'We'll win more medals' - National coach promises better performance at CISC

LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

With confidence beaming in her eyes, national technical director of swimming, Jackie Walter, guaranteed Jamaica's swim team would win more medals at this year's Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC) than the 2006 edition.

Jamaica finished sixth at the last championships two years ago in Puerto Rico with 23 medals - six gold, eight silver and nine bronze. With a 49-member team - the island's largest for these championships - to back her claim, Walter is confident of a top-five finish.

"I guarantee we'll win more medals than we did at the last championships," said Walter yesterday at the launch of the 2008 CISC at the Sports Development Foundation office on Phoenix Avenue, Kingston.

The championships begin on Thursday at the National Stadium Pool with an opening ceremony at 6p.m., followed by a water polo match. Full action begins on Friday and ends Tuesday.

Some of the Jamaican candidates for gold include Breanna Roman (11-12 50, 100m freestyle), Stephanie Webley (11-12 50, 100m butterfly), Ramon Walton (15-17 50, 100m backstroke) and Dominic Walter (15-17 50, 100m freestyle).

Jamaica's squad will also be boosted by Olympic qualifiers Jevon Atkinson, Alia Atkinson and Natasha Moodie, who will be looking for resounding victories as they warm up for Beijing.

The championships include three events - swimming, water polo and synchronised swimming.

A total of 462 athletes and officials are expected from as many as 20 countries, but only 14 have so far confirmed partici-pation. The Games Village will be located at the Rex Nettleford Hall at the University of the West Indies.

This is Jamaica's fourth time hosting the CISC, beginning with the first championships in 1976. Jamaica were also hosts in 1994 and 2004.

Jamaica's best finish at the CISC was in 1976 when they finished second to Puerto Rico. That team included Walter, who competed in the breaststroke and relay events.

Reigning champs

Puerto Rico are currently the reigning champs and, along with Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, will provide the toughest competition for Jamaica.

While the National Stadium Pool will be the main venue, the Bournemouth Bath pool will also be used this year. The Bournemouth Bath, the major aquatic facility in Jamaica prior to the construction of the National Stadium Pool in the early 1960s, has been renovated by the Rotary Club of Kingston.

Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) president, John Eyre, said the pool will be vital long after the championships are over.

"Bournemouth will be managed by the ASAJ and the Rotary Club after the championships and will play a vital role in developing our swimming programme," said Eyre.

The junior water polo teams will play their games at Bournemouth.

Jamaica's synchronised swimmers, who finished third overall in Puerto Rico in 2006, have been fine-tuning their routines, but have been hampered by the battle for pool time.

Coach Katherine Lim Sang welcomes the news of an addi-tional pool.

"Our preparations have been going fine. Our biggest battle now is pool time. The water polo team requires the same pool space as we do and that depth of water to train in, so that's our biggest hurdle," said Lim Sang.