MISTAKES are simply unavoidable.
After all, to err is human.
The trick is not to “double down” on the same blunder, because failing to acknowledge a mistake as such is just the same as making two mistakes.
And that’s why I can’t understand this persistence in banning drums.
It’s been eight years after the fact, and to think we’re still only now starting to put the discussion back on the table despite witnessing one painfully dead inter-school sports after another.
This is probably the biggest injustice committed against school sports, outside of student-athlete transfers of course, considering most spectator sports are nothing without great surrounding atmosphere.
Just ask local badminton.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I totally understand the decision behind the initial mistake.
Pulsating beats
The thinking back in 2009 was that the drums and accompanying musical instruments lend themselves to “inappropriate behaviours” from the students because of the fast-paced, pulsating beats.
The thinking wasn’t exactly off-base either.
I’ve attended inter-school sports as both a spectator in the stands and an athlete (yeah, who knew!), and I can safely say huge circles form around the drums where students tend to do whatever they feel like.
But the problem is students don’t need drums as an excuse to do whatever they feel like.
We’ve now seen with the advent of cellphones in schools and the rise of social media that these kids are still engaging in extremely” inappropriate behaviours” in and out of school – with or without music.
And by banning the drums the focus was shifted away from the real problem; too many teachers were not properly supervising students in those same stands.
There are no stands now though, so it should be next to impossible for students to get away with whatever they feel like in the open air of the velodrome.
On top of that, the students aren’t even going as students, having been allowed to purchase tickets to the finals as regularly dressed patrons.
Yet it still sounds like there will be no drums.
Just like there will still be no atmosphere.
Feed off the crowd
I truly recognised how important it is, for school sports especially, after watching the Under-19 boys’ basketball title game and the ensuing girls’ final and seeing how the players fed off the crowd.
In both instances, particularly inside The St Michael School, the atmosphere was simply electric and set a fast-paced, exciting tone for the finals.
The thing is the quality of the games wasn’t actually good, but you couldn’t tell from the fan reaction and all the comments made after both championship contests.
So missed layups, turnovers and travelling violations were greeted with drums and horns but Sada Williams’ Olympic qualifying feats deserve claps and whistles.
Those efforts just demand so much more, and we would actually witness even further record-breaking performances if the athletes simply had the accompanying atmosphere to drive them on.
Unfortunately, I spoke to two coaches, who shockingly said that athletes shouldn’t need outside motivation to perform.
But while that may be the case for top level CARIFTA athletes, like a Rivaldo Leacock, the problem is that those types of athletes make up less than ten per cent of all those competing at inter-school sports.
Very best
Only the very best are internally driven, that’s why they’re the very best.
At the highest level, whether it’s the Olympics or World Championships, you always see long jumpers and pole vaulters egging on the fans for crowd support.
Even millionaires in professional sports feed off atmosphere when you’d think their sole motivator would be money.
Why else do you think pro teams perform better at home than on the road?
It’s the same reason why we’ll never truly see the best from our track and field athletes at what serves as the pinnacle for many of their track and field careers.
That’s what you get when you leave this meet in the hands of principals.
After all, you’re expecting non-sporting people to make sporting decisions and do anything but make mistakes.
Or even acknowledge them as such.