National Gas Company keeps local track and field coaches active during pandemic

THE National Gas Company (NGC) of TT Ltd has embarked on a journey to provide knowledge to approximately 80 teachers and coaches by offering virtual sessions.

A NGC media release on Friday said, “The aim of this intervention is to reduce the interruption to training programmes by facilitating the development of online coaching best practices in TT.”

The release said sessions such as online facilitation and online platforms, introduction to virtual coaching and getting started with physical literacy, will be facilitated by the Youth Training and Employment Partnership programme and Sport for Life, a non-governmental organisation based in Canada.

“These sessions seek to expose coaches and teachers unfamiliar with using online platforms to the tenets of teaching online and using the platforms to coach sport virtually.”

Sporting teams, athletes and National Governing Bodies have had to adjust to virtual platforms since the covid19 pandemic started to affect TT in March 2020.

“The online coaching training sessions commenced on March 10, 2021 and continue into April 2021. Following this, NGC will move toward digitisation of its NGC Right on Track and Kids Athletics programme as we continue to operate in the new normal.”

NGC president Mark Loquan said, “We continue to navigate these unchartered waters and prepare for a new way of life that is safe in our current environment. By moving these activities to a virtual platform, our youth will see little disruption to their sessions and our coaches and teachers will be able to seamlessly continue the great work they have been doing.”

NGC has supported track and field in TT for over 20 years.

“NGC is passionate about sport, which has been part of our corporate social responsibility investment portfolio for the last 22 years. We are especially ardent as it relates to sports and its positive impact on our younger nationals. It is a well-known fact that sport adds value to the primary school life of kids, contributing to the physical, social, and mental well-being of students.”

In 1999, NGC developed its signature NGC Right on Track programme, and in 2015, through its partnership with the National Association of Athletics Administrations supported the Kids Athletics programme.

The Ministry of Education has also recognised the work of NGC.

“Based on our historical support of athletics and our programmes, the Ministry of Education gave NGC official approval to integrate its development programmes—Right on Track and Kids Athletics—into the school curriculum. This allowed for the training and development of teachers and coaches, and the development of monitoring and evaluation systems.”