Rowena Williams, former president of the T&T Cycling Federation, is now the new Racing Secretary of the TTCF.
The position was left vacant following the resignation of Gary Acosta last year and at the federation's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday at the National Cycling Centre (NCC), she got the nod for the position, by being elected unopposed. Williams will be an asset to an already formidable team being led by Robert Farrier.
Yesterday, she said it will be no different to her as she was already a member of the racing committee with a desire to ensure the sport progresses. "I am now a member of the TTCF Executive. The sport has made a lot of progress over the years, but I think there is a lot still to be done, particularly with respect to the development of the grassroot level," Williams said.
She believes while there is understandably more focus on the preparation of a team to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, there must be equal attention being placed on developing the young cyclists, as she described it as an abundance of talent. She endorsed the cycling federation's initiative to have an International Cycling Union's (UCI) Satellite Centre at the NCC, saying it will help in raising revenue for the sport and the country at large.
However, she believes the TTCF will be better served if there is a closer working relationship among the people in the fraternity.
Meanwhile, Roxanne Ramnath, the federation's Public Relation's Officer (PRO) which is also a sister to Williams, welcomed her return to the executive, having worked with her and other members of her family in the administration of the sport in the past.
Ramnath said the cycling federation enjoyed a successful 2017 year of activities and despite the challenges with finances this year, it will continue with its development initiatives to cater for young aspiring athletes.
Ramnath said, "We have a pool of committed cyclists who are aspiring towards representing the country at different international events, including the Olympics 2020." She assured her federation is concerned more with development planning, as a tool for shaping and accelerating its goals.
"There would be challenges, but we are encouraged by what these athletes bring to the table, as they continue to work hard."
Ramnath called on corporate T&T to partner with them to achieve its objectives, saying interested citizens can contact her via email at (rramnath@ttcyclingfederaton.org).