PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 30,
2013 - A VCP players' course for Haiti's junior as well as senior
men's and women's national teams was held from April 12 to 22 under
the leadership of FIVB instructor Andre Glaive of France.
A total of ten training sessions
were held for the boys' and girls' teams, which concentrated on
fundamental techniques as well as offensive and defensive
organisation. While the aim was to help these youngsters improve
their playing skills, it also served to bring to the forefront some
budding talent with potential to join the senior national team next
year.
Four individual training sessions
were organised for each position of the men's senior national team
ahead of their participation in the second round of qualification
for the 2014 World Championships. The ten group training sessions
then focused on offensive and defensive organisation as well as
defensive transitions with the help of attacks and free balls.
Likewise, the women's senior team also took part in four individual
training sessions.
At the press conference organised
around the course, there were a dozen journalists representing two
newspapers in Port-au-Prince as well as representatives from the
local radio and TV stations present. Haiti's Minister of Sports was
also on hand to lend his support to the national teams before his
departure for Santa Lucia.
The course provided a good
opportunity for instructor André Glaive to take stock of the
progress that has been made in the country since his first visit in
2011 after the devastating earthquake that hit the country in
2010.
"The road to development is long,"
said Glaive "but they [the Haitian people] have made enormous
progress over the past three years." The volleyball community in
Port-au-Prince has benefitted from the construction of a covered
court with a permanent floor, which allows the national teams to
train in excellent conditions and host competitions in their
zone.
Glaive also applauded the
federation's new organisational structure and underscored the
importance of their support and that of the FIVB in furthering the
sport of volleyball in the country.