The efforts of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) to prepare teams to compete in the World Under-19 Beach Volleyball Championships will receive a significant boost when renown Brazilian volleyball and beach volleyball player and coach Jacqueline Louise Cruz Silva visits Jamaica from tomorrow through next week Thursday.

As a player, Silva was a member of several successful Brazilian volleyball and beach volleyball teams, to include the inaugural beach volleyball Olympic championship in Atlanta 1996. She currently coaches Brazil’s Junior National Team and JaVA intends to draw on her knowledge, experience and competence to further prepare the national Under-19 teams for the world-level championship.

“Competition at this level is a first for Jamaica in volleyball or beach volleyball, so our players will have a very daunting task ahead of them,” stated Major Warrenton Dixon, president of JaVA.

“Mrs Silva’s input will therefore make a big difference, as we seek to address capability gaps in the children’s technical and tactical competencies. We are therefore grateful for the help of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) for negotiating this assistance through the Brazil Olympic Association (BOA).”

While in Jamaica Silva will work alongside local beach volleyball coaches O’Neil Ebanks and Kevin Patterson to help prepare the boys’ team of Rojey Hutchinson and Shavar Bryan, and girls’ pair of Tionna Graham and Lisanne Roofe for the championships to be held in Portugal from July 11 – 14, 2013.