While the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has placed the sporting world on pause, president of Jamaica Gymnastics Association (JAGA) Nicole Grant-Brown is viewing the situation in a positive light.

Though slightly disappointed with the numerous postponements and cancellations of competitions, such as the Jurassic Classic in Canada, which has dampened athletes’ spirits, Grant-Brown believes the break will allow young gymnasts more time to improve their craft in training.

As such, she welcomed the gymnasts’ passion for growth, as they remain committed to their regular training regime.

“There is still a lot to look forward to because gymnasts have learnt from as early as age five that if they want to be great in the sport, they have to train every day for long hours.

“They are working today to be better gymnasts tomorrow, hence, what they would have missed out on this year has only given them more time to prepare better for future competitions,” Grant-Brown told the Jamaica Observer.

“The gymnasts have been training every day doing their conditioning and fitness routine, just as they would at the gym. As young as they are, they know they must keep the body fit and flexible and so they continue to prepare,” she added.

Prior to the Government’s tightening measures to limit the spread of the virus, Grant-Brown pointed out that she had taken the early initiative to pause operations, mandating the closure of all clubs to ensure the safety of the gymnasts.

Since then she has beefed up protocols at the JAGA’s Slipe Road base.

“We have installed a pipe at the entrance door of the gym where the kids, parents, coaches and anyone who wishes to enter the gym will first wash their hands, and their bags are sanitised before entering. We have installed hand sanitisers at all doors, including the bathroom doors where they have to sanitise before going into the bathroom and wash their hands when they leave. Washing hands with soap is the best way and we endorse that,” Grant-Brown explained.

“The equipment is fully sanitised before and after every training session, including the floor carpet, and all coaches have a strict procedure for coaching. The children are taught what to do in the middle of training and if they need to sneeze or cough, which is a normal thing inside the gym due to the use of the chalk in certain apparatus,” she noted.

Despite uncertainty surrounding when things will return to a state of normality, Grant-Brown is looking ahead with great anticipation as she forecasts continued growth of the sport locally.

“We are anxious to resume full training. Many parents have become coaches, working with the children at home, submitting the videos and receiving feedback about what they need to fix.

“We have also been getting many calls as well as Instagram and Facebook messages from new entrants wanting to begin classes as soon as this current situation subsides. So this gives us great hope that people are still interested, and we see that with this kind of interest we have a bright future,” she reasoned.

“Our main concern right now is hoping that the situation will subside as quickly as possible so that our Olympic qualifier Danusia Francis will have the opportunity to realise her dreams and compete for the first time at the Olympic Games. We would love to see her compete and, fingers crossed, we hope everything will work out for the best,” Grant-Brown ended.