As the Kappa Tournament provided the backdrop at the main field at the National Sports Centre, Steve Burgess’s Back-to-Basics programme held a graduation in the grandstand for 19 youngsters of their first Sports Academy.

Athletes were recruited from ages three to 12, with the intention of introducing them to the basics of athletes during the eight-week programme. They received their certificates of participation last weekend.

As a former top middle-distance runner, Burgess hopes the youngsters will find their way into athletics, but accepts some will be attracted to other sports. Either way, he believes sports in Bermuda will be the winner.

“I took a course last summer in California and that was the impetus for me doing this,” Burgess said.

“I’ve been training kids and adults for years but there was something that coach Joe Vigil [a long-distance running coach] said about how far we are behind the African kids in sports.

“Kenyan and Ethiopian teenage kids are already 18,000 miles ahead of us in the western world because we drive everywhere. It’s simply a fact of life and that struck a chord with me.

“I always wanted to do an academy and to see if I can pass on the information to parents.

“It is to get the kids out there doing basic things that most of us would have done, and to keep them active before they get into other sports.

“We felt a need to add a new element of development to our Back-to-Basics programme.

“Back-to-Basics fitness consultants are recruiting young athletes for training and introduction into athletics.

“We look forward to establishing a solid core of eager athletes to guide and mentor within the sport of athletics.

“Our aim is to identify talent early and guide them with basic fundamentals, creating a foundation for athletic careers. Our small classes will allow for ideal interaction and private instruction with our coaches.”

Even at the young ages Burgess recognised some promising talent.

“Many of them will probably go on to be stars in other sports but the basics ... coordination, balance and speed development are the things you can use for sports like tennis and football,” said Burgess, who coached Flora Duffy and Tyler Butterfield as youngsters.

Another of his athletes, promising runner Ashley Irby, handed out the awards to the youngsters.

Irby qualified for the Carifta Games in the 1,500 and 3,000 metres but a leg injury has ruled her out of the the competition in Curaçao next month.

“She is a six-times Front Street Mile champion and started with me when she was nine,” Burgess said.

“I still coach her. She qualified in the first two trials and this would have been her first year at Carifta.

“This is a setback but at 15 she’s got a long career ahead of her. She’s a very competitive athlete.”