Gymnastics coach Shikaira Grant and President Nicole Grant-Brown both exuded confidence as members of the Jamaica all-star schools and clubs team departed the island on Wednesday for the Coconut Classic Gymnastics Competition in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The large contingent of junior athletes, ranging from ages 4-10 year and numbering 45, are set to match skills with their counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and hosts St Vincent and the Grenadines in the two-day competition.

Grant, who travelled with the team, expects big things from the youngsters despite no previous experience in the competition.

“I am expecting very good performances. They have been training very hard, so I am expecting them to go out there and do very well and have fun at the same time,” she expressed.

“Even though it’s the first time we are participating in this tournament, I believe that they will do extremely well because they are very good gymnasts and they played that out in our last meet in Jamaica — which qualified them to be a part of the team,” noted Grant.

She also declared that high scores were expected based on the level of preparation that has gone in, ahead of the regional competition.

“Our gymnasts have been training very hard and, based on how they are performing, I am expecting 10s and 9.8s and so on — so I am expecting very good scores from them,” Grant said.

The athletes, who will be donning the nation’s colours, are from the length and breadth of Jamaica, she explained.

“The athletes are from all across Jamaica. They are from Westmoreland, Portmore, Montego Bay, Kingston — so they are from all across the island,” she disclosed.

Grant also urged the athletes to make everyone proud by their performances.

“I want the gymnasts to go out there and perform well and make Jamaica and their parents proud.”

President Grant-Brown expects the recent performances of the contingent at the WOGA Classics in Texas to provide great motivation for those who will be performing at the weekend.

“For the first time we will be having our all-stars team that will be travelling to St Vincent…we know that our athletes will do well, following in the footsteps of the team that went to WOGA,” she said.

Grant-Brown insists that the best athletes that the country have to offer will be on show, and thus exuded confidence about how well they will do.

“We are very excited and optimistic about how well these youngsters will do. We have actually chosen the best of the best, so we know that they will go out there and compete very well against the other countries that will be competing in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” she boldly declared, echoing the sentiments of her coach.

— Dwayne Richards