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What's up with Ottey?
on the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Every so often a young sports personality comes along that excites the fans and media alike.
Jamaican sports and western Jamaica's in particular is rich in stories of exciting juniors, especially in an area where daCosta Cup football is king among all sports.
The emergence of 16-year-old St James High striker Allan Ottey this season was genuine cause for excitement as he led 'Senior School' to the Ben Francis KO and daCosta Cup double.
His goal-scoring prowess saw him being included in the training squad for the Under-20 team that went on to win the Caribbean title but he was left behind, failing to make the final cut.
Certainly his season was not one that was without its hitches as the youngster, despite showing maturity beyond his youth, was on the wrong end of too many red card offences, especially as a striker.
While he is still developing his craft and learning the game, his penchant for missing easy chances must have been a worry for his coaches as well.
Those problems faded in comparison, however, after we learned in an Observer story last weekend that he suffered from frequent blackouts during the season.
Even more alarming were the reports that no serious medical prognosis was sought and the youngster was merely made to rest a day or two, providing there were no games coming up.
If this is true and I hope it was not true, then there is serious cause for alarm as I am sure the powers at St James High understand that Ottey's or any other student's well-being is of far more importance than winning any sports title.
The least that should have been done was to shut him down and conduct a barrage of tests to determine the position.
To make things worse, if the medical reports we hear are in fact correct, Ottey is now taking part in track and field for St James High.
The memories of Marc-Vivien Foe, the former Cameroonian football player who dropped dead in a football game, are still fresh in the minds of many.
I hope I am not being too alarmist as this fainting spell we read about might be nothing, then again it may be serious and it can't be too much to make absolutely certain.
on the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Every so often a young sports personality comes along that excites the fans and media alike.
Jamaican sports and western Jamaica's in particular is rich in stories of exciting juniors, especially in an area where daCosta Cup football is king among all sports.
The emergence of 16-year-old St James High striker Allan Ottey this season was genuine cause for excitement as he led 'Senior School' to the Ben Francis KO and daCosta Cup double.
His goal-scoring prowess saw him being included in the training squad for the Under-20 team that went on to win the Caribbean title but he was left behind, failing to make the final cut.
Certainly his season was not one that was without its hitches as the youngster, despite showing maturity beyond his youth, was on the wrong end of too many red card offences, especially as a striker.
While he is still developing his craft and learning the game, his penchant for missing easy chances must have been a worry for his coaches as well.
Those problems faded in comparison, however, after we learned in an Observer story last weekend that he suffered from frequent blackouts during the season.
Even more alarming were the reports that no serious medical prognosis was sought and the youngster was merely made to rest a day or two, providing there were no games coming up.
If this is true and I hope it was not true, then there is serious cause for alarm as I am sure the powers at St James High understand that Ottey's or any other student's well-being is of far more importance than winning any sports title.
The least that should have been done was to shut him down and conduct a barrage of tests to determine the position.
To make things worse, if the medical reports we hear are in fact correct, Ottey is now taking part in track and field for St James High.
The memories of Marc-Vivien Foe, the former Cameroonian football player who dropped dead in a football game, are still fresh in the minds of many.
I hope I am not being too alarmist as this fainting spell we read about might be nothing, then again it may be serious and it can't be too much to make absolutely certain.
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