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Pull Quote: “I am happy that in my lifetime I have seen the completion of a 50-metre pool in Guyana…this will be very useful because when our athletes go overseas they are required to swim in 50-metre pools, and we are usually at a disadvantage because we train at Castellani, a significantly smaller facility.”By Sharmain GraingerPassionate and dedicated are but two adjectives that can be used to aptly describe Stephanie Gomes-Fraser when it comes to her involvement in local swimming. Her love for aquatic locomotion – an immensely therapeutic pursuit – has seen her selflessly devoting countless time and considerable energy towards its improvement in Guyana over the years.Displaying some of the family’s trophies and medalsSo noticeable has been her exertion in the area of swimming that the outstanding national swimming coach and sports administrator has been chosen to receive the prestigious Medal of Service, which will be presented at a ceremony slated for October 21.But where, when and how did this five foot, two inches Arawak descendant conjure up this much talent which today sees her coaching some of the country’s elite swimmers? The answer lies in the serene waters at Moruca in Region One where she grew up and took her first swim at the tender age of five. In fact it was a natural talent which was consistently nurtured as she battled for a place among the better swimmers of the community – her older male cousins. She recalls that it was no small task competing with them, but as she puts it “I really had to prove myself in order to be involved.”The steady competition was however not limited to swimming back in the day, but it was varied sporting activities – the likes of cricket, football, baseball and even climbing trees – that characterized her youthful years and by extension helped to shape her destiny.Born to Philomena and Theodore Gomes on November 9th, 1955, Stephanie was the third child of a union which ended in a divorce when she was just three years old.Her mother would give birth to six more children and opted to take the young Stephanie to her grandmother, Josephine Robinson, who would raise her in an environment where she was treated as a treasured prize, since she was the only girl and the youngest member in the home.  However, although her status as the baby of her grandmother’s household saw her being treated with much love and affection, that treatment was limited to indoors as the petite lass was forced to toughen-up in order to make her impact in the outdoor environment. And the outdoors was indeed where her heart was and would remain for years to come.She indulged in a bit of track and field during her schools days at Santa Rosa and won several medals for her efforts.But by the time she was 14 her mother decided to bring her to the capital city where she commenced another interesting phase of herFlanked by her now adult childrenlife.  Enrolled at Singh’s Commercial Institute,Neymar JR Jersey, which was situated on Quamina Street, Georgetown – a stone’s throw from where she lives today – the young Stephanie was exposed to a number of subject areas which perhaps should have prepared her for an office job.  But being a sport fanatic with an inclination for swimming she could not stay away from the energy-driven pursuit, particularly having heard of the Luckhoo Swimming Pool in Kingston.  She would soon join the Blue Dolphin’s Club and continue to nurture her love for swimming, guided by one of the best coaches of the day, Vibert Charles.She was later exposed to a number of swimming programmes with the Canadian YMCA and would become a full-fledged swimming instructor by 1974.“Initially I signed up to do leisure swimming with the Dolphin Club and they recognized that I had good techniques…but really I just started out with the basic knowledge. I knew the backstroke and the freestyle and so on since in Moruca, but when I came to Georgetown I learned a lot more…”Stephanie did not find it a challenge at all to adapt to the accepted style of swimming with her head down, although the indigenous techniques essentially kept the head above water. But although she had found her forte, she did not wish to be limited to swimming.“It just was not enough for me,” she reflected with a smile.While still at Commercial School, which certainly was not getting the best of her abilities, she decided to get involved in Karate and then some Judo classes as well.  She even did a year of nurse aid training at St Joseph Mercy Hospital.With former FINA President, Mustapha Larfaoui, of AlgeriaHowever, her life would literally evolve around sporting activities.“I had a real hectic life…Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school I went to Karate classes and I was among the first batch of students trained by Master Frank Woon-A-Tai. On Tuesdays,Harrison Barnes Team USA Jersey, Thursdays and Saturdays I did Judo and Volleyball…My days were almost always taken up with sports…This was what I wanted to do not because I had to, but because I loved these activities and still do…”The blossoming young Stephanie would soon capture the eyes of her Judo Instructor, David Fraser, and the two tied the blissful knot of marriage in 1979.  Their union, though it was not lasting, yielded two children,Eduardo Vargas Jersey, DeeAnn and Nicholas, both of whom would develop the same passion for sports as their parents, even winning several accolades of their own.Life after divorce saw Stephanie opting to return to the nursing field, a profession she was asked to give up by her husband, who during their marriage had preferred a stay-at-home wife.She would remain at the hospital for the next five years during which time she would observe that the divorce process was terribly affecting her daughter in particular.  It was even then that her sense of swimming as a therapeutic agent was aroused, forcing her to enroll both her children into swimming classes at the Tower Hotel.