By Ricardo Wells
rwells@tribunemedia.net
A COUPLE of weeks ago I took a break from my regular, nuts and bolts reporting to discuss the growth and development of sports - in a broad sense - in the Bahamas. The feedback from that piece has inspired me to go a step further and urge an extensive re-branding and re-formatting campaign for youth/high school sports in the country.
In 2016, the average, run-of-the-mill high school match-up doesn’t carry the weight it once did. In the 1970s, students were over enthused to be a part of storied programmes such as The Government High School, St Augustine’s College, St Andrew’s or a St John’s.
In fact, one of the most amazing things I have come across in my time in the media is the pride that oozes from persons that graduated from these sorts of institutions.
THE WELLS PLAN - WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
1 Establish a national youth sports authority that works with sports and education officials that would draft pride campaigns for every high school level institution. In this step, students would be taught, in-depth, about the history of the school which they attend.
2 The authority will craft unique marketing packages for each school, including paraphernalia - shirts, jackets, ball caps, regular t-shirts, wristbands, socks, etc - and morale building internal and external activities. In short, each school will be allotted time, resources and staff to develop programmes that boost social and digital awareness of the unique features of each school.
3 A comprehensive sporting schedule that merges public and private school calendars into one evenly spread national athletic calendar.
4 The sporting authority will develop infrastructure that allows for proper record keeping, player development, student athlete help, a feeder system that steers youth participants toward tertiary level institutions or national team participation.
I am sure many of you reading this can recall moments of glee and pride felt for your high school. We all wanted our schools to be great or victorious because we felt as if it meant that we were a part of a major achievement. However, most of our local students have become detached with the legacies and achievements of their schools.
A large percentage of students are no longer passionate about their school’s athletic programmes because the pride has been lost and replaced by, in some cases a cynical, hands-off interaction - if they win, they win; if they lose, then I just have to look good in that loss because it is all about my individual advancement.
The pride once derived from school colours, uniforms, crests and logos have become a thing of the past. This isn’t a critique of individual students or student bodies, but more an indictment for how far we have allowed the country’s sporting culture to fall.
Presently, all high schools participate in the three power sports - basketball, softball/baseball and athletics. Now is the time for education and sporting authorities to work together to construct systems that help develop not only these sports, but student athletes through these respective disciplines.
Kids participate in high school sports, in most cases, for the opportunity to best their peers. They hardly ever do so to represent the school that “means so much” so to them. When last have you heard the phrase, “my dad played for Kingsway, so I have to play for Kingsway?”
Look closely at many of the high school systems around the world. Families work endlessly to ensure that their kids are afforded a chance to enroll in those institutions that they hold near and dear to their hearts.
Let’s add meaning back to these programmes. Why hasn’t the Bahamas moved to rebrand and reformat its high sporting genre? It’s time for a major overhaul.
I call for a sporting re-launch of every high school in the Bahamas.
This isn’t a move to re-write the history of these schools in any which way. In fact, my proposal will look to expand the historical facts of each school.
Students enrolling in or aspiring to enrol at C I Gibson, in this re-launch period, would be able to learn about the legacies and history of that school.
I want to see young kids eager to not only play sports, but to have a love for those colours, uniforms, crests and logos.
In the fall of 2002, I enrolled at Jordan Prince Williams High School. In the spring of 2004, nearly two years later, I came to grasp what it means to be an avid fan of a high school/college sports. That year Prince William captured the BAISS Senior Boys basketball championship.
As enthusiasm rushed through corridors of the school’s South Beach campus, it became clear to me that sporting passion could not only boost “school pride” but act as a marketing tool for any institution.
In addition to quality competition, sports can breed a sense of belonging within our youth and, eventually spur a sense of tradition and passion.
Consider what national pride we can encourage, if self-pride and institution pride is experience and celebrated at a young age.
• Fourth Quarter Press
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