HIGH SCHOOLS as an important part of Jamaica's

[Karl]

So Karl; what about the other 800 hundred odd students? They should suffer because the high schools across Ja is trying to pick a squad of 24? High school is not the place anymore for the kid the dreams of being a computer scientists, a writer, a historian and an economist (to name a few)?

Academics should take a back seat to soccer because that's the only way you can see Ja competing at the INT'L level? What about Ja's economy and the advancement of human capital in the info age?

Jawge are you for real?
Where or how would playing football remove opportunity to be anything you wish?

High schools upper forms offer each student an opportunity to make earliest of decision on life path as far as career is concerned. ...hey, you can start going down the road to be any of the things you named.

The only thing that rules out success is the quality teaching (the education environment), financial means and ability (shaped by motivation) of the student. Matters not if path chosen is academics or an art form - e.g. painting, music, etc. - or trade/vocation or a sport or the military.

Free yourself from mental slavery!!!!

Jawge many, many...the vast (...and when I say vast I mean tremendously high percentage numbers...95%+) majority who try the path of a sport eventually use that high school jump off point to other pursuits.

...do not allow yourself to be fooled by Bricktop's inane 15 -30 top quality players coming out of an academy or school or oblique references to probability of success being in the high percentage range to make you think for a moment that high percentage of our locals who aspire to be professional footballers will get anywhere near a professional club...

...forget the idea of digesting that 15 - 30...even dreaming of that 15 -30 finding selves being considered by top professional club.

The figures on players involvement in the sport and rate of failure to 'make it' is mind boggling!!!

...and what have you done with your 'eyes' on %age rate success of advancement to secondary high schools...then %age rate success of advancement to tertiary institutions...final graduation rates? Well, it is even harder to achieve success at the (let me use Bricktop's description=) "elite" athlete heights.

Jawge the greatest of all schools is the 'University of the Streets'..that which is right in front of our own eyes (reach - 'physical' reach and vicarious reach=that which our environs teach).

[Karl]

How else will the best play with/against the best?

There are two basic ways. ..listed by me over and over and over and...

1. One speaks to what happens after selections are made to top tier age-group teams...and our national teams.

Please use google on our discussion board and read my posts on same...but it is easier to visit our main site and search for, find and read my articles.

2. The other speaks to improved teaching at the schools, youth clubs and football clubs...and improving quality there.

Look...our JFF academy or our club's academies or Bricktop's academy will not have high quality team or even best of the best from the get go. It is crazy to think that can or will happen. As Don1 suggests of the high schools, so it shall be for the academies. All the pieces will not be in place when those come on stream.

A building process has to take place all through our football development praymid - Bricktop's academy could prove to be worthwhile piece...or not, depending on how the building goes there.

[Bricktop]

Youth clubs and schoolboy football?

[Karl]

This is a pie in the sky. If schools are able to access significantly more funding.... this should largely be directed to academic improvement... not sports


That approach works for Nike... not so much for the typical Jamaican high school. Mi tink yuh ah nyam seedless grapes too long

I wrote a response. Went to do something...on return it was lost.
...so I shall just make a short reply -

We know, you know we know that Rome was not built in a day...so a start has to be made on building that high school rung on our development pyramid. So all this talk of it will not happen is bunkum.

...and why do I say, bunkum?
We know, you know we know that there is precedence on building of a sport in our high schools. That sport is Track and Field.

May I remind you of some similarities by posing some questions?
1. How many high schools could afford to be a part of the first Champs?

2. What questions would you have on availability of numbers of coaches, assistant coaches, etc.?

...technical experts to provide guidance in the technical areas?

3. What of funding? Where there questions about whether or not the high schools could afford same?

There are other questions directly related to your previous posts but let us jump to this last...

4. Of what value today is the high school contribution to the sport of Track and Field...our track and field?

As fact, there was a start in 1810 or thereabout we are told. ...that when many were saying, it was an impossible task.

btw - Your comment

If schools are able to access significantly more funding.... this should largely be directed to academic improvement... not sports

falls in the category of brain is more important that heart...therefore 'starve' heart and 'feed' brain.

Both are of equal importance. Both must be fully funded. They each make vital contribution to 'whole'! ...unless you are into "some men are more equal than others"?

What are the possibilities for our country as we think on potential for our football? Multi-billions of USA dollars, Euros, Pound Sterling? ...and stakeholders - direct participants, vendors...suppliers of goods and services and indirect associates/affiliates and persons - in a 'Jamaica football industry'?

