PRAISE WHERE IT’S MERITED

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ost people, who think they know me, associate the name with politics, by which they mean local party politics. It matters little, and to be fair, it’s only through politics that I’ve had my greatest public impact here. Deep within me however, I regard the human body as ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit’ and I have long admired persons who train their minds and bodies to superior strength and endurance. People who spend years disciplining their minds and bodies in order to excel in sporting competitions deserve our fullest respect. To excel against the best in the world is not easy, no matter the chosen sporting discipline.

During my most active years in politics in the 70s and 80s, I recall the difficult choices government and politicians were faced dividing the scarce resources of the country to provide basic primary and secondary school education, basic health care, rural feeder roads and the upkeep of the civil service, among other essential expenditures. After the government of the day had factored in the maintenance of the island’s main roads and the expansion of electricity and potable water to a growing population, there was little left for playing fields and the promotion of sports and games. Little wonder that so few talented sportsmen and women in Saint Lucia emerged on the world stage.

Of course there were talented sportsmen and women even during the slow and innocent 1950s and 60s. Rupert Branford a former sportsman and fellow Samarian has published a book (2001) in which is recorded the better known sports personalities of an earlier period. Young sportsmen and their parents should read that book to prove to them that today’s youth stand on the shoulders of former sporting icons. In the 50s and 60s there was no monetary reward to be gained through excellence in sports. Sportsmen and women were driven to excellence for its own sake and for personal pride.

To be sure, sports were always encouraged, but Castries was the preferred point of expenditure. The island’s population had gravitated to the capital and there were more individuals keen on joining or forming a sporting club. Little effort was made at discovering and promoting sporting talent elsewhere until the 1950s. Even so, cricketing talent was not expected to develop beyond the island eleven and possible selection on the Windward Islands team. Today, things are different. There is room for every sporting talent to bloom and to excel on the world stage. Sports must therefore be looked at as a vehicle that is capable of taking our youth from zero to hero and be paid handsomely for their efforts. Through sports, economic freedom and prosperity beckons! Saint Lucia must therefore pay more attention to sports if it aims to produce the equivalent of Nobel Laureates in sports, including the Summer Olympics.

This article aims to support the young sportsmen and women who have made meaningful strides in the sporting arena. Those who have been proposed by their various associations to be considered for the prestigious National Sports Award should be roundly congratulated and held high as the preferred role models for others to admire and emulate.

I make no claim to judge those who should finally make it to the highest rung of the sporting honours this year. And you dear reader will forgive me if I make special mention of Kimani Melius, the young cricketer who travelled half way around the world and did himself, his coaches, his family, Saint Lucia and the West Indies proud. So too did Ms. Quiana Joseph who was selected on the senior West Indies Women team. In addition, I secretly hope that a star athlete from Saint Lucia will soon win an Olympic gold medal and those in the know are pinning their hopes on Ms. Julien Alfred as the one who may surprise the athletics world.

Those that I have mentioned are merely the exercise of the privilege of one who does so without bias or preference of any kind. We should therefore wish this year’s award nominees every success in the future. Boxing continues to make great strides and we thank Mr. Christopher and his tireless helpers for this. Things are a far cry from what they used to be in the dark days when the island struggled to breathe free and to invest in its sportsmen and women. Today’s youth have all to train and play for.

This takes me to tennis which has successfully emerged as a sport with wider national participation. The Omar Davis tennis courts at Vieux-Fort and the National Tennis Center at Beausejour, Gros-Islet are training more young players than before. My information is that the government of Saint Lucia is actively searching suitable lands and working with the tennis association in the hope of expanding tennis facilities island-wide.

A ‘National Independence Tennis Tournament 2018’ is soon to commence at the Tennis Center. That tournament is sponsored by Lucelec, Peter and Company and the St. Lucia Tennis Association. It is a local affair, but some young persons from Martinique are expected to participate. In the meantime, three young tennis players have been identified for possible selection as national sports men and women. They are Kieran President, Jean-Phillipe Murray and Megan Williams. We wish these three continued success. The future of tennis looks bright as Sagicor Insurance has agreed to partner with the tennis association to promote the game on the island.

Meanwhile, golf has been making baby steps to introduce the youth to the game. The expansion of the game would certainly help shed its image as a bourgeois sport played by the well connected and financially secure. One prays that the game of golf continues to expand and entice more young people to it. That would surely be an additional blessing to the island as it tries to expose more youngsters to healthy life styles, through sports. May God bless the youth of the nation especially at this 39^th anniversary of independence and may the national awards inspire the nation’s youth to practice often, play harder and reach for the top.