While the NCAAs may be the obvious route to track & field success for young Caribbean athletes, there are alternatives that can also lead to success in the sport. The path taken should depend on the nature, personality and skill–sets, as well as the maturity and academic acumen of the young athletes. Here are some alternatives we believe are available to our young athlete.
The NCAAs offers one of the best vehicles for taking young Caribbean athletes to the next level. However, there are two routes to take in the NCAAs to get to the ultimate goal of achieving track & field success and excellence.
For student athletes who are academically gifted and are successful in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and other pre-college exams, the obvious choice would be to get into a Division I school that offers the curriculum or program that prepares them for success on the track as well as success after track. Baylor University’s Gavyn Nero (T&T), Nebraska’s Nicholas Gordon (Jam) and University of Alabama’s Kirani James (Grenada), for example, are just a few of our athletes who are able to make the successful jump from high school to a Division I school, with the intention of using track and field as a mean to an end.
The Junior College Route
The second option is for student-athletes who may have had some success in high school, may not have been heavily recruited and who may want to avoid the immediate pressure of a Division I program. In such cases, the junior college is the next best thing. The success of athletes attending Essex County College (New Jersey), Barton County College (Texas) and South Plains College (Texas) proves the efficacy of this path. These institutions provide the training, classroom preparation and emotional adjustment needed for success.) Kerron Stewart (Jam), Simone Facey (Jam), Veronica Campbell (Jam), Alleyne Francique (Grn), and Steve Mullings (Jam) all used the junior college route to get to Division I and ultimately to the world stage.
Getting an education and making something of oneself should be the main focus for going to college. There are numerous tertiary institutions in the Caribbean where students can get a college degree (for example the University of the West Indies/UWI), but these institutions oftentimes lack the coaching resource and intense track & field competition.
However, with the improving relationship between these institutions of higher learning and track clubs, the prospect of staying home and getting a degree/diploma looks bright. The MVP Track Club in Jamaica has set the pace through its affiliation with the University of Technology (UTECH). MVP athletes Asafa Powell and Shelly-Ann Fraser are just two club members who are able to continue their professional training while working on their degrees.
Now the UWI has strengthened its track & field ranks with its affiliation with Racers Track Club. According to Glen Mills, club president, the club will be based on the Mona Campus in Kingston and have its own facilities to train on. A synthetic track of world-class standards — an eight-lane track donated by Regupol of Germany — is among the new facilities that will be available to the club while at UWI. The IAAF High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) has also formalized ties with Mona as part of the Athletics Initiative of the campus. Mona is also offering degrees in sport medicine as well as trying to develop a sport science faculty.
Another option for the graduating Caribbean high school track star is to go pro. For athletes who are simply dominant in their age group and who may wish to bypass the college experience, turning pro would be a good choice. However, patience, hard work, dedication and maturity are required for success. The Racer Track Club is one of the most prominent professional track clubs in the Caribbean; the world fastest man Usain Bolt is a member. Bolt, along with Yohan Blake (Jam), Daniel Bailey (Ant) all chose this option of going pro.
Should Be a Proven Winner
However, going pro does not necessary means that the young athlete has to stay in the Caribbean. There is also the option of signing pro contract with professional track clubs overseas. The Jamaican trio of Ramone McKenzie, Nickel Ashmeade and Dexter Lee recently signed pro-contract with professional teams or agents in the US. (McKenzie is currently enrolled at Full Sail University in Florida). In getting the opportunity to sign such contract, the young athlete should be a proven winner or has a huge upside potential.
For young athletes, track and field should not be the ultimate goal as few athletes are able to command the pay check and notoriety of a Usain Bolt. For the average athlete who competes on the European and world circuits, there is just not that much financial gain compared to the time spent training, and nutrition and travel costs.
Many professional athletes, therefore, have to spend their off-season working jobs to maintain their lifestyle. One of the best paydays for the professional athletes is the IAAF World Athlete Final, which in 2009 had a pay check of US$30,000 for first place; US$20,000 for second; US$12,000 for third; US$7,000 for 4th; and US$5,000 for 5th.