School Sports in need of CPR

It is certainly not a good feeling to be sick and tired of being sick and tired.

For too long this column has had reasons to address the retarding and sickening situation of school sports.{{more}}

The seemingly never ending impasse has become so common that no one really remembers anything about whether or not there should be school sports.

No Kiddy Cricket, no Secondary Schools Cricket Competition, No Basketball, No Table Tennis Competitions for the last academic year.

What came off neither had full participation nor were flawed as there was limited assistance.

But who really cares?

Those responsible will conjure up excuses, play the blame game. But they can fool some people some time but not all the people all the time.

The negatively progressive personnel in the Ministries of Sports and Education could well do with some good old home remedies. Some fever grass, a dose of senna, some salts, vomit bush, along with the other commercial laxatives, all mixed into a concoction to purge those who are suffering from that acute personality disorder.

The authorities have become famished with protecting their turf, wanting their pound of flesh that has resulted in administrative constipation.

At the start of the new school year, the Ministry of Sports, on one hand, sought to give the new Youth Empowerment Service (YES) employees some form of training before embarking on their undertakings.

On the other hand, the Ministry Of Education released its Physical Education curriculum.

Both are commendable efforts, but that is where it basically stays, as the grand standing remains and the stand off persists.

At the schools’ level, one is not sure what is happening, as some principals are not that accommodating of these YES employees, while others see them as persons to fill voids on the regular staff.

As the situation meanders, many are probably too happy to be on working holidays, where they can catch up on some old buddies living overseas via the worldwide web, or keep their fingers daily occupied with some games of Solitaire. Lucky guys and gals.

But what is most worrying about the whole affair, is that no one seems to want to bell the cat. No one wants to come bold and thumb the problem and take the necessary corrective actions.

The authorities’ indexed disregard for the colossal injustice meted out to the nation’s school children is unpardonable.

History will be very unkind to those to who are guilty of holding the youths to ransom.

They will not surely have short memories, and are taking their mental notes.

The young footballers in the school system have been held hostage as the start of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation youth development exercise, in schools, continues to be protracted by the ministries’ melee.

As it appears to be gloom, as no one wants to budge, satisfied with the status quo. This column makes another call for a complete ban on all school sports for the 2008 to 2009 school year, as it will be mere competitions, rather than development.

However, in light of the fact that this country will host the 2009 Windward Island Games, a continuous training programme of the students in the respective disciplines must be put in train.

Parallel to these, some intensive and well structured programmes, with some students going the way of specialisation, must be put in place.

As host, we should try to make an impression. Having taken the last place for the past four years must be addressed.

The other three islands are years ahead of us in terms of planning, vision and purpose for the games.

But our people’s resilience must not always be a fill in for the authorities’ short comings, some of it at times decidedly deliberate.

The current state of school sports is one in dire need of some CPR.

But the CPR needed is not an application of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, as at the heart of the problem is that of personality.

Hence, urgently needed is a Clean Personnel Revamping.

But the Mound at the Sion Hill Playing Field does not only need CPR, but a complete removal.

email: kingroache@yahoo.com