Dear Editor,
I am sure I speak on behalf of many other parents of athletes when I say that we are extremely proud of what our children accomplished at the recently concluded Nationals. Their victory in the track and field competition and top-class showing in all aspects of the event continue a Region 10 tradition that we cherish, and which is envied by others. We encourage our sons and daughters and their teachers to continue striving for greatness in all aspects of life.
The Region 10 administration deserves commendation for their support to the team. There are, however, some areas of concern. I was there when the athletes and team officials were departing from Linden. What I saw left me with the impression that the transportation arrangements made were inadequate, and this needs to be properly addressed.
There also needs to be more than a cursory acknowledgment of the tradition of success that the District 10 team has created. The regional administration needs to take the lead here and properly celebrate success against many odds.
The Linden Fund USA deserves our heartfelt thanks for their support to our team. Their provision of good quality warm-up suits helped ensure that District 10 was well attired, and won the march past competition.
The Guyana Teachers Union has for decades now, been administering schools’ sports events at the district and national levels.
One would have thought that after all these years of experience, the GTU would have gotten its act properly together. This has not been the case. I have noticed that in Linden, no medals are distributed to winners of events. Is this an acceptable state of affairs? And why, after all these years, athletes at the Nationals have to wait in the dew after nightfall until a curtain of confusion lifts and a winning team is announced? My own view, shared by many others, is that this annual confusion fuels the allegation that fixing takes place, especially when they say that District 10 has lost by half a point, or as was the case this year that we lost the overall trophy by three points based on the teachers’ competition!
Well just so that everyone knows, we are proud of the efforts of our teachers, our swimmers, our cyclists, and our track and field athletes. And we also know that even though it has been deliberately downplayed, the Track and Field trophy remains the coveted one and we got that!
The Ministry of Education needs to do all that lies within its power to require improved administration of this event by the GTU so that this air of suspicion that surrounds the outcome every year is removed. If these agencies don’t teach the youth to play fair, then we are in very big trouble as a society.
I wish to reiterate that we are immensely proud of all our athletes, they keep reminding this nation that Linden and the rest of Region 10 will always make an important contribution to national life, and they do so with maturity in the face of some vexing hindrances placed in their way. We look forward to improved Nationals next year.
Yours faithfully,
Winston ‘Zar’ Caesar Snr
