admin“Yes, I am not satisfied with the developmental levels in Matabeleland and Zimbabwe as a whole. How can the sport of swimming develop when there is a shortage of swimming pools in the country?
“Just look at the western surburbs in Bulawayo there are no functional swimming pools, so how does the sport develop when there are not enough pools that serve as the backbone of the sport and what happens to the talent that goes untapped in those areas?” she asked.
Riley said this limited accessibility to swimming facilities in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces which made the swimming discipline out of reach to most people who could be the next best thing in swimming, dragged the sport down.
“There are no functional pools in Government schools at the moment and as such where do the bulk of children who could be our talented swimmers swim to realise their dreams?
“For the country to produce top class swimmers in the mould of Mandy Leach and Kirsty Coventry there is need for a large number of individuals partaking in the sport so that there is a much wider selection base so as to capture the best of the best.
“At the moment there are around 500 registered swimmers in the country and about 200 of those are from Bulawayo.
“This simply is not a good enough platform for producing another Kirsty Coventry, we need a much wider base of talent to work with so that we can come up with exceptional talent. This is what I tell all the people who ask me when I will bring out another Kirsty,” said Riley.
On a brighter note Riley praised the talent that represents Matabeleland at the moment and said although swimming was dominated by Mashonaland in terms of numbers, in terms of comparisons per swimmer Matabeleland came out tops.
“We can never beat Mashonaland because the ratio is against us but the few swimmers that we send to represent the region always do very well individually,” she said.
She commended the Bulawayo City Council for working with the provincial board at the City Pool.
On another note, parents from Victoria Falls have described it as taxing for them to travel to Bulawayo for competitions. There is no competition in Matabeleland North’s urban centres as they are forced to come for competitions.
“All competitions are held in Bulawayo so we have to drive every two weeks to participate so you can imagine the ordeal we go through to bring the children here.
“However, we are not complaining because it is worth it at the end of the day since it is for our children’s benefit,” said a parent from Victoria Falls.
Helen, the Zambezi Tigers team coach, jokingly said what made their team competitive was that they made their members out-swim the Zambezi crocodiles.
Online Reporter