Windward Islands senior players in the franchise system will participate in an instructional programme called ACE, the acronym for Advancing Cricketers through Education, as of December 8, 2021.
ACE comprises a series of courses and seminars that will furnish Windwards’ cricketers with knowledge and the necessary off-the-field skills and mental tenacity to be the utmost professional, which will help them to realize their fullest potential.
A diverse group of experts will facilitate the various courses under the ACE programme. The sessions will mostly be done face-to-face. At the end of the two-month programme, each player who participated fully will receive a certificate.
Dwain Gill, Windwards Cricket’s CEO (ag), expressed that ACE is expected to bring tremendous value. “As an educator and cricket administrator, I greatly appreciate the importance of finding the synergy between education and cricket; undoubtedly, there is a correlation in performance. ACE has the potential to add immense value, positively impacting the way our cricketers play the game.”
President of the Windward Islands Cricket Board, Dr. Kishore Shallow, also shared confidence in the new programme. “ACE is a fantastic developmental opportunity that could evolve into a template for advancing our cricketers in the region. I have always been a fervent advocate for balancing education and sports, and ACE is consistent with that philosophy.”
Some of the categories covered under ACE are cricket, physical fitness, life skills, and mental skills. Specific topics include the History of West Indies cricket, Cricket analytics, Attitude and Motivation, Concentration and Managing Emotions, Communication, and Money management.
Robertson S. Henry is a multi-time award winning sports journalist from Saint Lucia, currently residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His coverage of sporting events both locally and regionally, not just landed him the Sports Journalist of the Year Award on numerous occasions, but recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2005.
Henry began his fulltime career in journalism with the now defunct Crusader Newspaper in 1994, and worked with the Voice Newspaper until 2007. He established the sports website sportcaraibe, and believes “sports is the fourth pillar in the socio-economic development of the Caribbean.”
Henry has also produced work for a number of regional newspapers including the Trinidad Guardian, Stabroek Newspaper of Guyana, and in 2010 did a photo-shoot of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke for the Australian Herald.
