TT coach aims at Carib Champs
JAMAICA’S TABLE tennis coach Satoshi Takashima is giving the 2018 Caribbean Senior Regional Championships high priority.
He is planning to get a good result at the event which will come to Jamaica next year. Specifically, the former Japanese national player hopes to see as many Jamaicans as possible through to the semi-finals.
Though the new year will bring the Commonwealth Games and the World Team Championships, coach Takashima has his eye on a good showing at home when Jamaica hosts the Caribbean Championships next September. Speaking at the Orville Haslam Challenge Cup tournament in Falmouth on National Heroes Day, he determined, “I think this is the most important, and I have to get a good result.”
“I hope to reach the semi-finals,” he projected. He isn’t discounting the team’s other assignments and remarked, “I think we have many important matches for our senior team next year.”
Training has already begun for the Commonwealth Games which is set for April.
“We have, I think, potential if we train hard,” he evaluated.
The team’s preparation does face challenges. For the time being, its training base is the Excelsior High School Auditorium and Takashima reported, “If there some event or activity, we cannot use it.” In addition, he is planning to change the weekly day from Saturdays.
“It’s also difficult to call all players to one place at the same time, so I think I’m now planning to change my training schedule,” he added.
The coach will head home to Japan in December. He returns in January, by which time Takashima hopes both issues will be resolved.