Change is constant

It is undeniable that change is constant. However, this is not always accepted, but it is a necessity in going forward.{{more}}

Last weekend saw a flurry of sporting activities and competitions putting on their lids for 2012.

Therefore, as the evaluations are down and plans are in train for the next sets of competitions, it may be pertinent for some of the hosts to press the refresh button, and ensure that the ensuing engagements maintain their life.

Among those that need a look into, is the very popular Digicel Aeropost Firms and Industrial Football Competition.

Indeed, a welcomed sporting outlet for workers of the various firms, after two years of this innovative football competition, a re-think in some areas of operations and guidance must be employed, in order for these competitions to keep on a growth path.

Organisers must put a ceiling on the number of participating teams, as they can trade quality for quality.

More so, serious scrutiny must be paid to the eligibility of players, as several players are sneaking into teams with little or no affiliation by way of an employment contract with the various entities.

This consideration is beneficial to the future of the competition, as well as the credibility to the firms, ministries and statutory corporations.

Last Saturday and Sunday also saw a weekend of schools finals, namely the netball and football competitions, for both juniors and seniors.

The experiment of hosting the netball finals on a Saturday in some way paid dividends, as there was a marked, visible presence of parents at the Kingstown Netball Centre.

Whether there were more persons at the event on Saturday than when it is held on a Friday, as was the case for many years, is another matter.

The innovation though, falls in line with the continual metamorphosis in our values system, whilst keeping the core values to decency of life intact.

As with anything tried for the first time, there will be those who will be in opposition proffering that the final did not reflect a school event as students wore their casual clothes.

Likewise, the staging of the schools’ football final on Sunday at the Victoria Park, whilst not new, achieved the objective of getting persons who would not have normally made it during the weekday staging of the event, to the venue.

However, both school happenings must be tightened up in terms of prompt scheduling.

Organisers should endeavour that they are completed within a due time, preferably before darkness sets in.

In the case of the football, efforts must be made to have a transport system in place to ensure that students return to their homes on time, granted the following day is a school day, added to the fact that transportation is not readily available on Sundays.

This could be a collaborative effort between the organisers and the schools engaged in the finals.

Also, for the umpteenth time, this column will call for an overhaul of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association’s annual presentation and awards ceremony.

A case in point was that last Friday’s citations presented of the top cricketers of the year were sub-standard, as if it was some hogwash occasion.

The think-tanks of that national cricket body need to find some ways of injecting interest into the well meant night of recognition and reward.

The monotony of the programme is a simple copy and paste exercise carried out at this time of year.

Staying with the sport of cricket, the SVG Masters organisation, after seven years, should seriously look at raising the entry age of eligibility for this competition from 40 to 45.

As it stands now, there are some very young 40 year olds who are still active in cricket and their involvement could only ward off those who simply need to take a knock-up.

They, the organisers, must encourage, as much as possible, players to represent the place of residence, as this brings into focus, adding the competitive edge to what is designed for fun.

Likewise, there should not be more than 12 participating teams.

Change is what helps to determine sustainability.