Pace Like Fire Academy Launched

by David Harris

A national academy to develop fast bowlers was launched at the Blenheim Sports Facility, St Michael last Saturday.  The Pace Like Fire Academy is an initiative of sports administrator and deputy dean of the Faculty of Sports at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Amanda Reiffer in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports. 

According to Reiffer, the academy has been mooted for several years, and over 50 aspiring fast bowlers have applied to be among the first cohorts of the new institution. 

“So far, over 15 candidates have been selected to be scientifically tested to undertake the program in its first year. Fifteen persons will be selected for places at the Pace Like Fire Academy every year-which will produce 60 fast bowlers in its first four years of operation-exhibiting the brand of fast bowling West Indians are known for”, Reiffer said. 

She explained there was an open call for candidates this year which was sent through various for people to sign up with the academy, and the same procedure will be done next year, and encouraged schools and other institutions interested in getting candidates into the Academy to start working on their charges’ skills for next year. 

“We went through paces at Blenheim over the last few days, and we have selected 15 persons to enter a four-year fast bowling programme that is built on the tenets of sports science, nutrition, strength and conditioning, mental skills and it’s a holistic programme”, Reiffer said. 

She stated that of the interesting discoveries made while conducting research on fast bowlers, that fast bowling is in the DNA of Barbadians; and from the advent of the career of Sir Wesley Hall in the late 1950s to the present, Barbados has produced the most fast bowlers in the West Indies per capita, and emphasized that this is not only a phenomenal but a profound achievement. 

The sports administrator said that significant funds were used to establish the Academy: “We are spending significant finances and resources-and that is why it took us a little longer than we expected, but a public and private sector partnership was instrumental, as well as conversations we are having with Corporate Barbados. We are also looking at developing coaches that can operate internationally at the highest levels. 

Meanwhile, Minister of Sports Charles Griffith says his ministry was pleased to partner with the Pace Like Fire initiative through the Arts and Sports Promotion Fund. 

“This is probably the first of this kind in the Caribbean –where we are investing in our young talent to unearth young pacers, which is fantastic because we will be able to export some of them as well as the coaches”, Griffith said. 

The minister said that he was delighted females were fully involved in the holistic developmental programme, which fully benefit from the latest technology on offer in the world including AI.   

Griffith contends that the Academy location at Blenheim is ideal and proactive for the programme; noting that cost recovery could be involved with other Caribbean islands seeking to utilise the factify.  

He disclosed that West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach and former pacer Fidel Edwards are involved in the initiative which comprises a legacy component. 

“The legacy and mentorship component of this programme are important and critical to its success. We can only reap a lot of benefits from this, and I fully expect that we will unearth some new talent and diamonds in the rough –that will shine right here at Blenheim through the Pace Like Fire programme”, Griffith said.