Going the distance at Gymnasium

Walkers briskly making their way around the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.

By Wendell Callender | Tue, May 17, 2011 - 11:00 AM

The cool morning breeze was freely flowing and the atmosphere had the naturalness of a rural estate.

It was in this environment that dozens of walkers made their mark in various ways. The presence of ladies taking their dogs for hurried exercise made a good claim for featured attractions in the morning sun.

A group walking at a brisk pace and overheard discussing religious issues was quite conspicuous as well. We soon discovered that the group was indeed affiliated to established churches.

Ronald Clarke, organist at the Providence Methodist Church for 35 years, told us that he was a regular on these walks around the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, doing his exercise routine from Monday to Friday every week. This was his way of keeping fit, he said.

Orville Wiltshire, who stood tall among the group, also identified himself as a dedicated and active officer at St Patrick’s Anglican Church, where he has been priest/ warden for the last 19 years. Monday is his day for walking around the Gymnasium. Three days a the week the retired police officer jogs on the highway.

For Mark Boyce, who was working on the exercise bars just outside the Gymnasium, an hour’s walk around the facility was followed by pull-ups on the bars. The retired banking official simply presented himself as an exercise disciple who also jogged on the streets, particularly in the Belleville, St Michael area. Sometimes he would make the trek to Browne’s Beach, which he finds attractive because of its salubrious atmosphere.

While these folks were enjoying the work on the hard surface, there were others who were getting their exercise in the pools of the Barbados Aquatic Centre. The little ones, under the watchful eye of Ancille Inniss who has been a coach there since 1997, were clearly in their element as they raced up and down the pool.

Ancille, who is also a physical education teacher at St Christopher Primary School, spoke proudly of his charges, among whom were three age group champions, Kendi Bynoe, Nkosi Dunwoody and Danielle Titus. These eager swimmers were being prepared for a number of championships, including the Speedo International in Florida next June.

We also bounced into Zhane Padmore, a national swimmer and member of the Alpha Swim Club who was going through skipping routines when she attracted our attention.

The CARIFTA medallist, calm and composed after taking a break from her exercise, explained that her activities also included running and dance, apart from the swimming workouts. A member of the Dance Place, she noted that her dance routines included ballet, jazz and contemporary.

Zhane, who is a sixth form student at Harrison College, said that while she was keeping herself fit she was at this time concentrating on her studies in economics, sociology, management of business and communication studies (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency).

On Monday morning in Wildey in and around the sporting facilities the folks kept themselves fit in various ways.