A very important symposium was held at the Red Cross headquarters in Charlestown, on Tuesday 31st January.
On that day, the Red Cross Society hosted a training session for Coaches on Nevis, under the caption: CARE FOR YOUNG ATHLETES.
The session was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education.
The presenter was Dr. Patrick Martin, well known Pediatrician within the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and an ardent sports fan and commentator.
He refreshed his keen listeners on basic biological concepts, as to the makeup of the human body and how it works, before venturing into specific coaching techniques, suited for particular ages and stages of development of the young athletes.
He also spoke to the issue of nutrition: When to eat; what to eat; how much to eat.
He even spoke about the types of drinks athletes should use and those they should not use.
He opined that the best drinks for young athletes would be pure water and coconut water.
He noted that they should eat their breakfast like a King/Queen; lunch like a prince/princess and supper like a pauper.
He emphasized the importance of BREAKFAST, which essentially is important to BREAK THE FAST.
He also saluted the efforts of Nurse Roxanne Brookes and the Red Cross Society and indeed the other health professionals who were present, noting that they all worked as a team, to assist the athletes in achieving maximum rewards for their efforts.
The session concluded with quite a number of questions from the coaches, which led to an intriguing discussion period.