LOCAL volleyball has been getting a much-needed boost recently and is now making moves in the right direction to be soon recognised as one of the premier sports in Guyana. Through its affiliation to the CSV (South American Volleyball Confederation) and under the stewardship of president John Flores, the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) is benefiting from a number of international engagements and showing that volleyball can become a sport to help bring recognition to Guyana on the international scene.
On the heels of a recently concluded South American Beach Volleyball tournament held in Ecuador, where Guyana was represented by two teams and managed to pull off an upset victory against a much higher rated Peru team, the local men are now in preparation for the CSV male indoor championship to be held in Maceio, Brazil from September 27 to October 5.
In preparation for their upcoming international engagement the national selectors, led by long-standing senior and junior national coach Levi Nedd, have shortlisted 21 players from Demerara and Berbice who have commenced training today under newly appointed assistant national coach Ian Wills.
Wills will conduct practice sessions for the Demerara-based players, while the Berbice players will go through their paces under the guidance of Nedd.
Meanwhile, the GVF president expressed his satisfaction with the direction which the sport is going and pledged his commitment to continue utilising the relationship that the local federation has developed with the CSV for the benefit of the sport’s development.
The Federation also announces that preparation is under way to host a Volleyball Cooperation Programme sponsored by the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB).
The course will be facilitated by Julio Morales, a FIVB international coach out of the USA and is set for September 5-9 at the National Gymnasium.
The players shortlisted are: Wendell Austin, Corwyn Richards, Trevlon McRae, Quacy Matheson, Jamal Duncan, Shemroy Ross, Creston Rodney, Ian Bagott, Jason Seelochan, Beepaul Bandoo, Akeem Bowling, Adriel Moore, Errol Fingal, Luen David, Devendra Latchman, Vance Harding, Khemraj Singh, Xavier Lambert, Joshua Jagmohan and Samuel Fraser