By: Curtis Morton
Former outstanding long distance runner on Nevis, Shirvon Greene, recently spent a brief respite in his home land Nevis. The tall athlete was happy to spend his vacation period among family members and friends.
In an exclusive interview with NTV channel 8, Greene gave an update on his continued progress.
He is currently the Assistant Coach at Munroe College, responsible for the middle distance runs and just a few days ago was also confirmed as the Cross country Coach for the College as well.
He is still signed and sponsored by the New Balance Central Park club but decided to take off a year to work on his strength and fitness level, despite winning his last competitive race.
In terms of his academic qualifications, the aspiring young man has acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GP.
In 2009, he also completed a Master’s degree in Homeland Security and Criminal Justice.
Additionally, he just received the level one coaching certification from an accredited American institution and was since promoted to be the Compliance Coordinator for the track team and the College itself.
What are his plans for the future? ‘Down the road, I will pursue a PHD but right now I am trying hard to acquire my level two coaching certification as this will give me the leverage to manage programs at the National level,’ he said.
What about giving back to the land of his birth?
Greene indicated that he has always sought to give back to Nevis and Nevisians. ‘This is the island that made me—that made my career. I always return to assist with the Inter Primary event and help athletes and schools,’ he said. He pointed to some persons who would have shaped his progress in Athletics and these include: Elquemedo Willet; Denzil Parris, Carol Ward and many more.
In terms of future plans he plans to open a venture sometime in the future which will serve to curb the high incidences’ of crime among the youngsters on the island. This will include educating the youth on aspects of safety and being law abiding citizens.
Currently, he has already submitted a business plan towards the formation of a Sports Commission on the island. This he has already discussed with the Minister and Junior Minister of Sports and the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Sports and has received positive reviews thus far.
The proposed Sports commission wills be a body that will oversee the activities of all of the sporting bodies/Associations on the island and would comprise of representatives of all of the various sporting organizations. This new body will ensure that Associations have regular annual general meetings; act in accordance with their constitutions and also serve to acquire various forms of sponsorships and make sure that the Associations are more accountable.
Greene had high praise for his Mom, Bonnie Carey, his grandmother; his aunts and other family members who helped to raise him in the right way
His final words were dedicated to the young people of Nevis:
‘Keep your head on. Listen to your parents and grandparents. Don’t let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams. Remember everything is not 100% perfect but you can give 100% effort,’ he said.