A five-day American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) clinic currently underway at the South Seas Club Aquatic Centre in Lautoka is providing local coaches with valuable knowledge and skills to help develop swimming in Fiji.
ASCA Director of International Clinics, Chad Onken, said he was honoured to be in Fiji for the first-ever Level One, Two and Three ASCA Swimming Clinic conducted in the country.
“The American Swimming Coaches Association provides education and training for coaches, and over the next five days we will be working with around 30 coaches,” Onken said.
The clinic is structured into three levels, Level One focusing on the foundations of coaching, Level Two on swimming strokes, rules and starts and Level Three looked at the psychological aspects of swimming and how coaches can maximise their effectiveness.
Onken described the clinic as a phenomenal opportunity to work alongside Fijian coaches and contribute to the growth of the sport.
Representatives from the education sector have also welcomed the initiative.
Head of the School of Education and Physical Education at the Fiji National University and lecturer Dr Varanisese Tagimaucia said the programme was important in helping teachers become better ambassadors for sport and physical activity.
She said swimming was an essential life skill and partnerships such as the ASCA clinic would help equip teachers with the knowledge and confidence needed to support aquatic sports and water safety programmes in schools.
South Seas Club chairman of trustees Jan Mohammed said the club was pleased to host the international clinic.
He noted that swimming lessons had become increasingly popular among schools.
Mohammed said the Aquatic Centre was the only facility of its kind in Lautoka and the club hoped to host national championships and competitions in the future.
