Sep 27 2008

The Importance of Sports in the Youth
By Cotney John

Sports is very important in the life of the youth and go a lot further than the fact that "it keeps them off the streets." It does indeed keep them off the streets, but it also instills the lessons and values that are necessary in their lives. Sports play a crucial role in the framework of a young athlete, especially in the secondary school years where athletes are much more grown-up and mentally developed. Where else can a young, vulnerable youth learn values such as discipline, respect, responsibility and self confidence? Television, which may be the most significant tool in the lives of young adults, does not show enough of these qualities, nor is it on the Internet, or radio. Relatively it is up to the parents, teachers, sports teams and clubs to help shape, develop, and instill these qualities into the lives of the youth. I believe in order for this to happen, school sporting programs must have a few mechanisms in place. The first thing they need is a good foundation of coaches that understand the great responsibility that is placed upon their shoulders to help shape and prepare these children not only in sports, but in their everyday lives. Yes, I did say coaches, because it is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of more than one person and it is going to take more than one person to help escort the youth to success.

The second section also involves the coaches. It is the ability to capture the approval and the trust of the youth. This is crucial because if you can capture a person's approval and trust you can motivate them to perform at a higher level not only in sports, but also in their own lives. If you can get the athletes to believe in you and your views you can begin to see significant changes in grades and behaviour. It all starts with coaches that have a plan; a methodology behind the principles they are teaching. As I said earlier, there is a great responsibility on the coaches to help the youth make a smooth transition into society.

The third and I believe the most crucial of all is the support that comes from the community, and supervision. This is very important because the youth need to know they are appreciated and there is no greater way than for the community, Prime Minister, Ministry of Tourism, and St.Lucia as a whole unit to show that appreciation than to get involved in youth athletics. In order to accomplish this it's going to take investment and the most valuable investments are money and time. The more invested, the better the results. I can attest that there is no greater investment than the future of our young athletes. When these things are in place, I believe athletes will benefit and the results will be evident not only on the field, but long after they retire from the sports.

My summary to all of this is that, sports, is not being recognized enough in St.Lucia. This is one reason why the athletes give up easily because they are not encouraged and motivated to want to do more or participate in any sporting activities. They believe that there are not enough benefits for their involvement in such an activity.