The Tribune

THE Bahamas Olympic Committee and Equestrian Bahamas are proud to announce that local equestrian trainer Erika Adderley successfully completed the Pan-American Sports Organisation’s Continental Technical Course of High-Level Jumping, which was hosted by the Mexican Olympic Committee in Mexico City.

Adderley’s participation was sponsored by the Bahamas Olympic Committee. The five-day course featured 24 participants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Peru, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. It was located at the impressive equestrian facilities in the Mexican Olympic Centre.

The lead instructor was M Jean-Philippe Camboulives, the F�d�ration Equestre Internationale (FEI) permanent sport development counsel for emerging countries, and coach of the 2008 Brazilian Olympic show jumping team.

He was assisted by Brazilian rider and FEI coach Marcello Artiaga de Almeida Castro. The technical coaching course was designed to provide coaches with the capacity to assist competition riders to train and compete as individuals and team members at national and international competitions, including Continental Championships and Games at the Junior and Young Rider level.

The course had both theory and practical modules. Each day participants discussed essential components of the coaching role, including performance expectations, physical and mental fitness for horse and rider, risk management and safety, and clean sport and anti-doping regulations, then moved to the riding arena to watch demonstrations by members of the Mexican Military Equestrian Corps before finally participating in hands-on coaching practice.

“The course was extremely informative,” said Adderley, who is the owner of Mariposa Stables in New Providence. “I look forward to sharing everything I’ve learned with the other equestrian coaches on the island. We have a long way to go, but we can do it.”