Raymond “Ray” Watkins - First President of Abilene Wildcats of Arima

Raymond “Ray” Watkins - First President of Abilene Wildcats of Arima

Raymond “Ray” Watkins, First President of Abilene Wildcats of Arima dies at 97 years.

Today is a day for remembering, with honor and love, Raymond “Ray” Watkins. Not many people outside the Municipality of Arima ever knew our Ray.

The Trinidad & Tobago was too busy with schemes and scandals to notice the hidden treasure we had among us - Raymond “Ray” Watkins.

Even in this community, not many people knew it was Abilene President Ray Watkins, Abilene Team Doctor, Dr Eugene Laurent, Roderick Reese - Manager/Coach of Arima Valiant Cycle Club, and Dr Cliff Bertrand - Founder of Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club, who stimulated the thought process of the then leaders of the Arima Borough Council to give the Velodrome and Running Track space in the Santa Rosa Savannah.

Ray Watkins and his team pleaded with the then Mayor of Arima, Percy Cezair, and pressed the Council Members, until they agreed to build the Velodrome, Athletic Track, and by extension created the space for Netball, Tennis, Football and Basketball.

The primary schools and environs also went on to enjoy these facilities.

They also gained the blessings of Dr. Eric Eustace Williams, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, “Father of our Nation”. Who went on to break the ground for construction of the facilities.

Ray Watkins: The scout master. Leader of the people!

The Volunteer for Youths in Arima.

He promoted the mission of preparing Scouts, and Venturers to make ethical and moral choices during their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

His Visualization for members of Abilene Wildcats of the Borough of Arima was the will to prepare every eligible youth in Arima to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader to be guided by the Scout Oath.

Raymond ”Ray” Watkins wanted members of the Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club to embrace a culture of servant leadership, with a view to success for all. To be prepared to become the best leader he or she can be.

This concept Ray lived long enough to experience. Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club of Arima sent over 30 athletes to the Olympic Games and they brought home a Bronze Medal in the process.

Ray experienced the celebration of these achievements. He was fortunate to live the experience as his kids embraced the opportunities when they pushed themselves beyond their existing “limits” for T&T and Arima.

Ray’s foundation work was realized during his lifetime!

Ray’s energy was phenomenal! He loved life. His mission accomplished. However he understood his mission, he had given his all; and now he was making the supreme gift of his life. It would be great if we could die with the assurance that we had carried out our mission - That we are leaving no unfinished business behind.

So let us not mourn for Ray. Rather, let us mourn for ourselves who are without him, still living in our own tents.

Do not grudge Ray his rest. Ray has not left us, but has gone on before. Ray’s final ride drove him passed the school where children strove at recess in the ring, he passed the fields of gazing mango and cashew, and he passed the setting sun as his carriage held but just himself and immortality.

His legacy: Laurie, Tony, deceased Patsy - his wife, The Arima he loved, The Teacher, The Director of the Youth Camp, The Scoutmaster, The President of Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club.

His Assignment is over!

Dr.Cliff Bertrand

Founder of Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club.

Former NYC Board of Education Public School Administrator

http://drcliffbertrand.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Dr-Cliff-Bertrand-Caribbean-and-American-Insights-on-Sports-and-Education-1664318243857173/

LEADERSHIP challenge

Why smart people in T&T Should Challenge the Ridiculous Ideas of Pseudo leaders

The Leadership Insiders network in T&T is a closed community with sports, education, and by extension other business organizations maintaining individual institutional cabal relationship.

It anchorages the most thoughtful and influential people in business organization in T&T.

They provide rhetorical answers to timely questions about careers and leadership without the slightest regard for performance input implementation.

 “How do you exude confidence at work when you’re feeling insecure under these leaders?”

Having spent many fruit bearing years in NYC Public Schools system, Trinidad & Tobago Secondary School, Mausica Teachers College, and the UWI, St. Augustine Extra-Mural Department:

I have abundant recollections of being the only person in the conference room not to be taken seriously in the conversation.

However, I felt very adamant in my ability to make a contribution particularly as I journeyed up the leadership ladder in the arena of education and sports administration.

Being confident may sound simple, but actually it's not, especially when interacting with team players who haven’t read the rules of the game they are engaged in.

 In The Confidence Code, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman found that some leaders   tend to focus more on developing competence in theory without the slightest regard for the practical and physical application of the process.

Some leaders come into an exploratory meeting after having witnessed the plenary session with the belief that if they just unpreparedly appear they can off the cuff their expertise with insincere rhetoric, and escape the dilemma of their presence. They harbor the thoughts that will automatically be recognized and rewarded for their presence.

The pursuit of excellence is important and shouldn't be ignored

However, the world habitually places a higher value on self-assurance. It's not just what you know, but how good you are at standing secure in the practical submissions of your data processing ability.

LEADERSHIP can be a challenge if you are not good at projecting inevitability. However, when you tend to restrain it, it is not the desired strategic response for achievement continuum.

It's not that tainted disciplined leaders are less knowledgeable than the norm, but lower profiling cast-iron certainty is a useful behavior in a relationship focused communication style that is constructed for establishing and maintaining the buoyancy of assurance.

The problem is that it doesn't make someone look knowledgeable and professional. It also doesn't address the behaviors you often see in the workplace, in which leaders tend to downplay their inefficiency, conceal their doubts by overstating their opinions.

It's not that the insecure leaders’ intention is to mislead others by not expressing their fears and doubts. But they may actually believe that their opinion is indeed factual. They do not know, that they do not know, what they perceive to know.

This approach comes in handy in an intuitively centered world of the unconscious. The egotistical idea is loaded with the unconscious venom stimulated by the detrimental baggage they bring to the table.

This platform ultimately and subliminally leads to antagonism between conflicting and overinflated egotistic opinions.

 Unfortunately the practices of treating those who don't understand the argument appear as if they are directly disputatious is outrageous.

In public, such leaders commit seemingly outrageous opinions and notions in order to test their theory out on a gullible citizenry of the academic intelligencia.

Deborah Tannen notable psychologist explicates that some leaders actually expect others to discharge their ridiculous concepts. But then again, if no one confronts or challenges the notion, they continue the impulsion to the point with audacious irrationality.

If you're of that citizenry, it's important to recognize when this is trendy.

A self-acclaimed guru on sports administration resident in Trinidad recently asked “what do you do when a man hijacks and saturates the public podium with absurd ideas?”

A curious street corner philosopher in a concerned discussion group spoke up: "I tell them their idea is ridiculous, and to back it up with factual data or recorded performance. Then steer the conversation toward a more productive, inclusively realistic conclusion."

However, if you find yourself in such a situation, where you are feeling insecure with the belief/ idea expressed, because it came from a respected an allegedly ambitious leader, it can be difficult to confront that authority assuredly.

Some leaders often have an ambiguous relationship with the notion of being powerful.

One way to find courage is to utilize assertive body language. Leaning back in your chair and take up space in the room that displays a sense of self-assuredness.

Speaking with authority in a calm voice is another technique. Just speak up—and with force.

Having a passionate voice is more important than having no voice at all. No voice is a dispassionate position to be in and surely needs transcendental meditation to discover your true self and your relationship with the ultimate source of your existence.

Harness that passion confidently in your body language and speech.

Take up space, embrace your confidence, keep calm, and lead.

Dr.Cliff Bertrand

Former NYC Board of Education Public School Administrator

http://drcliffbertrand.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Dr-Cliff-Bertrand-Caribbean-and-American-Insights-on-Sports-and-Education-1664318243857173/