One of Brazil’s top volleyball minds has positive impressions of Cayman’s abilities.
Augusto Sabbatini, a certified Federation International de Volleyball coach, has been in Cayman the last four weeks assessing local talent and structure. The Sao Paulo native capped off his visit with a three-day indoor seminar at the University College of the Cayman Islands multipurpose hall with members of the national women’s team. He was also expected to visit John Gray High School and Clifton Hunter High School this week.
Sabbatini, 49, said the biggest area of concern is the state of the indoor version of the sport.
“This is my first time in Cayman and you have good talent for beach and indoor,” Sabbatini said. “I feel the indoor game needs more development. There is a good program for the beach side but indoor needs more women and more players in general. The facilities are not bad, the college hall, for example, is pristine and good.
“The players love volleyball. They work hard all day on their jobs and they still come to training. There are players here just 17 and they have potential. Cayman has a good future.”
Shot placement, footwork and positioning were among the areas highlighted during the UCCI sessions. Among the notable talents on hand were Krista Ebanks, Stacy-Ann Kelly and Carmen Picate.
Sabbatini, who also speaks Portuguese and Spanish, came to Cayman after a stint in Asia and much of his career, which began in 1991, has focused on the Middle East. He leaves for a one-month assessment of Jamaica’s programs on March 15, with the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation slated to send Sabbatini back to Cayman for a followup evaluation in July. Sabbatini is the latest coach NORCECA has sent here as part of its yearly push to enhance the sport within the region. Puerto Rican Juan Cartagena was here last year.
Kennedy McGowan serves as the vice president of the Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation and admits the indoor version requires more attention.
“We need to go indoors now but the biggest issue is cost as we have to pay to use the facilities,” McGowan said. “We also have no full-time person and, in spite of that, we’re still able to do so much for beach and indoor. We need a person to coordinate the day-to-day activities. NORCECA is willing to send us a full-time developmental coach but we need the support of the Cayman government and the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, with each of them handling a third of the cost.
“Nevertheless, we continue to focus on the development of volleyball, especially in the schools. There is the private school league going on that is sanctioned by the federation. Every year we work with the Private Schools Association to put it on and it starts back this week. We’re hoping to have a high school league, run by the federation, to incorporate private and public schools.”
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