Guyana Chronicle
May 28, 2001
Manager of Sapodilla, Edwin Joseph, told Chronicle Sport that although the school catered for 16 different sport disciplines, boxing was not one of them.
Joseph disclosed that a club on the south coast of England called the Poole Boxing Club sent the equipment for a gym - three punching bags, speed balls, 18 sparring gloves, gumshields, some bandages and two headgear.
The contact with the club was made when Joseph and his wife visited England.
"From that we started and have a continuous relationship with them," Joseph said.
The sports specialist said he learnt that the new boxing club is the first in West Coast Berbice.
Sportspersons at Sapodilla do a lot of athletics. They now play rugby, football, cricket, table tennis, lawn tennis, volleyball, field hockey, basketball, outdoor badminton and darts. Physical Education is also part of the curriculum.
A military sport called potted sports is among the repertoire of sports persuasions done at the school. It is a selection of 15-20 different sports.
Joseph also developed a game called orbee, in which players throw a ball with ribbons and which comes down like parachute landing about 30 metres away, and must land on target to gain points.
The same day the world champion visited, Joseph exhibited a putting green which will be officially opened in a couple of weeks.
Sapodilla is also a full-time school, where students do academic reaching the `O' and `A' levels. The principal, Mrs Joseph, is a qualified teacher in the United Kingdom.
All students are qualified first-aiders through the Guyana Red Cross. Eight students are now first aid instructors.
Sapodilla is also the centre for Region Five's President's Youth Award Guyana scheme.
Joseph is also the official Course Director in the Caribbean for the Central Council of Physical Recreation of the UK.
Students do a two-year sports managers programme, consisting of eight modules called Sports Leaders Awards, which has international certification.
The Sports Leaders Awards covers all aspects of sport and sports administration, marketing, promotion, insurance, dealing with sponsors, running sport efficiently in a transparent way.
"And everything we do here (at Sapodilla) is for both male and females participants," Joseph declared. (Isaiah Chappelle).