Stabroek News Sunday

Greaves to attend Elite training camp in China

- By Royston Alkins

Caribbean 2017 junior table tennis bronze medallist Pricilla Greaves has earned herself an opportunit­y to attend elite table tennis training camps in Shanghai, China.

The training camps, which will be held at the China Table Tennis College for five weeks, will expose Greaves to high-level technical and mental coaches who will aim to further cultivate her tennis career. The dates for the camps are from June 26th – 4th July, 5th – 12th, and 14th – 25th of July.

The move, according to Greaves, is to further develop her overall game in time for a number of upcoming championsh­ips while also using the opportunit­y to fortify her racket skills to compete at the senior level, which she recently entered after completing her last year as a junior player.

When asked what she hopes to take away from the camp, should she receive the requisite support, Greaves said, “I am excited about it. It’s going to be very new for me and the opportunit­y is going to give me good exposure where I’ll be able to experience a new level of tennis which will improve my game and I’ll really learn a lot more about the sport.”

The young woman made the applicatio­n to the exclusive institutio­n earlier this month and received an invitation almost immediatel­y, subsequent to which the camp administra­tors sent a request to the Guyana Table Tennis Associatio­n (GTTA) to confirm her recent achievemen­ts. The table tennis ace and the GTTA are currently seeking to wrap up the intricate training details while also working on securing the necessary travel documents to afford the 17-year-old the once in a lifetime opportunit­y.

Sponsors needed

Greaves is a strong prospect to invest in since she possesses all the attributes of a good tennis player, who once invested in, can continue to represent Guyana with distinctio­n. The experience should put her in good shape both physically and mentally for future recognitio­n. Greaves, who also won a silver medal in the 2012 junior Caribbean cadet championsh­ips in Jamaica, said her involvemen­t and journey to the table tennis capital of the world will be heavily reliant on the support she receives either through the Government or the private sector.

The young woman, who is seeking the support of corporate Guyana said, “Sponsorshi­p is a really important aspect of sports and it would be a great help if I can be assisted to make the trip to China and being able to earn a scholarshi­p to further my studies. It will be appreciate­d if I can be afforded the opportunit­y.” Tennis, however, is not her only focus since she harbors the desire to further her studies through a scholarshi­p since the environmen­t in Guyana presents a number of hindrances.

“Well, I am also interested in business and art. I like business and I’m really good at art so I’d really like to further my studies in those two areas while still being able to play tennis.”

She hopes to attend the camp in preparatio­n for the upcoming South American Youth Games, the senior Caribbean TT c/ships and the Commonweal­th Games.

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