very good defensive game.”

Earlier yesterday, TT marched into the final via a 2-0 semi- final shutout of the US Virgin Islands (USVI). Williams and Whitfield rolled over the USVI pair of Carlos Roza Jnr and Edward Peter Jnr, 21-13, 21-8.however, Joseph and Eccles had to work harder before stopping Bradley Reading-Connors and Gustavo Cintron, 21-16, 21-18.

The Jamaicans defeated Curacao in the semi-final by the same margin. Richards and Walters won at 12 and 16, while Lewis and McKenzie closed off the tie with a 21-18, 21-15 win. Curacao won the bronze medals, beating a tired USVI 2-0. Barbados were fifth and Suriname sixth,



Final Placings - Champions Trinidad and Tobago; Runners- up Jamaica; 3. Curacao; 4. USVI; 5. Barbados; 6.

Suriname; 7. Guadeloupe; 8. Cayman Islands; 9. Aruba; 10. Haiti; 11. Bahamas; 12. Martinique; 13. Bonaire; 14.Turks and Caicos Islands.

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Fiji and South Africa both secured qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro by reaching the quarter-finals of the eighth HSBC Sevens World Series event of the season at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.

The two sides will now meet in a mouthwatering last eight clash tomorrow after the Blitzboks, who currently lead the overall Series, could only finish second in their pool following a pulsating 24-19 defeat to New Zealand.

“It’s a big moment for us,” South Africa’s Frankie Horne said.

“We are very privileged to have made it this far.

“We have worked hard this season to qualify and it’s an historical event for the game of sevens to be in the Olympics.

“We thoroughly deserve it but it’s a great privilege and a great honour for us to be there and represent the game of sevens"

Fiji, currently ranked second on the overall leaderboard, enjoyed a more successful day as they topped their pool with a 100 per cent record, a feat matched only by the All-Blacks.

By virtue of Scotland’s 12-7 victory over Wales, which saw the hosts reach the Cup competition quarter-finals, the Fijians also secured their vital Olympic qualification berth.

New Zealand’s dominant performance on the opening day ensures they will face Scotland in the quarter-finals after they topped Pool B, adding to their superb win over the Series leaders by beating Kenya and Samoa.

The other last eight contest sees England, victorious at the last Series event in Tokyo, entertain Canada, while Australia face the United States.

On what was an enthralling day of action, the South African side managed to achieve one of the principal aims of the Sevens World Series as they became the first team to seal their Rio 2016 spot.

Attention for them now turns to the Sevens World Series overall title with this season’s competition set to provide one of the most dramatic finales in the history of the sport.

The top three teams - South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand - are all separated by just nine points, meaning the Glasgow event could have a big say in the destination of the Sevens World Series crown.

The event in the Scottish capital concludes tomorrow with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.

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