The Dominica Amateur Volleyball Association (DAVA) is lamenting the fact that there is a lack of indoor training facilities for Dominicans interested in the sport.
“We are struggling in terms of facilities that are affecting our performances a lot,” President of the association, Albert Loblack, said.
He was speaking at the final report presentation on the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) on Thursday.
Loblack pointed out that all other Caribbean countries have left Dominica behind in terms of facilities for sports. “If you don’t practice to do something, how can you go and do it in the game? Facilities are a big problem for us … all the other countries are leaving us behind,” he stressed.
One of JOCV’s volunteers who will be ending his services in Dominica at the end of this month, Yuya Sumida, supports the call for better sporting facilities.
He also noted that volleyball training must be done on an annual basis, proper sports style should be implemented and the analyzing of other countries should be placed high on the agenda to elevate the sport on the island.
Sumida was assigned to DAVA and the Sports Division and Loblack expressed disappointment at the level of support received from schools in volleyball programs designed for them. “It’s kind of disappointing for me when we did not get the full support of the teachers and the principals of the schools … when Yuya goes to the schools and he tells me that three students were to show up for training that is not nice, that is not acceptable,” he stressed.
Loblack noted that time was spent to set up volleyball programs for the schools and Sumida sometimes had to travel to the countryside to have them implemented but virtually no one turns up. “So I would really like to appeal to schools, the ministry of Sports, principals, teachers …that when we get opportunities like that we need to make the most of them,” he said.
Sumida spent two years on the island coaching local volleyball teams.
Is this Dave Loblack brother? Haven’t seen Dave in ages. He worked at Cable and Wireless
Election coming we will hear the empty promises loud and clear or mst of us will be too drunk on 1/2 cup or Jill of glo Vonvon rum Reggie, Ambrose, Gloria and others will be distributing to the ignorant people.
Dominica being the less developed in the Caribbean needs to do more for sports to its citizens.
St. Lucia has a few indoor world class sporting centers and there are a few more in th pipeline.
Someone should thank this young man the tried really hard to improve the lives of children through sport.Another wasted opportunity.
Great Point Mr. President. I support you 180%.
I sense your vision, and I like your passion. keep it up.
Loblack is right! Volleyball is such an exciting sport and our National players try their very best. Despite all they perform out there, just imagine with facilities what they would be capable of.Im calling on the Government to lend a financial hand.
First and foremost when such much needed programmes are implemented not just for volleyball but all other sporting areas, it is of utmost importance that such opportunities are capitalised on by institutions up and down the island.
Failure to do such, (as in case in point) not only reflects on the lack of participants, but more importantly highlights the lack of evolution taking place in education/athletic curriculums in Schools, Colleges,(their principals),Clubs in addition to the Education & Sports Ministries.
This sort of display also reflects in an unsatisfactory manner of the island, when the officials return back to their home country from such assignments and they report, but could also hamper future specialist volunteering to come to the island to impart their skills.
It saddens me when such basics provisions are made, yet it would seem its fashionable these days for School/Colleges and Clubs to ignore such opportunities, with no regard for people who organise such time and effort.
Wish we had those opportunities when I was going to school in Dominica and fell in love with the sport of Volleyball that I still love to this day.
Who knows how far I and so many others who possessed so much potential at the time, but unfortunately those opportunities were non-existent back then?
I reckon all of the Schools, Colleges and Clubs who are invited to such events, and fail to attend or provide the required number of participants, should be “names and shamed”, as they are just plain BAD examples to membership.
Such symposiums also go a long way towards improving one’s skills in their chosen sporting area, as well as when it comes to securing academic/athletic scholarships for higher education overseas.
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND CLUBS ON THE ISLAND, OPEN YOUR EYES AND BE PROACTIVE, GRAB SUCH OPPORTUNITIES WITH BOTH HANDS AND RUN WITH IT!!!!!!
Blessings………….
Tell Me,isn’t DAVA a member of theDOC?,so why don’t the approsch the to get something going for them?They have so much funds available! They should not use it for travelling purposes only! Spend those funds to develop the sport which has them there!
Go play at the state palace huh
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Still dont see how sports help the Earth. Then again, humans never cared. =_=’.