VCP teachers’ course completed in Haiti despite interruption from Hurricane Sandy
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Only one day of sessions had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy; participants were eager to start again the next morning |
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Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 1, 2012 – A course attended by 31 teachers and coaches was held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti from October 22 to 28 under the guidance of French expert André Glaive. This was Glaive’s third visit to Haiti in the last two years, and he is still amazed at the determination and dedication of the country’s volleyball community in the face of massive challenges.
Even the passage of Hurricane Sandy didn’t discourage the participants from completing the course. Only one day of sessions had to be cancelled, and everyone was ready to start again the morning after.
“The classes were being held outdoors, so [because of the weather] the federation president was able to get us into a gymnasium that was unfinished but had a roof,” said Glaive. “We finished our sessions on a bare concrete floor.”
Participants were given courses on general coaching principles, teams and formations, planning training programmes, teaching basic techniques, observing players and using statistics. They were also taught about scenarios for attack, defence, counter-attack, free-ball situations and defensive organisation.
There were also special sessions on topics specific to women’s volleyball and adapting physical training to the situation in Haiti – participants were given the opportunity to observe both the men’s and women’s national teams in training.
The president of the Haitian federation, Margarette Graham, has been steadily advancing a long-term volleyball development programme there in spite of the challenging situation, and this is part of what has drawn Glaive there regularly in recent years.
“When you see the determination of the president and her colleagues to develop volleyball in their country despite the disasters that accumulate, when you see that the will and the motivation are there, we must support their activities and help pursue this enormous task,” said Glaive.
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