On any given day, one can ask any fan of football in Guyana, any coach, any player, “who are among the hardest working, most impressive yet most down to earth footballers in the country?”. You’re more than likely to get the same answer; “Jeremy Garrett and Curtez Kellman”.
These two youngsters have both come through the youth system in Guyana from similar backgrounds. However, the most outstanding common factor where they are concerned is their ambition, that coupled with their passion and dedication to hard work has both seen them gaining respective football scholarships in the USA.
As it is, the Covid-19 pandemic which has affected the world tremendously, has thrown the proverbial ‘wrench into the works’ in numerous ways, one being the halt of sports. It has also seen Garrett’s pursuance of attaining a Diploma in Rehabilitation Science being delayed by a semester while Kellman’s scholarship at Eastern Florida State University was cut short, however, as good fortune would have it, he has gained another scholarship which he is set to take up in the near future at Daytona State College.
Personal Training Sessions
Instead of sitting around while the Covid-19 takes its toll on society, the young footballers have been proactive and are currently engaged in their own personal training sessions as they seek to further develop themselves as footballers.
According to Garrett, he realized where he is in terms of his game; “I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing, because it’s not myself, it’s everyone in the world who is being affected. I came up with the initiative to start a personal session so that players and myself can keep sharp, work on the basics, work on areas that I might be lacking, for example fitness, technical ability and other pillars of the game”.
“The whole personal training sessions with myself, Curtez, Sunil (Logan), Bom Bom (Ryan Hackett) and a couple of others came about because of the realization that we need to keep on our toes, football is our lives and our job, so the onus is on us”.
“The private sessions which began a month and a half ago have been great, we even have our own instagram page where we post our training videos. We have been able to improve dramatically in our fitness levels.”
Meanwhile, Kellman also chimed in; “The training sessions have been going well because I’m getting to help develop in areas that I think I’m lacking in by doing my personal training and giving myself the chance to improve in these areas”.
Goals
As the old proverb goes, ‘Birds of a feather flock together”, and this perfectly encapsulates the duo.
Looking to the future, the outspoken Kellman revealed; “We are both looking to accomplish the same goal to make it at the professional level, surrounding myself and working with someone who has the same mentality as mine has been a positive step in moving forward. You never know what’s in store for you in the future so we want to keep ourselves in shape so if called upon we’re ready”.
To this end Garret also highlighted; “Curtez is one of the smartest, most humble friends that I have. He is a very cool guy to be around, he rubs off on me, I rub off on him, in terms of positive energy. He drives me in practice, there are times I would want to give up in a session,or I might say a drill might be too hard, he would be there to encourage me and vice versa. Being around him has been good, he has the same goals as I do, his vision of going on to the next level is similar to mine”.
Garrett who is only just 20-years-old already knows what he wants; “I would like to be an example for the youths, I want to play professionally, it’s not just saying it, it is working everyday, putting in the hours, executing on game day, those are the things I want to improve on for myself. I want to play professionally whether it is in Europe, North, Central or South America, I just want to play professionally and put Guyana on the map. I would like to be a part of a team that could carry Guyana to the World Cup, I just want to do good for my country. My goal is to do well, I truly love this nation, I want to do well so that the country can be recognized for the beauty and talent that lies in it”.
Gratitude
Despite the circumstances brought on by Covid-19, the training sessions are treated seriously with regards to following the protocols put in place by the government. Garrett and Kellman have also expressed gratitude to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) as they have granted them permission to utilize the National Training Center (NTC) turf along with other requisite equipment.
Kellman pointed out; “The cases continue to rise tremendously and we continue to follow all the protocols the government put in place so that it can help reduce the curve and give us a chance in the future in regards to going back to our normal lives”.
“We thank the GFF President, Wayne Forde and his kind heart for giving us a chance to work on developing ourselves”.
The 592 Dugout 