EDITORIAL
In watching the ongoing NAPSAC and BSSAC championships, one can appreciate the dramatic, tense struggle for sport supremacy as well as admire the talents on display. These annual showcases feature the best of the best within schools, and we can all appreciate the hard work children put into their craft. Some further utilise their skills to obtain athletic scholarships, and/or qualification for CARIFTA or the Olympic level. When there is repeated negative commentary about the state of the island’s youth, it is therefore incumbent on us to give these children their due, encourage them in their endeavours and truly support them to achieve their best results.
Sport is a fitting symbol of life. Success in life, regardless of endeavour, is based on how badly one wants to be successful, how much hunger there is for great achievement, and how much one desires to continuously improve. This is turn drives the effort put into training, practice and discipline. If we want to help our children get the best they deserve, as can be seen during this week’s events, continued investment towards their present circumstances and future possibilities is required.
With all the focus on youth and reports of indiscipline behaviour, however, studies suggest that sports assist in reducing youth crime. According to the research published in the Australian Institute of Criminology, sporting programmes geared towards decreasing deviant behaviour among children provided an outlet for children’s needs, staved off boredom and limited unsupervised time to engage in “antisocial” behaviour. In addition, sport generally increases self-esteem and improves health. National success in sports can also translate to favourable educational achievement for our teens in that many colleges and universities offer scholarships for various sporting disciplines, even those areas not specifically athletic, such as chess.
One hopes therefore that seeing the many positives sport can have on children, there is increased focus on strengthening the programmes offered across schools in various forms. It means that supporting infrastructure must be in place for optimal development. The track at the national stadium is first-class, but damning reports of the state of the stands leave a lot to be desired. Many in Barbados would love to be in person to support the athletes and the fact that the stands are still in poor condition is unfortunate. Infrastructural investment is clearly needed, where a national plan is put in place that would encompass all schools, so they can develop their sporting programme and bring glory to their institutions. Kudos must be given to Corporate Barbados playing its part; it is common to hear the sponsor’s name associated with primary and secondary school teams of various disciplines and this support is necessary to help bring out the best in our youth.
We must fight against the negative activities young people can become involved in, and in cases where youth are excelling, they deserve all the push they can get. The onus now is to further develop all levels of physical and mental activities as outlets for like-minded individuals within schools. If we instil in them a positive mental approach, respect, and discipline, we are certain to see improvement not just in annual inter-schools competitions but also generally across the island.