As athletes around the world continue to battle the scourge of the ongoing pandemic, more of them are finding creative ways to remain in shape during this time of uncertainty.
For junior national volleyball player Kristoff Shepperd, the struggles are no different as social distancing practices and the closure of facilities prohibits him from refining his game.
However, he explained to Stabroek Sport that he has found solace by pushing in a few extra hours of exercise to not only keep him in shape but also to manage the stress of being confined.
Shepperd soaks up Guyana’s fresh air and the tough terrain on Guyana’s shores to conduct his personal boot camp.
“A few of us have started to train again but not specifically for any tournaments, we just needed to get out,” Shepperd said.
He added: “…other national players and myself usually go out to the Marriott Beach for beach training since it’s the only other avenue because all the other venues are closed as a precaution so we’re out there every Saturday and Sunday morning working on our fitness and skills.”
The 20-year old University of Guyana student is one of Guyana’s brightest prospects. That notion was magnified earlier in 2020 when he copped the best server award during the Inter-Guianas under – 21 volleyball tournament in French Guiana.
His tireless commitment to the sport, which he started playing just over five years ago, has been rewarding.
‘The fact that when you look around the world, volleyball is continuing so we took it upon ourselves to push in the work because no one else is coming up with different ways on how the game can resume, so a few of us decided to do something, so hopefully when the season resumes, we will be on par with where we need to be,” the young man explained. Shepperd’s game has been affected because of the limitations of only having access to the sand and cool air since guys and other training facilitates in Guyana have been closed several months now.
