I WRITE to laud the Sports Ministry, and by extension, the Government for the construction of a synthetic volleyball court at the Port Mourant community center. Kudos also to the Government for developing sporting facilities in the rural communities that were neglected for decades under the PNC dictatorship. 

Sporting facilities were underdeveloped or non-existent under the PNC regime. Communities suffered tremendously without access to quality equipment and facilities to partake in sports.
As a young lad, I played volleyball at Port Mourant for several years during the 1970s before migrating to New York to further my studies. Even the studies of rural lads were neglected by the then Government.
At Port Mourant and at other community centers and schools, the court was hard. At Port Mourant it was made of concrete while others were grass or hard clay. Several of the players were prone to injuries on the concrete surface, suffering bruises and battered knees as well as damage to various parts of our bodies when we fell or dived on the concrete.

Our appeal for a proper volleyball court in Port Mourant fell on deaf ears during the time of PNC rule. Sporting activities in rural communities were neglected. During the time of the PNC regime, practically all of the sports resources were spent in and attention concentrated on the urban areas with virtually nothing for the rural communities.

Rural areas were deprived of appropriate sporting facilities. Rural communities had to produce and develop their own facilities and provide their own resources for games and other activities. We contributed our own funds (subscribe to a pool or donate money) to acquire gear and equipment in order to engage in sports. Other communities had gears given to them by the Government.

It is about time that the Corentyne has a quality volleyball court. It will attract players from throughout the county.

The court can now host games at various levels. I represented Corentyne High a few times against neighbouring schools at poor, hard courts that were detrimental to the knees. Now, quality games can be played at Port Mourant and more students attracted to the sports as a means for recreation and exercise (great workout for health fitness).

Kudos also to the government for establishing a synthetic track on the West Coast which was also deprived of quality sporting facilities during the heydays of the PNC regime that discriminated against rural people. Now, rural youths can train to become better runners and quality athletes.

It should be noted that Port Mourant produced a few quality players in volleyball — Roy Gokool (Ankerville) and Rohan Chandisingh (from neighboring Rose Hall) who practiced at Port Mourant though he also played at his home village and at Corentyne High School and Comprehensive High.

Both players represented Berbice at the national level and Guyana at the regional and international level. With a synthetic court, more Berbicians would spend greater amounts of time perfecting their skills, and providing them opportunities to be selected to represent Berbice and Guyana at various competitions. Quality games can also be attracted at Port Mourant.
I should note that volleyball is among the games played at the various international and regional competitions (Internal Olympics, Caribbean Games, Inter-American Games, Commonwealth Games, Pan-American and Central American Games, etc). It would be nice to see participants from the rural communities representing Guyana at these international events.

VISHNU BISRAM