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Leave the kids alone!
on the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Here we go again. The track season is picking up steam and we are just about a month away from Boys' and Girls' Champs and already pundits, fans and those who just watch the sport are heralding the new Usain Bolts right left and centre.
Every time a youngster runs anything close to a decent time at any preparatory meet we get the obligatory comparison with the triple World Record holder. I wonder if that is fair to the children involved.
Usain Bolt is a once-in-a-lifetime freak of nature that can party, eat fast food then go out and break world records.
It is far more difficult for us mere mortals who must train hard, go to bed early, get lots of rest and stick to a regimented nutrititional discipline to get even a modicum of success.
Western Champs which ended on Saturday saw brilliant action on the track and the predictions are that western Jamaica will be well represented come Champs and in the selection for junior teams to the CARIFTA Games in April, the Pan-American Juniors and the IAAF World Championships later in the year.
That should be enough pressure for the youngsters to shoulder and a 14-year-old who may yearn to lead the Reggae Boys to the 2014 World Cup more than becoming the next Olympic track hero, should not he saddled with more burdens that he can bear.
One of the things I learned as a young journalist a long time ago was that we should allow the youngsters to enjoy what they are doing and not subject them to the some times unnecessary spotlight of the media.
Many of my more seasoned and respected colleagues tell me they never interview or seek to single our high school athletes until they get to Class 1 or in football or cricket to age 18 or so when they are better able to deal with it.
But of course it is the job of the media to highlight youngsters of any age who do well enough to win or lead their team to victories.
I recall years ago one very respected high school football coach complaining that after being singled out by a local media house for highlights and features after scoring lots of goals in a short period, a player decided he did not need to train anymore and he was now a star.
Needless to say the star lost his place in the team and the same media house that had 'bigged him up' not so long ago, completely ignored him.
Forgive me if I am not jumping out of my skin to crown the next world beater but Jamaica's high school track and field history is replete with the 'next greats' who for whatever reason never quite make the grade.
Closer to home, Western Champs has seen some great potential who never made the next level.
Draion McNain of Mannings won everything from long jump, 100m and 200m, hurdles all in record times but is now playing football at a Junior College in the US.
Paul Thompson of Munro won the Class 3 long jump with over 7metres and secured a full ride to a good US school, we have not heard from him in a while.
Chances are he has a degree and is doing very well for himself and his family.
Let us allow the kids to develop at their own pace.
on the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Here we go again. The track season is picking up steam and we are just about a month away from Boys' and Girls' Champs and already pundits, fans and those who just watch the sport are heralding the new Usain Bolts right left and centre.
Every time a youngster runs anything close to a decent time at any preparatory meet we get the obligatory comparison with the triple World Record holder. I wonder if that is fair to the children involved.
Usain Bolt is a once-in-a-lifetime freak of nature that can party, eat fast food then go out and break world records.
It is far more difficult for us mere mortals who must train hard, go to bed early, get lots of rest and stick to a regimented nutrititional discipline to get even a modicum of success.
Western Champs which ended on Saturday saw brilliant action on the track and the predictions are that western Jamaica will be well represented come Champs and in the selection for junior teams to the CARIFTA Games in April, the Pan-American Juniors and the IAAF World Championships later in the year.
That should be enough pressure for the youngsters to shoulder and a 14-year-old who may yearn to lead the Reggae Boys to the 2014 World Cup more than becoming the next Olympic track hero, should not he saddled with more burdens that he can bear.
One of the things I learned as a young journalist a long time ago was that we should allow the youngsters to enjoy what they are doing and not subject them to the some times unnecessary spotlight of the media.
Many of my more seasoned and respected colleagues tell me they never interview or seek to single our high school athletes until they get to Class 1 or in football or cricket to age 18 or so when they are better able to deal with it.
But of course it is the job of the media to highlight youngsters of any age who do well enough to win or lead their team to victories.
I recall years ago one very respected high school football coach complaining that after being singled out by a local media house for highlights and features after scoring lots of goals in a short period, a player decided he did not need to train anymore and he was now a star.
Needless to say the star lost his place in the team and the same media house that had 'bigged him up' not so long ago, completely ignored him.
Forgive me if I am not jumping out of my skin to crown the next world beater but Jamaica's high school track and field history is replete with the 'next greats' who for whatever reason never quite make the grade.
Closer to home, Western Champs has seen some great potential who never made the next level.
Draion McNain of Mannings won everything from long jump, 100m and 200m, hurdles all in record times but is now playing football at a Junior College in the US.
Paul Thompson of Munro won the Class 3 long jump with over 7metres and secured a full ride to a good US school, we have not heard from him in a while.
Chances are he has a degree and is doing very well for himself and his family.
Let us allow the kids to develop at their own pace.
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