By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

DR Bojic Cacica likes what she’s seen so far from the local primary and high school teachers who are participating in the International Handball Federation’s D License Coaching Course.

The five-day course, organised by the Bahamas Handball Federation, got started on Monday and will conclude on Friday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

That is when the participants will sit an examination to receive their certificates. Cacica, a lecturer from Croatia, is making her debut in The Bahamas, but she said she’s been so impressed by the participants that she hopes to return when the federation has a league up and running.

“It’s a great organisation by the federation and I’m happy that the international handball federation has given me the opportunity to be here to conduct the clinic,” Cacica said. “I’m happy that I can share my knowledge of handball here because the people have been very receptive to it. I’m really happy to see that they are developing in the right way.”

By the end of the course, Cacica said she hopes that the federation will be able to identify at least 8-10 coaches, who will be able to carry on and run a successful programme starting in the schools.”

She noted, however, that handball is a sport that can be played at all age levels so eventually The Bahamas will be able to produce a national team that can compete in the various international tournaments.

Lawrence Hepburn, the first vice president of the federation that was formed in 2018, said the IHF could not have sent a more suitable instructor, who is providing so much information to those in attendance.

“We are a novice country, but she’s working diligently with our coaches to move from theory to practical,” Hepburn said. 

“We were in theory for a while and that was because we wanted to establish a good foundation.

“We wanted to have a good foundation with a strong mini programme where the coaches are beginning to teach from that early level so that they can get us from the bottom to the top.”

Once the clinic is completed, Hepburn said the federation, which is headed by immediate past Bahamas Olympic Committee president Wellington Miller, would like to introduce some games and tournaments for the community to participate in.

“We want the mini handball programme to mirror that of football,” Hepburn stressed. 

“We are looking from the kindergarten to the primary to the high school level to get them enthused to use their hands and throw the ball.”

Apart from the theory sessions where Cacica has been going through a lot of notes on how to play the game, Hepburn said they have the goal posts for them to go through the practical aspect of the sport as well.

The sessions are being held daily and will conclude on Friday.