Is sports development important to Anguilla? Do Anguillians believe that we should invest more in the development of national athletes and teams? Would we like Anguilla to become a premier sporting destination, hosting world class sporting events? I am sure that almost everyone reading this editorial would answer these questions in the affirmative. My next question therefore is: How much are we prepared to sacrifice to make this happen? Hmmm. This may be a difficult question, but it is one which we must answer if we are to address the issue of sport development in Anguilla.
I am often astounded by the outstanding performances of many of Anguilla’s young people in various sports. We have witnessed the growth and development of young cricketers like all-rounder Omari Banks; batsmen like Chesney Hughes, Montcin Hodge and Lyndel Richardson; a skilled wicketkeeper like Jamar Hamilton; and an effective pace bowler like Kelbert Walters. All of these cricketers have made Anguilla proud. They have played on regional teams and some have advanced to the international arena. These cricketers would have been groomed right here in Anguilla in cricket development programmes conducted by the Department of Sports and the Anguilla Cricket Association. They would have also benefitted from overseas attachments at training centres and playing for cricket clubs. Yet our facilities for playing cricket remain rudimentary, the availability of trained coaches is a challenge, and we have not yet figured out a way to assist our cricketers and other athletes so that they can focus on practising to improve their skills. Being a professional cricketer is fulltime work but, because we have invested so little, cricketers can only focus on improving their game when they are not taken up with their regular jobs.
What astounds me about the performances of our athletes is not only the outstanding level of their performances but the fact that they are achieving in spite of our lack of investment. Imagine then, what they could do if we really invested.
Take for example, arguably our most famous athlete, Shara Proctor, who is the World Indoor Bronze Medalist in the long jump with a record of 6.89m and a personal best of 6.95m. If we are to be honest with ourselves, we must admit that while Shara would have gotten her foundation training here in Anguilla, she has achieved international success in spite of us, not because of us. The same can be said for: (a) Zharnel Hughes who can be dubbed our “golden boy”, based on all the gold medals he has won, and who recently clocked 20.33 seconds in the 200m at the Caribbean and Central America Junior Championships in Mexico last week to win yet another gold; (b) Richelle Meade who won gold at the same meet with her jump of 5.92m in the under-18 girls long jump; and (c) Theron Niles who outclassed his opponents to also win gold with a jump of 2.0m in the high jump of the 2014 OECS Championships held in St Kitts-Nevis last week.
These athletes have represented Anguilla well. They have all filled us with pride and patriotism. However, I am hoping that their success also serves as a reminder to us that we need to do more for our athletes. A modern “fit for purpose” track and field facility is long overdue. So too is some level of financial support for athletes who have been excelling; for example, contributions to medical expenses, special diets, exercise programmes, trainers and therapists. National recognition of their accomplishments would also be in order. What incentive is there for our athletes to excel, other than personal gratification? If we cannot find an answer to this question, then it means we have to do a lot better. We are only making sport with sports.
The next time we glory in the performance of our athletes, and rejoice about their achievements, let us stop and think about what we have contributed, or not contributed, to their success. There is obviously a lot of talent in Anguilla. Simply look at those who have excelled in spite of our complacency, and imagine how many more can excel if we changed our “do nothing” approach. Sports require significant investment. Can we afford to continue to put it on the backburner, or do we want to make it a priority for Anguilla? I end where I began: What sacrifices are we prepared to make? Our collective answers to these questions will indicate how much we value sports development in Anguilla.
