Theory into Practice, Successful Formula in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Courtesy of ITTF

July 24, 2015 – Situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was the recent home for a Basic Umpires Course; a three day itinerary, proceedings commenced on Monday July 20th and concluded on Wednesday July 22nd.

Organized under the auspices of the ITTF Development Program, a total of 13 students, nine men and four women, attended; home for the whole proceedings was Saint Vincent Grammar School in Kingstown, the capital city.

The expert on duty was Costa Rica’s Silvia Garro; she arranged a schedule that involved both theory and practice.

Second Day
“On the second day of course there was a practical session staged throughout the whole of the afternoon”, said Silvia Garro. “We organized groups, the students played matches; those who were not playing fulfilled the role of being umpires.”

Welcome Visitor
Aimed principally at improving the level of officiating in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; notably Tyrone Jack, President of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association, attended but there was one visitor from foreign shores.

Taramattie Bansi travelled from Trinidad and Tobago.

“Now I understand better what you meant in the theory part”, said Taramattie Bansi. “After the practical session I understand better some things that were not so clear, like the doubles sequence, I am a person that needs to see and do to learn.”

Show and Learn
See and learn, basically Taramattie Bansi underlines the principles of teaching. Tell the students and they do not learn, show the students and they learn.

“Theory is one thing but to do it is another”, said Romano Spencer underlining the opinion Taramattie Bansi. “You have to be aware of so many things at the same time, umpiring is not as easy as I thought.”

Now the students who attended are well aware of what is needed to be an official; certainly Silvia Garro was delighted with the response of all concerned and was in doubt that it had been a most valuable three days.

Fast Learners
“In my opinion it was good, they were fast learners; also it helped that all of them were involved in table tennis”, said Silvia Garro. “They did a great job and they promise they will practice in national tournaments, they didn´t have any umpires before; now they have ten in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, one more in Trinidad and Tobago.

Successful Students
Eleven students passed the course: Taramattie Bansi, Damion Dublin, Tyrone Jack Giles Garraway, Sean Stanley, Desmond Shallow, Deighton King, Romano Spencer, Joseph Carrington, Westfield Williams, Unica Velox.

The highest grade was Romano Spencer who recorded a mark 92 per cent.

Furthermore, he was the youngest in the group, he is 26 years old.

Basic Umpires Course: A positive response and high success rate in Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines
Photos courtesy of Silvia Garro