Courtesy of: The Morning News
A triumphant team representing Aruba returned this week from Valparaiso, Chile after participating at the CONSANAT Championships. Minister of Health & Sports, Dr. Richard Visser joined family and friends to receive the six athletes at the airport.
For the first time in Aruba’s history of participating in international swim competitions, a total of 8 medals were obtained: 3 gold; 1 silver and 4 bronze. Aruba has a long history of being rated among the top 8 competitors of South America.
Mikel Schreuders swam away with 2 medals: 1 gold and 1 silver. Ally Ponson became the first female athlete champion in the South American region by winning gold; she also won 2 bronze medals. Tyreke Wernet also won 2 bronze medals. Team members Ginayla Arends, Daniella van den Berg y Jordy Groters positioned themselves among the top rated swimmers of the South American region.
“History has been made: In the sport of swimming, our athletes have attained a higher level proficiency. This is something to applaud, and the whole community should acknowledge how hard these sports federations are working, the dedication of the parents, and the sacrifices of the athletes and CEMEDAR, which give medical assistance in high impact sports. CEMEDAR’s support proved that by working thru a structured program in a professional team, one can achieve desired results,” said Minister Dr. Visser.
Head coach Ismael Santiesteban Espinosa explained that the athletes have been in preparation for quite some time. “Four years ago we started with the pre-selection where the entire team of coaches of Aruba Dolphins and Stingray worked together to achieve this great victory. This is teamwork: athletes, parents, federation and government. We can be proud to have established our place on South American level of competition.
Many coaches and trainers of different countries were impressed with the performance of the athletes representing our island, which are selected from only a total of 25 swimmers, compared to the thousands of athletes the larger nations have from which to select a team. Perseverance, discipline and sacrifice of the athletes, with support of the parents, and a structured plan are the road to success in any sport,” Coach Espinosa concluded.
Next week the team will be traveling to Jamaica to compete in the CARIFTA championships.
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championship is an annual, age-group aquatics championship for the Caribbean. It has been held since 1985, and is similar in form/origin to the track & field/athletics event: the CARIFTA Games. The event is held under the auspices of CANOC, the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees.
Last year Aruba finished in fourth place overall among the 14 participating islands in the Caribbean. Aruba will be traveling with nearly their full selection team, with the expectation this will better their position.
THE MORNING NEWS, VisitAruba.com and the Aruban community wish to congratulate our swim team for a job well done at CONSANAT and which them great success at CARIFTA!
