This year may very well be a landmark year for squash in Guyana.
The women’s team is set to participate at the PanAm Games in Peru in July and will look to defy the odds while Guyana is also set to host the senior squash championships later this year.
A lot is also riding on the juniors, who are keen to reclaim their regional supremacy when the junior Caribbean championship gets underway in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago a few months from now.
The crisscross nature of achieving those goals will require strong leadership as is always evident within the construct of the association, however, amidst all the expected adrenaline on the court to accomplish those attainable goals, there is also the association’s looming elections.
The day is March 3, 2019, and the incumbent David Fernandes has signalled his intention of leading the association for another tern, primarily through an expected tumultuous 2019.
“Yes, if they would have me to go back as president, I would go back. But I think, in the end, a good team is important. We do have a good team of executives, and so I think we could do it,” Fernandes revealed to Stabroek Sport recently.
Harping on the significance of 2019, Fernandes alluded to major events that are expected to be the focus of the association.
“Definitely, the focus this year is three-fold. One is preparing the juniors for Trinidad, and that’s a big focus. Generally, we’ll have a good team and I believe we will do well there.
“We have the senior women’s team heading to the PanAm Games in July and then we have senior CASA where we’ll be hosting it here…and we have been working to solidifying accommodations and sponsors and stuff like that because we need to be prepared fully,” Fernandes said.
He noted that the courts at the Racket Centre and Georgetown Club are ready for action.
One hundred athletes from seven different countries will be descending on Georgetown for that championship.
To achieve all that Fernandes alluded to, will definitely require the usual prudent approach of the association and the leadership he provides. It is therefore unlikely that he will receive any challenges for the top post.
