President of the Guyana Baseball League (GBL) Robin Singh is optimistic that newly elected Vice-President Inga Henry will help to make discussions at the recently concluded World Baseball Softball Congress (WBSC) Hammamet, Tunisia Africa, a reality ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Singh told Stabroek Sport yesterday that proposals surrounding Guyana’s inclusion as a member of the softball aspect of Major League Baseball were made while the members were in Africa. Guyana is a member of the Major League Baseball (MLB) federation but is not a part of the softball arena. The WBSC mandate means that Guyana must be a member of the softball format in order to make themselves available for 2020 Olympics in Japan.
As such, Henry’s appointment came at a good time according to Singh who explained that her portfolio in both baseball and softball is very credible after her years of mastering the sport in Cuba, stating that her vice-presidency will enable Guyana to quickly form a softball division.
Henry, is as a Physical Education Officer (PEO) responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Physical Education Curriculum in schools among other PE and sport related functions in the PE Department Unit of Allied Arts, Ministry of Education. She is also a teacher by profession who has also represented Guyana at the Regional Women’s 50 over tournament in 2002. The following year she nominated for a Physical Education and Sports scholarship at the International School for Physical Education and Sport in Havana Cuba.
In accepting the position and attendant responsibilities, Henry stated “I speak on behalf of the Ministry of Education/Unit of Allied Arts Physical Education Department and Myself in saying that we are in full support of the initiative taken by you personally as well as the rest of the league members in bringing this sport to Guyana.
“I would be very pleased to continue supporting this initiative and do everything in my power to ensure that school children of all ages across Guyana not only hear of but experience the thrills, excitements and success that both baseball and softball are known to bring.
“While this sport is still in its budding phase here in Guyana, it is evident the amount of work that has already been put in by you and your team and I am honored to be of service to the organization and the children of Guyana.
“I personally have always been very active and though, growing up in a very rural area limited my access to other sports besides Cricket, it was the sport that I first fell in with and incidentally the sport that led me to baseball/softball which I chose as my specialty during my five years in Cuba pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Sport.
“While most persons close to me thought I was crazy for choosing a sport that was not even heard of my most of our citizens, my love for the sport and a dream of one day teaching it to Guyanese boys and girls, motivated me to drown out the negative voice and follow my heart. So I must thank you for doing the hard work and making my dream a reality. Now let’s work together to give our Children something else to dream about and make a reality,” she concluded.
It is extremely important that we send the message to our children that sport is not an alternative to academics, when merged strategically, they contribute to the holistic development of the individual, multifaceted, healthy, happy and wealthy (not only in the financial sense if the word).
She further noted that as a teacher in her earlier years at the Corentyne Comprehensive High school, she had the most amazing experiences with her students, pointing out that even for the history and English lessons she would take pupils outside.
Singh, thanked Henry for her services to date and noted:“It is great to see the growth of people within our organization, Inga is thirty-two years old and has an opportunity to make a massive impact on the development of our nation’s youth, her life story is in itself inspiring and now she has the platform and the backing of the GBL and International Softball Federation to inspire others.”
