The verdict is out on whether or not spectators who attended the recent Powerade Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championships (BSSAC)?want to see the drums back at the National Stadium.
During the meet’s final two days, SUNSPORT took to the stands to hear the views of patrons and find out whether they preferred the games with or without the drums.
According to Albion Wiggins, the absence of the drums did take away from the excitement of the meet, but he said that he fully understood why those steps had to be taken.
“I can’t say that I completely disagree with the ban because some of the children just do not know how to behave. The students need to learn how to behave properly,” he maintained.
However, Donna Hunte completely disagreed. She believed the ban should be lifted and procedures put in place to prevent any bad behaviour.
“Without the drums, the whole atmosphere is dead. I don’t see why the students can’t be allowed to use the drums.
“All that has to happen is to station teachers nearby so that they can assist in supervising the behaviour of the students,” she said.
For Jan Layne, it all boiled down to parents raising their children properly.
“If your child is well disciplined, he or she isn’t going to go to the Stadium and wuk-up or engage in sexual behaviour just because they hear the beat of some drums.
“People think that it is the drums which are causing the students to behave like that, but it is much more than that. These problems start from within the home,” an obviously disgruntled Layne explained.
Lab assistant and cricket master at the Garrison Secondary, Elvis Howard, said that he had attended BSSAC with and without the drums, and he preferred the excitement that the drums brought.
“The excitement is really missing. I strongly believe that the absence of the drums has lead to a decrease in the number of students who attend. It has also affected the carnival-like atmosphere which had helped to make it enjoyable for both patrons and athletes,” Howard claimed.
In addition, he also felt that the beat of the drums helped to motivate the athletes, while giving them an adrenaline rush at the same time.
Ryan Holford, physical education teacher at Queen’s College, which won the boys’ title for the second straight year, believed that banning the drums was not the way to go.
He insisted that a “middle ground” needed to be reached where everyone felt content.
“The removal of the drums was not the way to go. The drums are not the root of the particular problem which they are trying to address.
“There has to be another way to deal with the matter, because the solution cannot always be to chop off the head.”