Top throws coach for Zimbabwe

THE National Association Athletics of Zimbabwe (Naaz) has organised an international coach to come and conduct an international Level Two Throws Seminar to be held in Bulawayo in December.

White City Stadium in Bulawayo will be the venue for the course set to run from December 4-9.

Naaz president Tendai Tagara confirmed the latest development.

“We have managed to negotiate for the best throws coach to visit Africa and our region to run our course. As soon as we get the required number of 15 coaches, we will inform World Athletics (WA) to enter the first week of online registration,” said Tagara.

A WA director will be in charge of the course where only 15 Level One licensed coaches will be trained.

The course registration fee is US$350.

For one to secure a slot the participant must pay at least US$50 deposit.

The Level II Course is designed to be an introduction to performance coaching for coaches who have performed well at Level I and have gained a level of coaching specialisation in one of the following five event groups: Sprints and hurdles, middle/long distance running, racewalks, jumps, throws and combined events.

With this specialisation they can begin to meet their country’s needs for high level coaches. It is anticipated that the majority of Level II participants will continue to Level III.

In addition to elements specific to the events group, the Level II syllabus contains core elements which are common to all events.

On completion of a Level II course, a coach will be expected to be able to identify and coach the basic competition model for each event within an event group.

The coach will also be expected to be able to plan and implement a series of appropriate micro-cycles and their respective training sessions within the context of an annual training plan.

To make the most efficient use of resources and ensure the optimum application and activity, Level II courses will be conducted at locations within the countries of Member Federations, using WA accredited Level II Lecturers and standardised new course materials (Interactive “Coaches’ Eye”).

The course structure and timetable for Level II courses are flexible (provided certain specified requirements are met) in order to adapt to local conditions. The norm will be for an eight-day residential course.

A seven-day residential course with blended learning (E-Learning) is in production. Entry to Level II is open to coaches who pass the Level I assessment procedures, have completed a minimum of one further year of practical coaching experience and have been recommended by their national federation.

Meanwhile, Organisers of the White City Stars Academy Track and Field Championships slated for later this month have so far managed to tie down three partners as they seek to stage a bigger and more exciting competition.

The third edition of the competition will take place at White City Stadium on September 30.

Manuel Mpofu, founder of the White City Stars Academy says it is all systems go ahead of the competition.

Events on offer are 100m, 110mh, 200m, 400m, 400mh, 800m, 1 500m, 3 000m, 5 000m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin, shot put, discus.

Entry fees are pegged at $US 3 for the relays, $US2 for the seniors and $US1 for the juniors.

The previous editions of the competition have seen sponsorship from Zimbabwe’s former triple jump record holder Ndabazihle Mdhlongwa and Arnold Payne’s Africa Children’s Hope Foundation.

Mobile network operator Econet have also in the past chipped in with T-shirts and other accessories.

The club held its first event in 2021 which attracted more than 100 competitors from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, and Matabeleland South.

The event got even bigger last year with athletes from around Zimbabwe attending the meet. — @innocentskizoe