Dear Editor,
I was in awe with regard to the organisation and competition in the just concluded four-day Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Tournament which concluded on Sunday 11, 2011 at the National Gymnasium. For the very first time I ventured out to grace the event with my presence and it was one of the greatest sports events I have ever attended. First of all, admission was free.
Second, I saw a wide cross-section of local sports‘ fans in attendance, and the same applies to all the team members.
Of course, there were persons cheering for their favourite teams, but overall, it was a well-behaved crowd. Comfort was at its peak, and it was like being among an entirely different group of the human species. I vividly remember witnessing two players rolling out a filled trash bin and replacing it with an empty one, and persons were using the bin to discard their personal items.
During the breaks, I also saw persons using the trash bin outside the stadium, and while I am sure there were items left around the seating area, it is my belief that this was minimal.
During the last day of competition I happened to be sitting in a particular section where I realised that there were some prominent business people, and again, it was my opinion that they are very down to earth persons.
I happened to have a brief conversation with Mr Shuffler and Mr Dwayne Scott, who were introduced to me as members of the Guyana Hockey Federation, and I have to say that they were very forthcoming with information I needed and they make good representatives of the sports body.
As for the hockey, I was very, very impressed with the performances and sportsmanship displayed by the athletes, and it’s amazing to witness the wonders a hockey stick does in competition along with the speed of an athlete as the driving force behind the stick.
Kudos to the respective teams for their participation and the overall winners. The highlight of one of the most anticipated finals had to be between the Old Fort and GCC in the men‘s final, which I believe had almost everyone on the edge of their seats.
These were powerful finals.
Yours faithfully,
T Pemberton
