NEW AMSTERDAM/Canje’s team manager, Heathcliff Peters, is very optimistic about his District’s chances of winning the overall title when the 53rd edition of the Guyana Teachers Union/Ministry of Education/Digicel sponsored National Schools Track and Field, Cycling and Swimming championships get underway next Tuesday.Peters said while his swimming team is not as strong as those of District 10 (North Georgetown) and District 11 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani) the swimmers on the team will give a good account of themselves.
Once they (swimmers) place highly in that aspect of the championships, he knows they can hold their own in the cycling, track and field, and teachers’ championships, even winning the three and by doing that they can win the overall title.
Peters said the problem with the swimming is the fact that the District does not have a resident coach neither does the District have a proper facility for the swimmers to train, much unlike North Georgetown and even Upper Demerara/Kwakwani.
The District 15 team manager said he is very confident in his cycling team which will be led by national cyclist, Marcia Dick, who has ruled the roost locally for quite some time. This will be Dick’s final year competing at the National Schools Championships.
Dick last represented Guyana at the Inter-Guiana Games and was very successful.
Peters noted that for his District to win overall, each of the four teams (track and field, cycling, swimming, and Teachers) must win their respective championship or place highly.
He said the track and field, cycling, and teachers teams are very strong and are hopeful that the swimmers can place high on the points table. He sounded very confident about his cyclists winning the road race which will be held on November 19.
Another athlete Peters made mention of is Melissa Byass who will contest the 400, 800 and 1500 metre races in the under-18 age group.
Byass represented Guyana at the track and field championship at the recently concluded Inter-Guiana Games and is presently the national record holder of the under-14 800-metre having set the record in 2009.
District 15 placed 6th overall last year and will be looking to improve on that showing this year.
This year’s swimming championship will be held at the Castellani Swimming Pool, Homestretch Avenue, while the track and field, teachers and cycling championships will be contested at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

(By Michael DaSilva)