BARBADOS’ men’s and women’s national beach volleyball teams have advanced to the next phase of Olympic qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Playing in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend, the Bajan ladies finished second to the hosts, while the men came third, in the CAZOVA sub group of the North, Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) Continental Beach Volleyball Cup Olympic Qualification Series.
Barbados were represented by the women’s pairs of Sharon Bovell/Anthazia Mason and Anicia Wood/Shari Mathews, while in the men’s division, it was Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens and Jamaal Nedd/Hugh Sealey.
Manager/coach Paul White said he was satisfied with the performances of the squad.
“We achieved our set goals for this tournament. The players delivered, particularly the men, who faced the toughest challenge in reaching the final four.
“They were no easy games in that men’s pool and nothing could be taken for granted,” he said.
“Our ladies played excellent beach volleyball in the earlier matches to reach the final without dropping any games, but over-confidence and complacency proved to be their undoing in the match-up with Trinidad and Tobago in the final,” he added.
Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Curacao, Jamaica, Suriname, US Virgin Islands and Trinidad and Tobago were the eight participating countries. The top four qualified for the next round.
The next Olympic qualification assignment for Barbados is slated for next June.
There will be the play-off between the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Zonal sub-grouping top four countries of Antigua, Dominica, St Lucia and St. Kitts and the CAZOVA top four of Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica among the men, and Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and Curacao among the women.
“The revamped Olympic qualification process for beach volleyball means [that] now for the first time small countries like Barbados have a real opportunity to qualify for the big stage that is London 2012,” White remarked.
“The only way our teams can continue improving is by playing at a high level against quality opposition, as court time in a competitive environment serves to reinforce what we do at practice.
“For 2011, we therefore will be exploring the opportunities for training and competition with contacts I have in Brazil as well as North America to make certain that our teams get the best possible preparation,” he added.
White said it was important for the public and corporate Barbados to assist the Barbados Volleyball Association (BVA) in giving the beach volleyball national teams all the necessary support to make the 2012 London Olympics a real possibility.
“As part of our mental preparations, I have instilled in this present group of players that it’s not about the team or the individuals who step out onto the court to serve that first ball,” he said.
“It is all about the 280 000 plus persons they represent when they put on that uniform. It is about country.
“I am happy to say I am working with a committed group of people who understand this and have responded well.” (EZS/PR)
