Wolfpack director calls for more support ahead of Gymnastics Caribbean Classic

OVER 350 young, talented gymnasts from Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region will compete at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva from May 4-5 when Olympia Wolfpack Gymnastics Academy hosts the 15th edition of the Wolfpack Caribbean Classic.

With gymnasts from Barbados, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and the US set to test their mettle against the youngsters from as many as 15 clubs in TT, Wolfpack director and coach, Dale Ali, says this will be the largest turnout since the competition was rocked by covid19.

Last year, Ali said roughly 250 gymnasts participated at the Caribbean Classic, in what was the first staging of the tournament since covid19.

“This competition is really for the kids because we were closed down all the time for covid19,” Ali told Newsday, at the April 17 launch of the 2024 Caribbean Classic at Wolfpack’s Mucurapo base.

“Covid19 hit sports really hard. Most sports are really starting to rebuild. Before, we used to have about 450 gymnasts participating. With covid19, we had a 90 percent drop in return rate.”

With gymnasts from four to 19 set to compete at the event, Ali says a lot will be on the line for Wolfpack and other clubs in TT as the Caribbean Classic will serve as the second qualifier for the May 24-26 TT National Gymnastics Championships.

Ali has lofty ambitions for Wolfpack and TT gymnastics, and he hopes the upcoming Caribbean Classic can create more buy-in from the TT Gymnastics Federation (TTGF).

“We have kids who are preparing for the Pan American Junior Games. The goal for us is to hit clean high-scoring routines so the members of the federation could see the clubs do have the talent to really get outside there and for the national federation to invest in the clubs by implementing a national developmental programme,” Ali said.

“All the training for these kids happens in the absence of a national developmental programme. Yet still, they give us national requirements so it’s kinda unfair for our local athletes. Our local athletes get the brunt of everything,” he said.

He says local gymnastics can hit their major targets and stick their landing despite the various challenges.

“Our goal is to go to the Olympics in 2028. We’re looking to go to Los Angeles in 2028 and then Australia in 2032,” a vibrant Ali said.

Ali said TT currently follows the ten-level model of the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Developmental Programme, but he firmly believes this country should implement its own programme.

“The USA has their programme and every other country should have their own programme. TT should have its own programme because we don’t have the facilities like the US and we don’t put in the hours like the US,” Ali said.

“We don’t have the coaching expertise in terms of having Olympic athletes. The US is an Olympic nation. If the US goes to the Olympics and they come second, that’s a loss.

“This is what TT is trying to follow. It’s impossible. We had one Olympian and I don’t want to talk about (the) Thema Williams and Marisa Dick (situation). I don’t want to mention it but, it’s the hope that we learn from it.”

Next month, gymnasts from Wolfpack, as well as other local clubs such as Champion Gymnastics, Lambert School of Dance & Gymnastics, St Andrews Gymnastics and T&T Gymnastics Training Centre will rub shoulders against their counterparts from the Caribbean and the US as they look to show their elegance and proficiency in the vault, bars, beam and floor disciplines.

Gymnasts from All Pro Gymnastics (US), Dolphin Gymnastics (SVG), Flip Gym (Barbados) and Gymnastics for All and Nashida’s Gymnastics (both Jamaica) are expected to feature at next month’s Caribbean Classic.

The theme of the 2024 Caribbean Classic is “Gymnasts Gone Green,” and Ali said the aim is to “educate and motivate our gymnasts, supporters and the wider community about pollution, the drastic impact of climate change and global warming and its environmental impact on sports and more.”