“People have the right to fail”??
This appears as repentance and an open cry for forgiveness .This is the confirmation of a bad dream in one of Paul’s book of revelation.
TTOC President Mr. Brian Lewis with his cunning has been able to convince smart people into believing that 10/24 gold medals is within the landscape of reality. By the way(TTO got 4 “Goals” last night)
Like Jim Jones in the Guyana incident, he has assembled a cadre of dupes who believed!
His leadership capabilities undermine the job of the NAAA. The marathon mistake. Undermines the NAAA.
The Gymnastic mismanagement. Poor judgement.
The selection of a Rio management team from the office of the TTOC. The pay off.
“The TTOC confirms TTO Chef de Mission to provide television analysis.” Divided loyalty
The deception of RIO’S team performance speech: “They performed their best”. Not true!
Is this conceived opinion the start of a dream deferred or the crash of a political intent? What next!
NAAA president Ephraim Serrette “has a plan” a schematic “athlete development pathway “appendix v. (NAAA .website) a primary school student‘s pet project.
The NAAA executive believes that supporting the athletes financially only will increase the medal pool. It did not.
Giving the same team of official’s trips by manipulation of their title position has not produce medals. It facilitates his re-election process!
President Serrette is guaranteed another term of office. He has already laid the foundation to secure his re-election unopposed.
The RIO 2016 results calls for serious investigation.
Though directly affected, the NAAA remains silent on the Chef de Mission Incident.
Money does not equate medals.
Tokyo 2020 will echo Rio, unless a miracle is performed.
The Brief issues
The NAAA had a depressing year.
The Carifta results were unimaginable. TTO dropped from second place to fifth on the medal count after Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, and Grenada.
Jamaica won 42 gold medals .TTO won 3 Gold.
Total medal count reveals that TTO won 14 out of 199 medals
The TTOC President expects 10/24 Olympic Gold Medals.(Lack of leadership training )
The World under 20 Championships results was more catastrophic than the Carifta. Disaster.
The NAAA cancelled the Grand Games meet of invited foreign elite athletes.
The “Grand Games” was not an NAAA’s initiative. But that of Regina Johns. However, as it comes under their portfolio, circumstances surrounding future approval of meets has to be re-examined.
The NAAA needs replacement parts. They need help. They do not have the gonads to admit it.
The chief advisor and guardian of the NAAA President is inefficient.
He should revisit the Tarouba undulations of St. Patrick to find the rooted lessons in Humility and service.
The NAAA President should stand independent of an advisor who cannot even articulate his own thoughts.” Give him a Carib and let him be!”
The Minister of Sports is fishing.The following steps if taken seriously should facilitate athletic development:
Towards Organized Constructive Development of Trinidad and Tobago’s Track and Field.
Planning must be S.M.A.R.T.. It’s all well to dream. It’s all well to wish. However, dreaming and wishing do not constitute planning.
If we are to seriously engage in an effort to promote and develop Track and Field, we must envisage and indulge in an overarching and all-encompassing approach. This involves solid, professionally crafted and implemented structures which, though seemingly separate, are integrated and seamlessly interlocked.
There is need for a management team comprising of sub – managers for specifically mandated modules.
These modules include Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Youth, Juniors and Seniors. This will involve some overlapping under certain circumstances.
There must be a Finance Committee to deal with all areas of finance:- planning, sourcing and disbursing.
There must be a Records Department which will be responsible for faithfully and comprehensively recording Track and Field competitions. This department will be responsible for producing dedicated booklets for each category of competition and maintaining an up to date website.
This will allow for continuous tracking of our athletes enabling identification of possibles and probables.
Placings and times in all sanctioned competitions must be readily available.
There must be fixed dates annually for Regional Competitions leading up to the National Championships catering for each category. This will entail efficiently functioning Regional Committees.
Competition venues must be identified and upgraded if necessary and thereafter properly maintained. Do the TTOC and the NAAA have any input in the planning of new stadia or recreation grounds?
S The aim is to have in place a system of graded competitions as part of the national calendar of events in Track and Field. This enables proper tracking of athletes.
M Progress could be easily assessed and performances compared and contrasted.
A aim can be achieved as the necessary components are already present or can be sourced.
R Expectations do not exceed capabilities. These are realistic and reasonable goals
T A twelve month period should be allowed for setting up the administrative structure and identifying and preparing venues and attendant logistics.
There must be a Promotions Team mandated to sell this thrust to the stakeholders and population at large.
The longest journey starts with the first step.
Dr. Cliff Bertrand / Olympian
