Dr Cliff Bertrand is fortunate to have been on both sides of the sporting and education divide, as a T&T Olympian and a New York City School Administrator. He did his undergraduate work at New York University, graduate work at Brooklyn College, New York University and Columbia University where he accumulated quite a vocabulary of experiences. Arima born and bred, Dr Bertrand was moulded at Arima Boys RC, Ideal and Progressive High Schools, where he excelled in football and track. He was a member of the only West Indies team which took part in the 1960 Rome Olympics and returned four years later at the Tokyo Games, Japan, as a member of the T&T team. He was also the founder of the Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club and a former NCAA Division One head coach. Dr Bertrand will be featured every Friday on our sports pages.
I thank the T&T Guardian for allowing me to share with you my observations and opinion and that of other contributors. This is not intended to be about people-bashing or character assassination; rather this is about dialogue, healthy criticism both positive and, when necessary, negative. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged. Without your input, I cannot do it. Dialogue and thought. The importance of giving attention to the whole process. The process of how it affects us, our feelings, and our state of mind at different levels of the emotional spectrum and how others are affected by it.
Today I look at what makes a coach good since this year has been unsettling for coaches and sports organisations in T&T. The IAAF certification of coaches appears, as it seems, to have no developmental effect on performance skill levels of its intended target group and therefore stands in question.
The IAAF operates a developmental education programme levels I, II, and III which projects the feeling that it is beyond the capabilities of the people it serves. The T&TOC, Olympic solidarity and other partners operate this programme. Successful completion of this programme leads to an IAAF diploma.
However, effective this programme may be, it surely stimulates conversation among ordinary street folks.
What makes a coach "good"? Is it winning, losing, morale building, preaching, yelling, tough driver, motivator, people pleaser-what? Winning is not everything but if you don't win, you get fired and your sheep leaves the flock. One who improves the skills of his charges, and gives everyone a chance to perform is a loser. A motivator who knows his or her craft is a preacher. A tough and realistic person-a hard worker who pushes everyone to their limits and knows the limitations of their skill level is a genius.
What makes a coach "good"? He or she listens and understands that respect must be earned, treats his charges with dignity as part of a team, focuses on each individual and not the elite few, is a politician, and does not see coaching as merely a means to an end: an end which focuses on glorifying the coach. Coaching is not for self-aggrandizement and status building. A coach must aspire to be selfless rather than selfish.
The good coach is the ultimate role model; in deeds, words and action. It takes a very special person to be a good coach. To be a good coach you must be an educator. You must read the game, know the game and be able to teach the game, motivate players and mould their minds so that they can believe in themselves and become productive citizens of his/her community. A coaching license or certificate does not necessarily mean you have what it takes to be a good coach. The license gets you the job. In the end, it is the people you turn out who would be the judge of whether you are a good coach.
Dr Cliff Bertrand
constitutionlaw@aol.com