SEAN NERO
Reeza Burke, outgoing president of the T&T Table Tennis Association (TTTTA) says the commitment of his executive to recognise, harness and retain talent within the sport to ensure that this country was not bereft of gifted players, was among the triumphs for his administration over the past four years.
He said the skills athletes possessed ensured that this country benefitted from the highest representation at all tournaments: home and abroad.
The executive's second consecutive two-year term of office ends on January 31.
Under the TTTTA constitution, officers cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position. On vacating office, they were, however, allowed to offer themselves for other positions.
In a T&T Guardian interview, Burke reviewed his tenure and said, "The most rewarding experiences were, we have successfully seen the mantle for representation for national players on the senior team being handed over to younger and younger and more-talented players. So, we know that in terms of long-term development we are on the right track. Our focus on youth development over the past four years reaped significant rewards; not only on the national scene but on the regional scenes as well."
Burke challenged the incoming leaders to strike a balance between elite athletes and players who occupied the table for fun.
Despite the fact that these players represented T&T, he said, there was a need to develop and sustain the recreational side of the sport which in his view was larger in terms of young people, middle age and the elderly.
Burke said this category of players had a significant role to play as ambassadors, as they spread the gospel of the sport.
Burke said: "We all know we function and medal at a Caribbean level for the past ten years. The number of medals won at those Games have increased but when you go to a Latin American Championships, like the Central American and Caribbean Games, you have the best players in this hemisphere participating. So for our players to go to the CAC championships and actually come back with a bronze medal is phenomenal.
He added: "Achievements in 2014 started with the Pan American Festival in July, which was a qualifying event for the PanAm Games. Rheann Chung was third. That was followed by our attendance at the Commonwealth Games where our women were able to reach quarter finals. Then at the CAC Games in Mexico, our highlight was a bronze medal."
One project that his executive explored during its tenure but was unable to execute was the hosting of a roving community caravan for table tennis. They were, however, able to improve the standing of clubs situated in rural areas despite issues related to equipment.