Trinidad and Tobago will be seeking our fifth consecutive victory at the Annual Goodwill Swim Meet which splashes off this Friday in Barbados.
The team is being managed by Nefertiti Acosta-Yates with the Head Coach being Mark Alexis.
Multiple CAC gold-medalist Dylan Carter, who also represented T&T at Goodwill back in 2008, was present at the last team session on Saturday at the Aquatic Centre, and gave words of advice to the young athletes.
The Goodwill Swim Meet is a developmental meet where swimmers who have represented Trinidad and Tobago at CARIFTA, CCCAN and higher level meets, are excluded. Carter, who would have been eligible for CARIFTA in 2008, did not qualify for CARIFTA.
Following the Goodwill experience in 2008, in Carter’s second year in the 11-12 age group in 2009, he swam to eight Carifta records, two national records, eight gold and one silver medal at his first CARIFTA in Aruba.
On Saturday, Carter relayed to the athletes his journey from the Goodwill Swim Meet in 2008.
He expressed his disappointment about being dropped from the national water polo team in 2008 but said he decided to attend swim training in afternoons. His coach at the time, Franz Huggins, encouraged him to try out for the Goodwill Swim Team and the National Goodwill Trials was his first competitive swim meet.
Eight years later, he was in a World Senior Championships final.
He encouraged the athletes to use disappointments to their advantage as it can open doors for them, and acknowledged the Goodwill Swim Meet as one of the stepping stones to his success.
Meanwhile, both Acosta-Yates and Alexis are confident of T & T’s chances of defending their title
“The pressure is on for us to deliver our fifth consecutive victory. However, we are confident that we have a combination of experience and talent, and an overall enthusiasm that will make us a force to be reckoned with,” she said.
Alexis was more assured of the team’s prospects.
“The team has great depth all round with a very solid composition of athletes, especially with those who are knocking on the doors of Carifta and CCCAN,” he said.
“Based on performances at National Age Group Short Course, the team selected and coaches working behind the scenes, I’m looking forward to fast swims, top three finishes and when the ‘dust settles’ TTO with the top spot.”
The team departs on Thursday at 8:50pm and the swimmers will complete the last of their meet preparation with their clubs this week as their last national training session was held at the National Aquatic Centre last Saturday.
The team is captained by 15-17 age group athletes Brandon Coombs and Bianca Prevatt and will include eight and under girls Alyssa Reid, Netania Edwards, Asia-Marie Pouchet and Tamia Archibald.
The eight and under boy’s team will be comprised of Rylan Thomas, Adam Scoon, Alejandro Agard and Zaheed Walter.
The 9-10 girls are Keryn Burke, Shauna Nelson, Madara Edwards, Atiyah Walter while the 9-10 boys will be Giovanni Rivas, Zachary Anthony, Liam Carrington and Jacob Cox.
The 11-12 girls will be represented by Kiara Goodridge, Amari Ash, Sharana Balkaran, Daniella Blackman with the boys being represented by Dillon Jaglal, Nathan Pascall, Keron Kotiah, and Justin Hassranah.
In the 13 - 14 girls, TT will field Isabella Edwards, Patricia-Lee Ravello, Naomi Walters and Jaedra Douglas with the boys’ team being comprised of Aaron Stuart, Gardel Elcock, Nicholas Francois and Prince Moreau.
The 15-17 girls will have Kami Morean, Courtney Lawrence, Bianca Prevatt, and Analee Maharaj with Jordon McMillan, Brandon Coombs, Dante Williams and Jamaal Pascall representing the boys.