A Papua New Guinea para athletics coach is inspired by her athletes through their efforts in training sessions centred to meet the minimum entry standard required to participate at international levels.
27 year old Jackie Tarvetz – from a mix parentage of West New Britain and Western Province – is an athlete-coach who coaches the para athletes and is amazed with the athletes for their never give up attitude towards training despite challenges.
Jackie is a hammer thrower who has represented PNG on several occasions beginning in 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Oceania championships, Melanesian games and also the recent Pacific Games in Samoa last year where she achieved two Bronze medals.
Jackie began her coaching role with kids talent pathway under High Performance where she built her interest in coaching and then switched over to coach the para athletes.
“I’m happy to coach and train these athletes as I learn a lot from them while being around them,” she said.
Jackie has a group of five athletes which comprised of a female and four males, all field and track athletes. The team comprises one sprinter and four throwers; Morea Mararos is a F34 seated thrower who also does Javelin, Shotput and Discuss; Jerome Bunge is a F57 seated thrower; Archie Raiwong is a F31 Discuss and Shotput; Nelly Leva a F46 Javelin thrower while Steven Abraham is a T46, 100m, 200m, 400m sprinter. Nelly is the only female thrower who does Javelin, shotput and Discuss.
“Those athletes that have been training with me for couple of years, and have attended various competitions early this year, last year and the year before,” she said.
Two of the five have already met the minimum entry standard requirements and are qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I teach patience, confidence, discipline and many more while training and coaching them as a coach, so when I give them something to do they always find a way to do it despite being impaired,” she said.
“I’m really happy to work and train with them. I just want to encourage everyone else to see these athletes as able-bodied people and give them the respect they deserve,” she added.
As an athlete-coach she got to use her experience as an athlete representing PNG and giving back to the para athletes through coaching.
Jackie is a member of the ICCE Workgroup on the Development of Coaching Systems in Emerging Countries.
This article is adapted from the original which appeared in Sports OK Magazine.
