Young female volleyball players continue to train, despite not knowing when they will compete in the Junior Caribbean Volleyball Championships (JCVC).
The biennial volleyball tournament caters to national teams from around the region. It was postponed because no country under the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association's (CAZOVA) umbrella agreed to host the female championships. The junior men's tournament was held in Jamaica, July 21-28. The Bahamas placed sixth overall.
Executives in the governing body for the sport in the country, the Bahamas Volleyball Federation (BVF) encouraged the squad to continue training, stating that a window of opportunity is still there.
"I heard from the CAZOVA president, who told me that hosting is a problem, because of the economic downturn worldwide," said Joseph Smith, first vice president in the federation. "A lot of countries are bowing out.
They just can't sustain it, financially.
"The original host was Jamaica. They turned around and said they couldn't do both, and was opting out of both, but they went to their government and was able to host one. They are still in the process of trying to find a host for the women. But no country has stepped forward as yet, because these tournaments are becoming very expensive. But there is a window, from this date to January."
If the championship is canceled, the BVF plans to send the squad to several tournaments. Smith said it is the plan to keep the girls together, even though they are not affected directly. He said that the junior program is in a rebuilding stage ever since the age was changed.
He added: "Not going doesn't mean that they won't be going anywhere. I am still working with Jason and, hopefully, they can get a tournament in before the end of the year. (It's) at least a yardstick to see where they are at.
"When you are rebuilding, it will take you about two or three years to do so successfully. You don't have that leeway in the juniors like that, because they are constantly changing the age. So every time they drop the age, the junior athletes become inactive when they become 18 years old. That is more detrimental to the sport than traveling. I will say the age change hurt us more because you have to continue to rebuild."
Training sessions for the female team is held at the DW Davis gymnasium, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. The developmental program is headed by Jason Saunders, who is assisted by Shedrick Forbes and Kurtwood Green Sr.

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