“I remember my daughter was doing the Common Entrance (Exams) and she seemed really stressed out because of the divorce, and I said to myself they are seven and nine, imagine I am a qualified instructor and my children don’t know to swim, so I decided that it was time for them to learn…”Though it was not evident at the time, this move would prove to be quite strategic as it was through this avenue her God-given talent would once again become exposed, much to her benefit.Due to the fact that her children’s swimming instructor had one leg he was not quite competent to teach the breaststroke. This as a result saw Stephanie volunteering to assist over a period of time.  Two years later the instructor migrated, leaving the then owner of the Tower Hotel,Mike Wagner Steelers Jersey, Richard Humphrey, to turn to Stephanie.“I didn’t even know that he was looking on all the time and when he offered me the position as instructor I accepted…I said sure, because who wouldn’t? He was paying you and he was paying well too.”With her unique touch, where students were given certificates of completion, the swimming programme was revamped and became a major hit in Georgetown. In a matter of two months the name Stephanie Fraser became synonymous with ‘excellent swim coach’ and the demand soon became overwhelming,Mark McGwire Cardinals Jersey, so much so that she decided to resign her nursing job.“I had to start recruiting all my old friends who were swimmers to assist me. Eventually within a year Pegasus called me, Embassy Club called me, all the Banks were calling me….every pool in Georgetown I had to touch down on because they all wanted the same certification programme.”Stephanie’s devoted interest in swimming over the years was even instrumental in the opening of the Castellani Pool to the public and the resuscitation of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) after presenting a convincing proposal to then first lady Mrs. Janet Jagan.So dedicated she has been to swimming that she has served as national coach since 1993 and held positions of Vice President – Technical Committee and Assistant Secretary, and has had an integral administrative role within the Association.  Her nurse training also saw her expanding her skilled capacity to certified massage therapist, a role she swiftly integrated into, much to the benefit of the national swimmers, several of whose talents were nurtured at one of top swim clubs locally, Dorado, which she founded.Her skills have seen her becoming a certified coach for FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation), the international governing body for swimming and a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association.She has coached and accompanied many national swimmers who took to the pools in competition overseas, the likes of Roshman Rodrigues, Ravel La Rose, Onica Jones and Nadia Bhola, and she has been a mother, friend and even seamstress to local swimmers,Paul Aguilar Mexico Jersey, a task she had in the past undertaken at her own expense.“When we started in the Goodwill Championships, around 1996, of course GASA had no money, so I started sewing swimwear for the entire national team at my own expense. The materials for the outfits did not arrive in Guyana until three days before we were to head to Suriname for the games and I was sewing day and night up until 4am….up to one hour before we started on our journey.”She recalled that the finishing touches to the outfits were being added even as the team journeyed to Suriname.  The result of that competition was worth the effort as according to her the team brought home medals which made the trip worth the while.“I felt proud to see them standing there with my swimwear and that was satisfying enough…”Come Tuesday she is set for another such mission, one which will take her and two topnational swimmers – 15-year-old Britany Van Lange and 20-year-old Olympian Niall Roberts – to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan Am Games.Although Guyana has been lagging behind in the field of swimming, Stephanie is confident that the country is poised for great things with the completion of the Olympic-size swimming pool at Pattensen.“I am happy that in my lifetime I have seen the completion of a 50-metre pool in Guyana…this will be very useful because when our athletes go overseas they are required to swim in 50-metre pools and we are usually at a disadvantage because we train at Castellani, a significantly smaller facility. Having a 50-metre pool is really an asset which will see our local swimmers being on par with all the other swimmers of the world…”Stephanie is convinced that once swimmers are given the opportunity to begin using the ideal length pool, swimming in Guyana will undoubtedly be catapulted to another level, which will see local talents – given the existing levels that already abound – showing their true worth in the global arena.As a single parent with two very active children, Stephanie related that she was able to gain firsthand experience of the benefits of sports. Not only have her children,David Clarkson Jersey, who are both adults now,Boston Red Sox Bill Lee Jersey, been ‘A’ students, but they have been national champions throughout their school years.“The discipline,Kyle Brodziak Jersey, goal-setting, time management, and strong self-esteem they’ve learnt from sports, they have now taken to their working life…” she confidently asserts.It is for this very reason that our Special Person has been advocating for Physical Education to be implemented in every school across Guyana. However, it is her firm belief that many parents and even some head teachers to this day do not see the positive effect that participation in sports and exercise could have on a student’s overall development.She emphasizes that since academics and sports are known to complement each other, it is necessary to collectively use these avenues to help improve children’s capacity to learn, reduce anxiety and stress while increasing their self-esteem.