Thomas lauds FMT’s staff after TT badminton awards

NICKOLAI MADRAY

FMT Sports Club took away the lion’s share of awards, to be named Club of the Year as the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association (TTBA) held its annual awards ceremony at the National Cycling Centre, Couva, on Sunday.

FMT’s Renaldo Sinanan and T’shelle Barnes won the Male and Female Junior Players of the Year respectively, while FMT’s Melvin Thomas took the Coach of the Year title.

Shuttle Force Badminton Club had an impressive evening as well, securing both senior titles. Jada Renales copped the Female Player of the Year, while Alistair Espinoza was crowned the Male Player of the Year, but FMT got the nod for the Club of the Year award by sweeping the juniors.

FMT coach Thomas spoke about the club’s success and the importance of having a strong support staff.

“I would like to highlight the coaching staff at the club, because without them none of this is possible. We have plans and objectives that we set out to achieve throughout each age group level, just like in any other club, but the secret is implementing the plan and that is where the hard work begins,” he said.

Discussing the success of his junior athletes, Thomas said, “Remember, the majority of coaching is voluntary and this is the best part about this whole thing, the joy in seeing these youths and the new wave of athletes reach their potential and blossom into future stars of the sport.”

Sinanan, Male Under 19 and Junior Player of the Year, said he tapped into his potential last year and reached another level in his performance.

“Throughout the year, I was basically telling myself take each game one at a time, do not stress yourself and stay focused in the moment.

By doing that, it took pressure off of me as I was able to take my time and execute my abilities at the right time,” he said. The Sixth Form student at Holy Cross College continued, “These awards have a major say in my career so far, because they remind me of the hard work I have invested over the year, and this not only encourages me to work harder to surpass these achievements, but to also adopt this mindset throughout life.”

Shuttle Force’s Relitsa Wong claimed the Under-19 Female Player of the year and said, “Throughout the season, I have seen significant improvements in my game which brought a lot of success this year, including this title.”

Wong, who will be considered a senior heading into the 2018 season, added, “I am very happy to use this moment as motivation for me to keep moving forward and achieving greater success in 2018 and pushing myself harder in upcoming tournaments.”

HONOUR ROLL:

Age Group Awards

Under 11 Male - Nadav Singh

Under 11 Female - T’shelle Barnes

Under 13 Male - Travis Sinanan

Under 13 Female - Amara Joachim

Under 15 Male - Reece Marcano

Under 15 Female - Cathline Ramroop

Under 17 Male - Leon Cassie

Under 17 Female - Sandhya Cassie

Under 19 Male - Renaldo Sinanan

Under 19 Female - Relitsa Wong

Overall Categories

Senior Male - Alistair Espinoza

Senior Female - Jada Renales

Junior Player of the Year Male - Renaldo Sinanan

Junior Player of the Year Female - T’shelle Barnes

Masters - Derek Singh, Andre Lewis

Most Improved Male - Vance Juteram

Most Improved Female - T’shelle Barnes

Most Improved Club - Central Badminton Academy and Club (CBAC)

Club of the Year - FMT Sports Club

Coach of the Year - Melvin Thomas.