Cricket

Matthew's dad Ross, introduced Matthew to cricket since he could walk. He was taught all the signs for 6, 4 and out. I learnt as well what they were ..LOL.  I imagine this is the scene in many households.


The IPL (Indian Premiere League) is happening now and it is only fitting that Cricket be discussed.

Cricket is a staple in Trinidad, and is played in school from primary to secondary levels. It is no longer limited to boys and is slowly gaining popularity in girls, more so since our women were part of the West Indies team that was victorious at the ICC Women's World Twenty20 in 2016.

Listed below are two camps. The first is located in Central and the latter in Port of Spain.

K Rampat Cricket Academy

Highly qualified and experienced coaches deliver a remarkably challenging and riveting programme to children between the ages of 5 and 16. Kumar Rampat has been at the helm of all the development work of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board for the past fifteen years. They are based in Central Trinidad.

Services include:

1) Cricket Coaching
2) Personalized Coaching

Contact

Mobile: 293-5608

krampatcricketacademy@gmail.com

FaceBook

Queen's Park Cricket Club

Cricket Training
QPCC’s Cricket Coaching School is run by Gregory Davis at the QPCC indoor nets on Saturday & Sundays, 9:30am to 11:00 am. There is an hour session on Sundays from 8.30 am to 9.30am catering for 4 to 7 year olds

Contact their office at 622-3787/2295 for further information.

QPCC


Are there any clubs in the East?

Ballet Dance

The moms in Matthew's class have been reading earnestly on the various activities posted and their one wish is to have some activities specifically for the girls! This post is for my "mummy friends" with daughters - Ballet Classes at Le Ballet School.

     

Where it Started

Ballet dance originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has been globally influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other dance genres.

Becoming a ballet dancer requires years of training. Baller has been taught in various schools around the world, which have incorporated their own cultures to evolve the art.

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Location & Start

Le Ballet School is located in St Augustine and offers classes in classical ballet from 4 years to adult. Classes are designed for the study of ballet and its syllabus includes technical steps, music education, character steps and mime.

The new term starts Mon 24 April @ YWCA, St Augustine and Sat 29 April @ Atwell's Tacarigua.

Contact: 225-2807​

Email: leballetschooltt@gmail.com

Join School

Do Ballerina shoes have a special name or is it simply "ballerina shoes"?

Tobago Cocoa Estate W.I LTD

The Easter Holidays are here and a quick trip to Tobago with Matthew for rest and relaxation. In addition to the beach I decided we would search for something new, something different to explore and found the Tobago Cocoa Estate, located in Roxborough.

The drive to Roxborough was lovely and a break from the hustle and bustle traffic in Trinidad. When we got there we were greeted by a sprawling estate. The tour arrangements were booked days in advance.  The other persons awaiting the start of the tour were mostly European tourists.


The tour guide was well informed and he explained at lengths how to grow cocoa and then the harvesting process. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that cocoa was exported towards the manufacture of the chocolate bar "Tobago Estates Chocolate". We were given samples of cocoa pods to taste after it was cracked open. This was all new to Matthew as we do not grow fruits or vegetables at home. He did not like to taste of the small pods, however when we were offered samples of their chocolate, it was met with quite the opposite reaction - lots of YUM! Matthew did not like trekking through the heat, but he was most interested in what the tour guide had to say and his explanation on growing and processing cocoa.

Visit the site for tour bookings and other information:

Tobago Cocoa Estate

Did you know this estate existed before? Should there be more advertising?

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is not very popular in our country but with T&T representation at the last Olympics, there seem to be more interest now. Marisa Dick is the first T&T national to represent us at the Olympic games.

A little history....

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, endurance and control. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, chest and abdominal muscle groups. Alertness, precision, daring, self-confidence and self-discipline are mental traits that can also be developed through gymnastics.  Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.

In my search to discover if there were any classes offered in Trinidad, I went to the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation's site. I was surprised to discover over ten (10) clubs listed, see below:

Gymakron: gymakron@yahoo.com

Tots & Tumblers Gymnastics Club: annettet@tstt.net.tt  www.totsandtumblers.com

Lamberts School of Dance & Gymnastics: lamberts@rochfords.org

St. Andrews School Gymnastics: 4.sandra@hotmail.com , gdcdesigns@hotmail.com

Lee's Gymnastics Club: gymnastics.funtastics@gmail.com

Mucurapo Artistic Achievers Gymnastics Club: lexianagymnastics@yahoo.ca   

Rhythmika School of Rhythmic Gymnastics: club_rhythmika@yahoo.com 

Gymnastics Training Centre: susan41@hotmail.com 

International School Gymnastics Club: aali@isps.edu.tt

Gymnastics Explorers: ictopaz@hotmail.com

Olympia Gymnastics Club: ogc.tt@hotmail.com

S&S Gymnastics Club: nalie88@hotmail.com

Gym Dynamics: gym_d@hotmail.com


Do you think gymnastics in Trinidad is more popular among boys than girls?



Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation

Swimming

Swimming I believe is a must have skill for every child. It can offer some peace of mind to parents who know their kids are strong swimmers, especially as children grow older into the teenage years and are exposed to pools and beaches with their friends alone.

Since Matthew was five years old, we started him with swimming classes. However we seemed to not find a good fit between coach and him. The main disadvantage was waiting on his turn (behind 12 -15 kids)  to return to the water to try the new stroke demonstrated at the start of class. Eventually we stopped him from the class as progress was deemed barely noticeable and instead enrolled him in a class for individual attention - one on one. Finally we saw progress, the coach was moving at his pace and Matthew spent the majority of time in the pool, except for when they would come out to practice the hand movements.

Facts on Swimming Sessions:

Choose an instructor that is child centered

• 
  
Arrange private classes for 1 child or can even include other siblings or cousins to take group up to four. Use this option if regular classes leave little progress.

Regular swim classes are less expensive than private and offers your child the social factor of making new friends. \

Always supervise your child regardless of how many coaches are around. There's no such things as too much supervision when it comes to your child's safety around water.

Community Swimming Pools (Source: ttconnect)

Facility	Location	Telephone No.	Email
Diego Martin Swimming Pool	Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard Diamond Vale, Diego Martin	(868) 633-6756	dmcsp@sport.gov.tt
Sangre Grande Swimming Pool	Sukhram Street, Sangre Grande	(868) 668-1180	sgcsp@sport.gov.tt
La Horquetta Swimming Pool	Slinger Francisco Boulevard, La Horquetta	(868) 643-3609	lhcsp@sport.gov.tt
Couva Swimming Pool	Railway Street, Couva	(868) 636-6606	couvacsp@sport.gov.tt
Siparia Swimming Pool	Park Street, Siparia	(868) 649-9571/2	sipariacsp@sport.gov.tt

Do you know of other clubs that offer swimming classes to children?

Tennis

On television, the sport of Tennis appears effortless to its onlookers. Three years ago Matthew and I signed up to learn how to play tennis. It was supposed to be two different classes, but there were no other adults and I was left with no other choice but to learn with a group of 8 and 9 year olds. It was at first embarrassing as they learned faster than I but Matthew had the most fun laughing at me.

Picking a tennis coach:

What are you looking for -  Advanced tuition? Social development? General fitness?

• Do you need to buy a tennis racket prior to your child joining the class? Ask coach before buying
• Are there any specific clothes they need to wear? This will depend on the venue and the coach.

Benefits of Tennis

Tennis is a great sport for developing hand-eye coordination, gross motor control through court movement and ball striking, balance and body coordination, all the while building acceleration, speed, leg strength, agility and flexibility. Tennis also promotes overall good health in children through improved bone strength, density and a robust immune system.

List of Clubs in Trinidad

Share your feedback on Clubs you are part of .....



Video Showing 9 Year Old Prodigy

Football

In Trinidad and Tobago there are several football clubs that cater to both the preteens and teens for both boys and girls.

Matthew is totally in awe with football as he is always on his Xbox playing FIFA and of course with his character as the famous Messi footballer in either a Barcelona or Argentina game against the much dreaded Ronaldo (in his mind) as he won the golden boot in 2016.

If Matthew could play this virtual game with so much passion, why not the real deal.

On searching the internet for clubs, I realized there were several out there, they all looked good but how do we choose? In the end we settled for the one who began conducting classes at his school on a weekday - SKHY. The coaches were well trained and brought a new level of discipline to Matthew's world. The registration process was simple. The lady was extremely pleasant and allowed Matthew to change into the uniform immediately to join the class with the rest of children. Yes there were girls too on the team and they were better than some of the boys!

A few weeks into the program and SKHY had arranged a friendly tournament with another club. Matthew was selected to play and it was all he could talk about for a week. Every night he would watch YouTube highlights of games Messi played in, as if to get tips for the upcoming game. This was fascinating to see, he was enjoying himself running up and down and interacting with the other kids.

See below for SKHY's contact information. Do you know of any other great football clubs for kids?

Contact Information

98 Eastern Main Road

Cane Farm

Tacarigua

Trinidad and Tobago

  + 1 868 640 7921

support@skhyfc.com

website

Article on tournament with young players


Do you feel football is equally popular among our girls?