Handle with care

With some regularity, the annual Inter Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships (ISSAC) has given some glimpses into the future of this country’s track and field potential.

Last Thursday at the Arnos Vale Playing Field provided what could be another of these instances, with some standout solo efforts from 12-year-old Ulanda Lewis of the Barrouallie Secondary School.

Instantly, she caught the eyes of spectators and added valuable parts of the highlights reel of the championships.

Caution must be the watchword, as St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has been drilled in such hope and flickers of brilliance, which, oftentimes, turn out to be short-lived and fade away into the dim memories of our sporting annals.

In this case, however, prior to last Thursday’s schools’ meet, Lewis made an impression on both the Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada junior championships, which also served as Junior Carifta trials.

At the Grenada run out, Lewis defeated the Grenada U-18 hopefuls in the 100m and 200m and ended up with better times than the U-20 winners.

Her performances saw her clocking 12.26 seconds in the 100m and 24.99 seconds in the 200m.

These are encouraging signs, given that she is yet to attain her 13th birthday. Lewis’s efforts blew away those who attend only the annual ISSAC, but for those who follow the sport of track and field, Lewis has been a regular performer at the primary schools’ level, having made significant input into the Buccament Government School’s efforts over the years.

Her early exploits in some way must be credited to the input of Santa Cruickshank, who would have crafted her progress by her sheer diligence. We often get ahead of ourselves and begin to advance the athlete(s) as destined for stardom, without taking time out to assess their progress.

One has to, from the get-go, desist from labelling her with lofty titles, but simply to let her mature in athletics at a pace commensurate with her chronological and mental ages.

As part of fast-tracking her exposure to other competition, efforts were made by the sport’s governing body – Team Athletics SVG, to get Ms Lewis to attend this year’s Junior Carifta Games in Curacao.

However, the rules were not relaxed and she has to sit it out and make good of her opportunities at other age group championships.

Therefore, those who have responsibility for Lewis’ welfare and are decision makers, now have their work cut out. First up they have to help her keep feet on the ground and her head in the right places.

Additionally, she and others with similar potential, will encounter challenges, both natural and manufactured. But it is the way such challenges are handled in making that nexus.

The hierarchy of Team Athletics SVG, as the policy makers for the sport, will have to map out the pathway for athletes who are showing promise, be selective with competition choices, as well as provide them with the necessary tangible support.

Handling such athletes with care and attention during their fragile years of development has been a downfall over time, as these athletes, once not properly cultured, lose interest and drop out of the sport.

We cannot be re-cycling the same mistakes, doing the same things the same way over and over, and expect to achieve different results.

Harnessing the current stock of athletes is paramount to ensuring that a structured course of development is pursued. If not,­ we will forever be participants and depend on wild cards to international meets, rather than earning the right.