No national swim coach for World Champs

When swimmers Keanan Dols and Kito Campbell compete at the FINA World Championships in Hungary, from June 17-23, they will have to do so without a national coach to guide them.

Gillian Millwood, the coach selected by the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) to travel with the team, has declined the offer due to the late notification and the fact that she was expected to find the more than US$5,000 needed to fund her trip.

Millwood said she is disappointed, saddened, and upset with the entire procedure, pointing out that it was asking too much to find more than $500,000 in a month.

“I am not going,” she declared. “I was asked to be the coach, but I was told I needed to pay the money up front, and on principle, I cannot do that because it is over 5,000 US dollars. I was asked three weeks to a month ahead of the championship to come up with that money, and I cannot. So I am not going, and it is unfortunate.”

She noted that it is a great opportunity missed for her and that not having a coach with the team will be a great disservice to the athletes, especially Campbell, who will be making his debut at this level.

WORLD RECORD

“This is a building opportunity for myself going on the world stage. I went to the world championships in 2014 when Alia (Atkinson) broke the 50-metre backstroke world record, and it is a big thing to travel to these events. I was told I was to assume this (late notice) would be the case, but maybe I have too much of a great expectation because we live in an adult world. And if you are asking a professional to do something, do it professionally,” she stated.

She pointed out that Campbell especially would need a coach to guide him, and she hopes that his more experienced teammate, Dols, will be able to offer some mentorship to the youngster.

“Even if it is one athlete going, you need to send a coach or an official. It will be Kito’s first time on the world stage. It is a good thing we have an Olympian going in Keenan Dols. I have reached out to him and explained the situation, and I asked him to look out for Kito,” she said.

She suggested that in the future, the ASAJ inform coaches at least six months in advance and hold fundraisers to subsidise expenses.

“We know there is a world championships for the longest time, so tell us we are being considered six to eight months ahead.

“They (ASAJ) weren’t willing to go around and see how they could help find the money. But if I had six to eight months notice, things could have been different,” she insisted.

ASAJ president Martin Lyn said the association was as disappointed as Millwood but explained that they were unable to appoint a coach too far in advance due to various reasons.

He noted also that funding remained a major challenge and that on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the association has its hands full trying to generate funding for the numerous international events slated for this year.

“I am also very disappointed. Yes, it was short notice, but that is the nature of FINA. We didn’t know the extent of the funding we should have at this late stage.

“It is also not possible to appoint somebody way in advance because we do not know the make-up of the team (way in advance),” he said.

He said FINA gives some money, to offset expenses, to coaches and athletes who attend the event, but this is a specific amount, and they have to find the difference.

However, Lyn admitted that not having a coach is a disadvantage to the swimmers travelling to the championships but said that steps wee being taken to ensure that they have some kind of technical support.

“We are going to reach out to other Caribbean nations, and there is a Florida-based coach who might be able to provide oversight for our athletes. But we are not going to leave our athletes without any coaching assistance.

“We would want to send a team, coaches, and administrators and further our aquatic development, but sometimes it just cannot be pencilled out.

“This year we have six to seven major competitions all over the world, and we raised $9 million for the Carifta Games and Pan American Age Group Championships in a relatively short time.

“But for 2023, we will know the system better. So we will put things in place so that if there is a gap, we can certainly fill the gap,” he said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com