Athletes told: Strive to be outstanding

Athletes at St. George Secondary School have been encouraged to set their eyes on the upcoming Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships (BSSAC) and to strive to be outstanding, in whatever areas of sports endeavour they participate in.

This key piece of advice came recently from Captain Michael Jules, Sports Coordinator for the Barbados Defence Force’s (BDF) Sports Programme. He was at the time delivering an inspirational speech to athletes gathered for the recent Inter-House Sports Awards Ceremony, which was held at the school.

Encouraging them to work just as hard as athletes at any other schools, Captain Jules told them, “In order for you to receive outstanding results in anything that you do, you first must have that desire to do well. You must have that desire to win. It must not just be words.”

“Despite the hard work that the coaches give you, you cannot give up, you must be disciplined. For the athletes, you must be on time for training, you must attend training, you must make sure you do the entire workout, you must have confidence in yourself,” he further admonished.

He then encouraged the entire school body, both students and teachers, to rally around the athletes and give them the motivation and the backing they need to also strive for excellence.

“Now every single person in this hall has a part to play in the St. George Secondary School’s Track and Field team doing better at BSSAC 2020. Each and every one of you. Let us start with those who are not members of the team. Your part is to provide support for the team members. You are to encourage them. You are to keep them motivated. Wish them well, encourage them to keep training and most importantly, you need to purchase a ticket and attend BSSAC,” Jules advised.

“Athletes, what better feeling is there, that you are competing and you are hearing chants with your name being called, not just the announcer calling your name, but your team mates chanting your name?” he added.

“Teachers, you also have a part to play. Of course, I trust that you will continue to provide all of the support to the athletes, the encouragement and motivation that they need and you teachers as well, you should be attending BSSAC and giving your support to the team as well,” he maintained.

Pointing out that the St. George Secondary School was once a powerhouse in track and field and that athletes not only represented their school, but their country and had the opportunity to receive track and field scholarships, he encouraged all involved to strive to make it into the top ten list of schools, in terms of the competition.

“How wonderful would that be PE teachers, to break into the top ten and then we could go on to the top five. But all of you have to want to be part of that history. You can’t settle for 11th place. You have to motivate each other. Strive to do better than you did in 2019,” Captain Jules remarked.