Thursday August 22, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 33
Giftland launches ‘Quest’ for Brands Ambassador - $3M to be invested among several athletes Giftland OfficeMax has launched an official ‘Quest’ for a Sports Ambassador that will promote the company’s sports brands for one year. The Giftland Sports Ambassador will be chosen from one of five local sports to represent a wide range of brands. At the official launch of ‘The Quest’ at Georgetown Club last week, Delroy Dash, who is part of the Giftland Marketing team, outlined the company’s vision and interest in this new dimension in local sports, which will take advertising to a higher level. Outgoing Ambassador, Masters’ Mr. Universe, Hugh Ross, who spoke briefly on the importance of being an Ambassador, also indicated that local athletes must understand the various aspects of representing the respective company and the brand. He said that the opportunities that were
provided during his tenure as Giftland Ambassador gave him the chance to influence young and aspiring Guyanese athletes. He commended Giftland for their continued efforts and the new initiative. G i f t l a n d ’s Public Relations M a n a g e r, Compton Babb, then outlined the vision behind the concept that induces hope for local athletes; “it’s about Hope for everyone; i n t h e e n d t h i s is what ‘Quest’ will bring to our society- hope to a young student athlete, who can’t afford a track shoe, hope for an athlete who can make difference in the community and hope for a child, who doesn’t have the best parental support,” Babb said in his stirring presentation. He said that Giftland believes that through the nationwide ‘Quest’ for a Sports Ambassador, the nation’s youth can reclaim confidence and hope for a
Outgoing Giftland Sports Ambassador, Hugh Ross poses with other previous ambassadors and potential ambassadors along with Giftland’s Marketing representatives following the launch of the Quest. brighter future in sports; according to Babb every competitor, athlete and student will have a fair chance to prevail, triumph and develop into a new relationship with Giftland OfficeMax through the next year. The five disciplines that the Ambassadors will be chosen from include: Squash,
Football, Track & Field, Hockey and BodyBuilding and the characteristics of the athlete include: knowledgeable and innovative in marketing brands; a good command of the English Language; leadership skills; credibility; relationship builder; team player; tech-adequate and coachable.
Winners from their respective sport disciplines will receiv e d i f f e r e n t packages based on varying sport needs and requirements. But as common in all sports, the support to travel overseas is one of the biggest challenges and to be fully equipped and marketed p r o f e s s i o n a l l y, a m o n g
others, is another. Giftland is prepared to assist athletes in those ways. Travel cost to any Caribbean country and six outfits for each individual will be provided. For the 2013 Quest, Giftland is searching for about 8-10 faces to represent various disciplines, investing in excess of $3,000,000 for one year.
Hendriks pleased with Lifetime ... Motor racers chomping From page 37 and eventually find (my) way into the West Indies team. “It was a great sense of pride for me to wear the tie and the blazer. It was always a lot of fun. I played with some very marvellous people and it was enjoyable.” After he retired from his on-field duties, “I was on the Jamaica Board, started off as assistant secretary and moving up eventually, in the ’90s I was elected as the president. But it has been trying to give something back to cricket, which has given me so much. It was never looked upon as a chore or as a job. It’s something that (I) enjoyed doing because it was for cricket and, as far as I’m concerned, it is the greatest game in the world. “I’m so happy to know that today players are able to earn a good living playing cricket. But, in our days, it was really sort of a pastime, if you want to call it that. It
was always the honour of playing for the West Indies, and for your country and school as well.” Asked what moments stood out in his career, Hendriks responded, “there is so many of them (but) playing with Gary Sobers.” Now, he is not actively involved in the game but, “I still enjoy watching the game so it’s about that. That’s all it is now, a spectator.” Is he pleased to see the evolution of the game? “Some of it,” he replied. “I do not like 20-over cricket at all. I’ve now just become accustomed to the 50 overs stuff. I’m an old dinosaur. Test match cricket is my cricket.” During the 1990s, Hendriks served as an ICC (International Cricket Council) match referee, and saw a number of changes to the game, from the 1960s to now. “I think it’s a lot of changes, some for the bet-
ter, some I don’t think for the better, I think some for the worst,” he commented. “There is the referral system now which has its pros and has its cons. I think it takes up a lot of time. “I think the umpires, at some stage, should take respo n s i b i l i t y f o r s o m e decisions that they’re referring, which are obvious,” he added. “But there are some good things and some things that I think are unn e c e s s a r y. I think probably cricket has been fiddled around too much, and it has not allowed the game to flow, which I think is a very important thing because people seem to think that cricket is a slow and boring game. And the longer you take to get balls bowled and so on, is more people that are getting frustrated. “But I’m glad to see the crowds turning out to the cricket that I don’t like, which is the Twenty20.
Guptill hopes Limacol CPL has acted ... From page 37 the same team (is great) as we have got along really well. “We have gelled as a team pretty quickly and it has been fantastic. “I have absolutely loved it. It has been a great atmosphere with the crowds; we have had
packed houses pretty much everywhere we have been and I would love to (come back). “It all depends on the scheduling of New Zealand’s future tours and when they are going to schedule the Limacol CPL but hopefully there will be
a gap in our schedule and I will be able to come back and play some more cricket,” he added. The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League concludes Saturday, 24 August, while the two semi-finals taking place today and tomorrow.
at the bit for action
Local motor racers are chomping at the bit to spring into action on September 8 when the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) holds its ‘Race of Champions’ Meet which will be held, at the South Dakota Circuit. Word emanating from within the fraternity is that the racers are eager to return to the track after a bit of a hiatus following Guyana’s participation at the opening leg of the Caribbean Motor racing Championship which was held in Jamaica. Speaking with an official of the GMR&SC, the Meet is expected to attract most of the top exponents in the sport locally, while Canada-based Paul Vieira and a few drivers out of the USA are also anticipated to grace the event. Their prese n c e , according to the official, along with those of Mark Vieira, Andrew King, Kevin Jeffrey, Irfaan Kalamadeen, Keith E v e lyn, Ryan Rahaman, Stephen Vieira, Carlos Rodrigues, Shairaz Roshandin and Marcus Fiedtkou, among others, are sure to provide some enthralling skirmishes on race day. The Meet which was postponed from July 7 due to unforeseen circumstances is a good opportunity for drivers such as Afraz Allie, Syed Hassan and Kevin
Jeffrey, all of whom racked up valuable points for Guyana in the CMRC to show that their outstanding performances at the regional event was not a stroke of luck. They, however, will be going up against some formidable opponents on the local scene and to say that they will dominate their respective categories is not a definite termination. Jeffrey, who campaigns in the Group 4 category will h a v e t o r e p r o duce the Jamaica performance where he chased down the likes of points leader in the CMRC Doug Gore and defending Caribbean champion David Summerbell Jnr, to resist the anticipated efforts of King and Mark Vieira, while Allie and Hassan, two of the leading drivers in the Group 2B Division, apart from their own battle will also have to stave off the challenges of Suriname’s Oliver Tjin Liep
Shie, Danny Persaud and John Joseph. The Superbikes category also promises to be just as exciting as the cars with the young brigade of Matthew Vieira and Nikhil Seereeram expected to continue their competition and this will supplement the ‘big boys’ scrap that should feature Stephen Vieira, Carlos Rodrigues, Kwame Ridley and Carey Griffith. The gokarts category is also billed to provide excitement and once again the young drivers are expected to take centre stage with Stanley Ming Jnr and Wayne Elliot Vieira throwing down the gauntlet on veterans Marcus Fiedtkou and Stanley Ming Snr. Samaroo confirmed that all the categories have been subscribed and racing fans can be assured of a full and exhilarating day of daredevilry.