Argentine hockey instructor interacts with J'can team

BY PAUL BURROWES Observer writer

Sunday, February 06, 2011

INTERNATIONAL hockey instructor, Professor Guillermo Fonseca of Argentina, moves into the fourth day of his three-week visit to Jamaica with a two-hour session with the men's national team this morning at 10 o'clock at the Mona Astroturf.

The well-read and much-travelled 38-year-old Fonseca, assistant coach of Women's World Cup champions Argentina, will share his experience and knowledge to the local men's team which does not have an international ranking.

Jamaica Hockey Federation (JHF) vice-president Richard Shaw, in charge of the men's programme, believes this year will see a turnaround in the men's game and hopes to get the most out of the Argentine.

In last year's Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Jamaica's men finished at the bottom of Pool B after one draw and two defeats.

Only Panama, from Pool A, performed worst, having lost all three matches. Jamaica duly beat the Panamanians 13-0 to secure seventh place at the event.

JHF president Victor Tomlinson said the PAHF Caribbean Cup in early July in the Dominican Republic, the Pan American Challenge Cup late July to August in Brazil, and the PAHF Club Championships which Jamaica will host at the end of the year would be the three major competitions the team would look forward to this year.

A professor of philosophy at the University of Cordoba and a high performance coach for the International Hockey Federdation (FIH), Fonseca will go to Jamaica College Monday, Excelsior High on Tuesday and St Andrew High on Wednesday before delivering a public lecture at the Univerity of Technology at 6:30 pm.

Fonseca's visit is a collaboration between Jamaica and the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) to boost Jamaica's hockey at the school, club and national level.

Boasting a Level Four coaching certification, Fonseca will also this week visit Kingston College (Thursday) and Munro College (Friday), as well as arrange sessions with club coaches.