All is well with schools’ sports this year

Everyone can expect a near perfect academic year, in which the schools’ sporting calendar will be well administered, with an extremely high level of proficiency.

After years of hits and misses, the authorities charged with schools’ sports are on the pathway to getting it right.

Therefore, the many criticisms levelled at the Ministry of Education now have to be recorded in the past tense.

Proactive have been the persons with the clout, so much so that all systems are in place and things are expected to work like clockwork, just ready to roll out.

Already in place is the sporting calendar for the 2017- 2018 academic year, which has been ratified and is awaiting execution.

All evaluations from the previous year’s happenings have been done and the strengths highlighted, with the many kinks which surfaced, listed to be ironed out.

Among them is the flow of information and heightened awareness via various media outlets, instead of the over reliance on Facebook.

Promises of some equity to all sporting competitions have been made. This is welcome news, as only the inter-schools ‘Track and Field Championships’ were recipients of the media hype and prominence.

As a change, some ministry officials have vowed to be more couth in their approach to others, which augurs well for better interpersonal relationships all round.

Efficiency abounds, as the various national associations, who head up the sub-committees of the respective disciplines would have met and discussed the plans for the upcoming year.

Teams for the competitions set for this term namely football, table tennis and netball are in early training, with a view to producing better displays on the field and on the courts.  

Forward thinking was employed, based on recommendations, which has resulted in schools being assisted by the national associations, whereby certified coaches have been assigned to schools to complement the work of the Physical Education teachers.

Additionally, all other stakeholders, such as the Department of Physical Education and Sports, are on board with all the plans, programmes and competitions set out for the year.

The officials from that said department and those from the Ministry of Education are in harmony, thus providing the framework of co-operation and ultimately a smoother operation of school sports for 2017/2018.

Similarly, other government arms, such as the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, are part of the processes, thus laying the structure for a synergy of the various ministries.

Such is the seriousness of the process that all venues intended to be used for competitions have been assessed and the necessary corrective actions are in line.

Plans are in train that at the end of each competition, the training squads for the various disciplines played at the annual Windward Islands Schools’ Games will be selected and a preparation regime put in place to excavate St Vincent and the Grenadines from the last position, when the 2018 edition is staged in St Lucia.

Likewise, selection committees have been identified to ensure some greater impartiality when the teams are named.

It has been reported that several other changes for the betterment of schools’ sports are listed to come into being.

These changes are being fine-tuned and the revelations of such will be made public in due course.

Stop Press!!! This column sincerely apologizes to all its ardent readers, as the above exposition has been deemed a case of being misled by thoughts of fantasy.

This is so, as this exposition was based primarily (with good intent) on wishful thinking, hoping things would have changed this time around.

Unfortunately, it was found that this is far from reality and schools’ sports for the 2017/2018, will return to the old habits.