Trinidad & Tobago: A team with big potential

MONTERREY, Mexico, December 22, 2007.- Call it raw talent or a team in the building process. That is the way scouts give their qualifications when projecting a team or a particular player.

Trinidad & Tobago exited the Norceca Women’s Olympic Qualifier without a victory or having won a single set, but they left quite an impression on the eyes of those judging athletic qualities and potential.

The Trinidadians are emerging as a new force within the Caribbean Islands thanks to an excellent recruiting process of young and tall girls with physical attributes. The program is under the supervision of Cuban Francisco –Panchy- Cruz, who before landing in Port of Spain coached in the Dominican Republic in different categories.

The teams from the twin-islands are the reigning champions in Youth, Junior and Senior levels of the Caribbean Zone Volleyball Association (CAZOVA), and now they are trespassing the frontier of their area to compete with the regional big powers.

“I am particularly impressed with the talent of these young girls,” said Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA at the end of the Olympic Qualifier here. “They have an unbelievable leaping ability and also amazing bodies with those long arms.”

“The Trinidad & Tobago Volleyball Association has done a good developing job and it has a serious program in all the different levels of age. I can foresee a bright future in the relatively short term,” he added.

“This is a team in the works,” said Cruz. “I think if they can maintain the program in about ten years Trinidad & Tobago will be competing with the major powers of NORCECA.”

It is going to take quite a while to get there, but for the moment they are content to shorten up the gap between them and those giants and continue to improve with their consistent participation in all the events organized by the NORCECA Confederation.