Coaches who participated in a recent swimming coaching clinic said it provided them with a wealth of knowledge on the fundamentals of competitive swimming. 

The clinic took place from Tuesday to Thursday last week in the capital and was organised by the Infinity Aquatic Centre in collaboration with the American Swimming Coaches Association. 

The goal was to ensure local swimming coaches receive the necessary training and certification.

The clinic attracted coaches from local and international areas, with Diego Novaq, the organiser, expressing his satisfaction with the coaches who showed up. 

He did feel, however, more coaches could have participated if the message had been communicated earlier, but he was pleased that coaches from several regions are now certified.

“The clinic went well; we had a fair number of participants. On the first day, we had a few people, but on the second day, more people showed up, which indicated that swimming is indeed a future sport in the country,” said Novaq, who is the founder of the Infinity Aquatic Centre. 

He was pleased to see coaches from as far away as Zambia attending the clinic and local coaches from various regions receiving certification.

One of the coaches who attended the clinic, Harrison Chimeya, travelled from Zambia and expressed his appreciation for what he had learned, saying he can now train his swimmers with the tactics he learned from the clinic. 

“We learned so many things that I never even knew. Overall, it was a very important swimming clinic, and I have now become a certified swimming coach. I already have a swimming club back home, and having all this knowledge, I believe my club will be at an advanced level in the coming months,” said Chimeya.

Another coach who participated in the clinic, Averyl Buckley, described the event as a game-changer. 

She explained she had always wanted to become a top swimming coach, and that the coaching clinic provided her with the necessary skills to achieve her goal. 

“For me, it was the best thing to happen this year. We have been crying to have such a coaching clinic – and finally, we have one that taught us a lot about swimming. The knowledge we gained from this clinic was of high level, as the instructor dealt with swimmers at any level you can mention, and I am glad to have been mentored by someone like Power (Rick Power – a highly-qualified American coach),” she said.- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na