The news that athletes from all of nine schools cannot compete at the prestigious 4-day Jamaica Boys and Girls Athletics Championships (Champs) next week, because their schools were late in sending in entry applications, was disappointing, to say the least.
Ironic and strange is that Morant Bay High, one of the schools that were late, was a drop-off/pick-up point for applications from schools in the eastern parishes. Additionally, we understand that the courier service could not collect the applications on the Friday, March 11, the extended deadline, and so collected them the following Monday instead, allowing extra time to send in the applications.
Among the schools that missed the deadline is two-time — 1914 and 1925 — winner of the event St. George’s College, seventh at Champs 100 last year with 46 points.
Eighty-eight girls schools and 101 boys schools have been entered for this year’s competition.
The annual Champs has long become so renowned and has been attracting media attention globally, as well as scouts from US colleges, who go with the aim of recruiting the best, as well as those with great potential for their programs.
So, what happens when athletes such as Garvey Maceo’s quarter-miler Rusheen McDonald and St. George’s College’s head boy and top high jumper Kemarki Absolom do not get a chance to showcase what they can do? That athletes certainly wouldn’t be doomed. After all, Asafa Powell was not a Champs product. It’s just that no chances should be forfeited for a promising athlete due to the negligence of adults who are in charge of helping the youth shape their future. In this case, competing against their peers on the national level is the ultimate opportunity outside of competing abroad.
It’s an open secret that many Jamaica youth view track and field as a way to improve their station in life, the way basketball and football is a part of the thinking of many young men in the US, who just want to buy their mother a house. Children running races in their yard or on a street where there’s no traffic is a common scenario, even in rural areas.
It has long been the dream of many a Jamaican boy or girl to run track for his/her school and later to compete for his/her country. A bigger push factor than patriotism though is that track and field is a way to improve one’s status, particularly for those from depressed areas or families who don’t have whatever it takes to achieve financial upward mobility.
Athletes use the sport to get a high school and college education, a career, and ultimately a salary on which to live, whether sports- or academic-related. With this mindset, every exposure or opportunity to compete at a high level is important to the young athlete’s future.
It is, therefore, sad that while some educators and administrators penalize students for turning in assignments late or for getting to school/class/training late, they are negligent in carrying out their responsibilities to help the youth.
Walton Small, president of ISSA (Inter-Secondary Schools Association) the organizing body, has flatly refused the suggestion of Public Defender Earl Witter to reconsider its decision, explaining that ISSA does not have the authority to sanction any member of staff of any school, and that such action would have to be taken by the schools themselves.
It’s not the first time schools were not allowed to compete for similar reason, and Small has noted that ISSA cannot be inconsistent in its operations because over the years, a number of schools were excluded because of late entry.
We might have forgotten that powerhouse Vere Tech, for example, was blocked in the 1970s, when the world wasn’t paying so much attention to Champs as it does now, and the sport was not as lucrative.
Any frustrations ISSA feels over deadlines not being met year after year is fully understood; however, the body’s method of discipline and sending a no-nonsense message is far from helping the development of those who need help: the youth. ISSA needs to look into other ways that would not hurt the young athletes.
Owning Respobsibility
On the other hand, we hope that the individuals who have caused the problem will admit their wrong doing and apologize to the athletes, and that their schools take appropriate action. It’s their negligence that has caused this misdirected punishment, and it’s just not fair that the innocent student athletes should get the bitter end of the stick, after putting so much time and work into getting ready for the big event.
While we are for applying rules across the board, it’s the athletes who suffer and should not be made the scapegoat for the incompetence of their leaders who go Scott free. Out of concern for the athletes, ISSA should allow the athletes to compete but penalize the schools by not awarding them points where they gain them. In that way, while the school would not be ranked in the race for championship points, the athlete would still get to measure up against the competition, be seen by the world and, therefore, stand the chance of being recruited on scholarships.
And while you’re at it, ISSA, why not put the digital submission of entry forms in place, if you haven’t yet done so? In that case, coaches would not have to travel to drop them off to beat the deadline. In addition, it doesn’t take much to send out constant deadline reminders, warning that while latecomers up to a point would be allowed to compete, the schools would lose all points gained at Champs.