Youths taking lead in Circle Tennis re-emergence
By Isaiah Braithwaite
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Young people are taking the lead in the re-emergence of Circle Tennis. The sport has been dormant in Guyana for more than two decades. However, the Department of Social Cohesion, through the National Sports Commission (NSC), is on a mission to revive the sport.
The commission, on Monday last, hosted several teams at the Parika Salem Community Ground. The feature of the day was a match between Visionary Youth Club and Houston Club. Meanwhile, other teams which participated included St. Pius and Flying stars of Berbice. The teams displayed their latent and enthusiasm for the game.
Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for Sport, Dr. George Norton was impressed by the willingness of the young people to be part of the game.
“It tells us, it is so important for us to promote this game so that we can get not only young people involved but the not so young. We have both teams that comprise both male and female, so we have that gender barrier being broken, also.”
The intention is to take the game countrywide to get everyone involved, and the former is the responsibility of Sports Officer of the NSC, Alistair Munroe. He highlighted that the sport is catching on like wildfire with several tournaments kicking off soon.
“We are planning a female tournament for next month, and then for Emancipation, we are looking to get the ministry to sponsor another big tournament, Heritage Month, another big tournament. So, we could say that circle tennis has burst out and is growing quickly right now in Guyana,” Munroe noted.
Visionary Youth Club emerged victorious in the feature match. Vice-Captain, Sharon Ross from the winning team of the feature match said the young people in her community are dedicated to the game, despite it being new to them.
“They are very committed to the game because rain or sun, they are at my door knocking; Miss Sharon, you are not playing today? Sometimes, I am in my bed laying down and they would just keep calling me to come out and play,” she explained.
Despite not being popular to many, the sport attracted a large crowd. Residents of the community believe it is only the beginning of something great.
Circle tennis forms part of the National Sports Policy as one of the Non-Olympic sport to be revived, and the government efforts to bring sports to the forefront once again. With that, young people from across the country have thus far taken the lead in that effort. This includes Regions 4, 3, 2 and 6.
Images: Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion