LONDON – Despite the success of Jamaica at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Barbadian athletes should not abandon the idea of scholarships to the United States to train with our Caribbean neighbour.
This is the opinion of Alwyn Babb, head coach of the athletics team to the Olympic Games.
Jamaica topped the Caribbean medal table with 12 medals – four gold, four silver and four bronze – with mostly home-grown athletes. Some athletes there still go on scholarship, but the top ones like six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt; 100-metre World champion Yohan Blake and Olympic 100-metre champion Shelly-ann Fraser-Pryce, among others, are all based in Kingston.
The concern is that American universities are not going to train Barbadian athletes to beat Americans on the world stage.
“I believe the same would obtain in Jamaica,” Babb told NATIONSPORT. “It is not in either country’s interest for Barbados to win medals on the world stage.
“What we need is to find a solution to the burnout and lack of motivation by many of our athletes.
“The focus at this point for many is to get an education instead of using the United States experience to break into international competitive success.”
Greggmar Swift and Shane Brathwaite are both on scholarship in the United States. Ramon Gittens recently finished his stint and Ryan Brathwaite attended junior college there. Bradley Ally did both high school and college in the United States to pursue his swimming career, but judoka Kyle Maxwell was the only homegrown Barbadian athlete in London.
Speaking specifically to athletics, Babb said unless the college coach was prepared to carry the athletes through to the international season, there should be a programme in place where they can return to Barbados and settle into an environment which is conducive to preparing for the world stage.
“I am thinking that a good base would be at the University [of the West Indies] and a structure in place with competent coaching staff and so on,” Babb said.
But the notion of a national training and development programme has been touted for some time with no success.
“I am not going to flog that dead horse,” Babb said “but there is a need for some structured training programme that maximizes our potentials.
“I want the athletes to understand that after the college competition, they are coming home to a structure that is going to improve their chances on reaching finals and the podium.” Documenting workouts will be key.
“If the coach and the athlete have agreed that he will continue assisting with the preparation then an analysis of the workload in terms of periodization and what is needed for the athlete to be peaking will all be part of the process to bring the athlete to peak performance.”
Gittens, Swift and Shane Brathwaite returned to their respective universities to train after the National Championships before coming to London.
Grenada’s 400-metre World and Olympic champion Kirani James, like Ryan Brathwaite, is a pro who also lives and trains in the United States, as do many athletes from Trinidad and Tobago. The exception is javelin gold medallist Keshorn Walcott, but a Cuban coach was brought in to work with the throwers and it has reaped success.
Babb is also not in favour of a local club trying to produce pros. He believes in the programme more than the club which would remain the feeder for the programme.
For this to happen, it would require a complete cultural change.
“The problem with staying at home has to do with the focus and distractions that family and so on will bring. We have not reached a stage where parents can imagine a child just training, studying, resting and living at home,” he said.