As I bade farewell to one of my athletes this past week, about to start a new chapter in her very young adult life as a freshman in University, I felt a sense of excitement for her.In good health, she acquired both an academic and athletic scholarship to help her and her parents afford her way to attain her bachelor's degree in engineering. Once a client of mine about three years ago, she completed her course of therapy, returned to training and has managed to take care of her body so that she can now join her University's swim team.
It reminded me of another athlete I had treated, whose coach was trying to convince her to stay in Trinidad on the national team and attend a local University, rather than take up such an opportunity in the States. Without reservation I encouraged her to pursue both her academic and athletic goals in the States where she would be a part of an institution that would hold itself equally as accountable to her, as she would be to them.
Some may find my perspective a bit harsh but it has come to be my opinion, based on the treatment that athletes receive locally, despite successfully representing their country in competition. Basically, athletes here, regardless of their race, sport, or accomplishments are chewed up and spat out.
While the Honorable Minister Anil Roberts continues to work hard to try to clean up the mess that exists within several of our National Sporting Organisations (NSOs), it remains an uphill battle to find individuals truly committed to investing their energies to efficiently and effectively grow their sport. I find it ironic that while it is expected that our young athletes unite on a team to represent their country, they are often times being led by an administrative body that is divided by private agendas and sensitive egos-an environment that the athletes are not necessarily protected from either.
Working in the sports industry in T&T involves a tremendous amount of volunteer work and those of us who can afford to volunteer do so happily. Even the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) relies on the assistance of volunteers to provide health care to athletes registered at their various Olympic Training Centers channeling them through the USOC Sports Medicine Volunteer Program. Unfortunately, in Trinidad however, volunteerism is sometimes misconstrued to mean that the value of the skill is insignificant and so qualified professionals are continuously approached to negotiate the cost of their services down or sometimes, just never receive payment for services rendered in good faith.
The respect shown for professionals in the industry by outsiders and sometimes even within the industry needs to improve but I wonder what it is that creates such a milieu. Is it because of a lack of funding? ...A lack of transparency? ...A lack of accountability which has plagued the industry over the years? Is there an over-reliance on volunteerism?
I hear the complaints and criticism concerning the changes (or lack thereof in some opinions) taking place in the sports industry but it is difficult to see how expectations for sudden change in this industry can be high considering the amount of nonsense and bad decisions that has gone on in recent years. To build or expand anything more, with the pseudo-foundation that exists in local sport would be to risk further squandering of precious resources. The changes we all hope to see, will take a lot of time and consistent effort.
My frustration comes most when I see athletes not getting the things they need to perform at their best. For example: no funding to participate in important races/tournaments; athletes stressing about accessing rehabilitation when they get injuries (avoidable or not); playing with poorly fitted uniforms and equipment; young athletes subjected to over-training and burnout which only leads to their disappointment and discouragement.
So parents, monitor your kids' development and the interest their coach and their country expresses in their overall well-being. Even if they do not participate in every single competition and therefore do not win every single medal for the year, once their performance is constantly improving and they are healthy and injury free, their participation in properly structured programs at the University level will provide them the opportunity to excel both athletically and academically.
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