A waste of funds you suggest...reasoned position or reasonable point to be carried? ...or short-sighted approach?

[Karl]

Youth clubs and schoolboy football?

If a youth club team or schoolboy team...or all-island youth club team or all-island football team was of the quality that it could be competitive with top of the world football teams would that be good? ...and if that quality would be produced year following year...would that be good?

...or would it be more important to have a 2nd form quality team of academy players represent us against Brazil?

The discussion is, not about academies vs high schools or schools or youth clubs or parish teams or whatever...it is about a system that shall produce quality footballers year over year over...ad infinitum.

Ignoring the schools...failure to see the uses on width and depth of talent pool and value of having transition of kids with quality formal training behind them entering each succeeding higher quality player/play age-group is akin to being blind.

I am done for now!

[Gamma]

The discussion is, not about academies vs high schools or schools

definitely not a large vessel because dat turn too quick!!!

[Jawge]

Karl 95%+ of 24 is 22 +. We are still back to the question what about the other 800 something students? All resources of the island should be dumped in football so that 22+ students can benefit?

Yes the university of the streets plays a role in one's life, but given the advances in the present age everyone now needs some form of school or the other. This is until the microchip is fused with the brain. All one has to do then is upload a file (a la Matrix).

[Don1]

I wrote a response. Went to do something...on return it was lost.
...so I shall just make a short reply -

We know, you know we know that Rome was not built in a day...so a start has to be made on building that high school rung on our development pyramid. So all this talk of it will not happen is bunkum.

...and why do I say, bunkum?
We know, you know we know that there is precedence on building of a sport in our high schools. That sport is Track and Field.

May I remind you of some similarities by posing some questions?
1. How many high schools could afford to be a part of the first Champs?

2. What questions would you have on availability of numbers of coaches, assistant coaches, etc.?

...technical experts to provide guidance in the technical areas?

3. What of funding? Where there questions about whether or not the high schools could afford same?

There are other questions directly related to your previous posts but let us jump to this last...

4. Of what value today is the high school contribution to the sport of Track and Field...our track and field?

As fact, there was a start in 1810 or thereabout we are told. ...that when many were saying, it was an impossible task.

btw - Your comment falls in the category of brain is more important that heart...therefore 'starve' heart and 'feed' brain.

Both are of equal importance. Both must be fully funded. They each make vital contribution to 'whole'! ...unless you are into "some men are more equal than others"?

What are the possibilities for our country as we think on potential for our football? Multi-billions of USA dollars, Euros, Pound Sterling? ...and stakeholders - direct participants, vendors...suppliers of goods and services and indirect associates/affiliates and persons - in a 'Jamaica football industry'?

A waste of funds you suggest...reasoned position or reasonable point to be carried? ...or short-sighted approach?

I agree that high schools are important in development and I agree Jamaica must make a start in that process. I also know that Jamaica is in a dire, long term financial crisis where hard choices must be made.

My choice in this environment is NOT to hike spending on sport... yuhzimi?

That's why my proposed fast start is centralized, small and practical...utilizing a national academy at the central hub...with spokes going out to a few ideally located schools which provide academic support to kids at the academy. Other schools nationwide can receive technical/coaching support to improve their own football play

When our financial picture improves we can think about some vast national program as you describe incorporating many more schools.

[Jangle]

Karl 95%+ of 24 is 22 +. We are still back to the question what about the other 800 something students? All resources of the island should be dumped in football so that 22+ students can benefit?

Let's not go overboard here now. No one is saying use ALL the resources of the island. Where do the organizers get the money from to sponsor events like those at Dover Raceway or at those golf tournaments? Getting the financing to implement football programs in selected high schools for the national program can be found, and not to the detriment of the schools' academic programs. Don1's suggestion is not new, but I would expand it across the island. The high schools already have the facilities that can be partnered with to grow our national football program, just like how UWI and UTECH has partnered with MVP and Racers track clubs.

[Karl]

The discussion is, not about academies vs high schools or schools

definitely not a large vessel because dat turn too quick!!!

There is 'empty vessel'.
The discussion has always been about your contention and Bricktop's insistence that the schools cannot and should not play a significant role in developing footballers.

Let me say it for you again: Schools do not equal high schools. High schools are just a class of schools within those that comprise schools.

[Don1]

. Don1's suggestion is not new, but I would expand it across the island.

Don1 nuh falla back ah peeple... is blaze wi blaze trail...yuhzimi??

Fiya fi Blaze!!!!!