Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
On Target
February 26, 2010

Appoint one soon or…

This column is once more calling on the relevant authorities to quickly appoint a Research Officer in Sports or we will be lost in history.{{more}}

Yes, this country has a rich history of Sports, but most of it lies in persons’ heads. Therefore, recording and documentation of the past is necessity.

Just last weekend, this country lost a former national footballer and Football administrator, Sylvester “Scobie” Taylor. One wonders how much of Taylor’s knowledge of Football in his hey day in the 50’s and 60’s was put on paper for posterity. Not much, I believe.

At the opening of the Grass Roots Tennis Club last Saturday, Bertille “Silky” DaSilva and Michael Nanton both gave a brief chronology of the development of Tennis in the post World War II era. But again, that rests in both men’s heads.

The same can be said of several sports, as not much attempt has been made to ensure that proper archives are kept.

A similar situation exists even at the Department of Sports and Physical Education, which should be an information gateway, a place where past performances can be researched at the click of a mouse.

At local Cricket matches, the likes of former national cricketer Vincent “Killer” Hadaway and others will give accounts of past Cricket matches in vivid detail.

Their photographic memories are amazing, as they are able to recount incidents in graphic detail. But God forbid that such persons pass on before their knowledge is documented.

And, the list is not exhaustive of those with a reservoir of untapped sporting history. Lloyd Lewis, Owen “Manning” Jackson, Carlton Hall, Gloria Ballantyne, among others, are still with us and still have their faculties in tact. Therefore, let us use their wisdom and experience to good effect.

It is pathetic that in 2010, with all the advancement made in technology, that local history of sports is in the main oral.

It is often disheartening that to gather information on the past, one always has to seek out persons who you think may have knowledge of the area of your research. Sometimes you are unsuccessful, as their whereabouts are often unknown.

Also, there is always a mad rush for information when someone of national sporting fame is being honoured or suddenly dies. The information gathered is often scrappy and at times inadequate and does not do justice to the individual’s contribution to the sporting national landscape.

Additionally, how many international caps do our footballers have? Those statistics are only available if the players themselves keep personal records.

And, it can go on and on in all sports, as hardly any discipline is equipped in this pertinent area of record keeping.

Similarly, there are droves of old photos of sporting events held by persons of yesteryear that need to be preserved and archived. All it takes is the initiative by the powers that be to get the process off the ground or be ever doomed to guessing and hear say.

But the start must come from the individual association level, as they, too, are woefully deficient in having records and statistics available with just a telephone call or an e-mail.

But the research must go beyond the association level. The few club houses that are around and the various learning resources centres dotted across the island should be adorned with photos of persons who have left a mark in sports in that locale.

In this way, the young sports men and women will be inspired to strive for fame, and at the same time learn more of those who have set the pace.

The garnering of such sporting historical facts and artefacts then will be the forerunner of a St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hall of Fame. This in my estimation is long overdue.

Also long overdue is the complete removal of the Mound at the Sion Hill Playing Field.

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    Villa woman in  hospital after being stabbed over 20 times
    Front Page
    Villa woman in hospital after being stabbed over 20 times
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Police are said to be carrying out investigations into the stabbing of Rafia Sardine, a 20-year-old female of Villa. Reports are that Sardine, a FLOW ...
    RSVGPF most hacked of gov’t agencies
    Front Page
    RSVGPF most hacked of gov’t agencies
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    In St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), an analysis has found that the most hacked government entity was the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Polic...
    Event staged locally to mark Africa/ Caricom Day
    Front Page
    Event staged locally to mark Africa/ Caricom Day
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Leaders of Governments and institutions from countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the continent of Africa, gathered at the weekend for ...
    PM, proud of his constituents
    Front Page
    PM, proud of his constituents
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is proud of the persons in his constituency who continue to aim for higher education. Dr Gonsalves is the parliame...
    Van conductor to be sentenced for beating pregnant ex-girlfriend
    Front Page
    Van conductor to be sentenced for beating pregnant ex-girlfriend
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    A van conductor, who beat his five- months pregnant ex-girlfriend after she refused to get back with him, has been remanded pending sentencing. Onez J...
    King selected again for the ULP in West St George
    News
    King selected again for the ULP in West St George
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    To the haunting timeless reggae melody of Jimmy Cliff’s classic ‘Journey’, Curtis King, who was selected as the candidate for the Unity Labour Party (...
    News
    King selected again for the ULP in West St George
    News
    King selected again for the ULP in West St George
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    To the haunting timeless reggae melody of Jimmy Cliff’s classic ‘Journey’, Curtis King, who was selected as the candidate for the Unity Labour Party (...
    Steel wielding Lowman’s Hill man to be sentenced tomorrow
    From the Courts, News
    Steel wielding Lowman’s Hill man to be sentenced tomorrow
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    A Lowman’s Hill man who struck another villager in his head with a piece of steel will know his fate tomorrow, September 10, 2025. Kevin Roberts, 25, ...
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    News
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Climate Change Resilience Network (CCRN) in collaboration with the Youlou Radio Movement (YRM) recently embarked on a disaster preparedness initia...
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    News
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, is to obtain three more Heamodialysis machines as part of the revolution in the healthcare secto...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok