Asking ourselves the questions

Perfection cannot be attained here on earth; that is the simple reality of life and sports falls into the same bracket.

But narrowing it down to St Vincent and the Grenadines and its sporting endeavours, we have to ask ourselves many pertinent and searching questions, why we are where we are.

First, we have to question ourselves; where does sports fit in the list of priority areas for St Vincent and the Grenadines?

Also, is sports considered important enough, to be given enough of the national economic pie to move us from where we are?

Do we have the will to make sports part and parcel of national development?

Is sports still seen as simple recreational activities and events to burn excess energy and nothing more?

Additionally, are the right personnel in place at the decision-making levels of the governmental apparatus to effect changes needed to make sports viable and a social change agent?

Is this the same case with the various national sporting bodies which administer the respective disciplines?

As a relevance of the subset of happenings, do we have a large enough talent pool and heft to make the authorities stop and think more about sports?

Can there be some semblance of equity with the distribution of the available resources, inclusive of sports facilities, among the major sporting disciplines?

Also, what are the main causes for the despondency and loss of drive in all aspects of sports here in SVG? Why is there a fall-off in the national appeal for sports and its related activities?

Why are we not producing more quality sportsmen and women, as our other regional neighbours?

Are we so trained to see sports restricted to representing our clubs/teams and representing St Vincent and the Grenadines and it stops there?

Is it a case of accepting that we are good as ourselves and see this as our excellence bar?

Hence, why are our national teams called upon for friendly matches against our regional counterparts in the cases of football and netball?

Linked to this, why don’t we have more of our sportsmen and women, making sports a profession?

Can we do better than the handful that are currently on the roster of other set-ups outside of St Vincent and the Grenadines? If yes, what are the causes?

Are there fundamental flaws in the coaching methodologies, or is there something wrong with the structure of sports here, or is it a combination of both?

What is stopping the various national associations from putting in place systems of identification of elite sportsmen and women, and channel them to maximize their potential?

Then, in the absence of such a system, can our schools’ curriculum be fashioned to have sports taught as a subject and not reside at the side bar?

Do those in authorities recognize that most of our youth population are mentally wired with an active psyche?

Have the authorities realized that what is being prescribed for students to learn does not fit into the mode of receiving and processing information?

Will it be too radical a change to have selected schools labelled as sports schools, where the emphasis will be on excellence of the various sporting disciplines?

Is there any educational planner with that will even attempt to make such a proposal for discussion, more so implementation?

But should we continue to forever question ourselves about sports? Would it be a better proposition to put the systems in place to find solutions to the many asks?

Until such time comes, let the questions remain the checklist for positive changes.