Paynesville – Athletes from the Liberia Athletics Federation were recipients of a donation from the Bill Rogers, a Liberian athlete based in the United States.
Report by J.H. Webster Clayeh – [email protected]
Rogers donated over fifty pairs of sneakers over the weekend following a practice session of the athletes over the weekend at the SKD Sports Complex.
Rogers said the donation was done in retrospect to his early beginnings as an athlete when he could not afford to purchase a pair of sneakers.
“As an athlete, being in Liberia and running without shoes, it is disheartening to come to Liberia and see these things happening,” he said.
He said he has secured help from the Gilbert Gazelles Training Group to train the upcoming athletes.
“The head trainer for Gazelles Training Group, Gilbert Gazelles, came up to me and I said to him that I am going to Liberia and cannot go alone, can you ask your athletes to give me some shoes and immediately after training, all of his athletes took off their shoes and gave them to me.”
Said Rogers: “When I talked about other athletes back home, it was touching to them so I know it’s a bigger plan and a good relationship with that company in Texas and I think they are going to do more for the young athletes in Liberia.”
Rogers added that he does not have any intent to establish an athletic club but is prepared to work with all of the athletic clubs in the country.
Speaking on behalf of his team, the head coach of the country’s track and field team, Samuel Cooper, amid the many challenges the team is beset with, the donation goes a long way to help beef up the game of the athletes.
“It will help us a lot. At least some of these kids will have sneakers to warm-up in; some of them will even use it to run races in them,” he said.
“We are not getting support from central government, only the Federation and other athletes out there, and at least Bill have brought in his own donation so this will help us a lot.”