Paul Wright | Accentless and heavily melanised

The dictionary has defined the word 'coach' as a person specifically employed to prepare someone for a particular exam. In this country, a coach of a sport is usually hired with a specific target/aim that is often articulated when the individual is hired. After reading fellow columnist Oral Tracey's take on the success of the tenure of Australian coach, Stuart Law, while in charge of the Windies cricket team, (with which I agree wholeheartedly) I think the time has come (again) to look at the method and results of coaches hired by different national sporting organisations.

In Jamaica, it seems that the principal requirement for the position of coach of a national sport is either an accent or being devoid of melanin. Of all the coaches hired by Cricket West Indies, West Indian Phil Simmons was, in my opinion the most successful of any coach previously employed.

His concentrated melanin levels and a lack of accent apparently added fuel to the fire caused by his insistence that team selection and tactics should not be influenced by input from board members. In netball, a succession of coaches produced the same old same old, 'sometimes third, most times fourth' world ranking. The introduction of an accentless and melanised coach, resulted in a defeat of England, in England! Next thing we heard...'gone'.

DUAL COACHES

An 'experiment' of dual coaches went to Australia and defeated the top two netball countries in the world, and lost to eventual gold medal winner in the Commonwealth Games by one goal. Next thing we heard - one of the two coaches gone! The present combination of coach and assistant coach now involved in a Sunshine Series at the National Indoor Sports Center are accentless and heavily melanised. Let us see how they will fare in the run-up to the next World Championships.

In table tennis, the input of an overseas coach has resulted in an abysmal showing in the

last Caribbean Table Tennis Championships. Will a local coach be considered now that homesickness has featured in the resignation of our present coach?

In football, the success of Brazilian RenÈ Simoes in taking us to the finals of the FIFA World Cup was historic. However, the president of the Federation, the late Captain Horace Burrell, was determined that the formula used by Coach Simoes could not, would not, ever be changed, (with predictable results year after year) until a lack of finances FORCED the federation to look locally. The result, a real chance of returning to the World Cup finals, led by local hero Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, accentless and heavily melanised.

BOLT'S HISTORY

In track and field, the greatest track and field athlete of all time, Usain Bolt, was discovered playing a different sport at William Knibb High School in Trelawny, by the late Pablo McNeil. This young phenom, stayed at home, coached by accentless, heavily melanised coaches and the rest is history.

All of this rehash of history is to ask, once again, why can't we give our own coaches a chance? What is this morbid determination to look abroad and afar when contemplating guidance of OUR local sportsmen and sportswomen as they take on the world in competition? I think that the time has come for the minister of sports, the Honourable Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, to explore ways of insisting that we look at our own, first, when considering appointments to local national sporting organisations. Let us give our local, well-trained and competent coaches a chance! Is that too much to ask?

- Dr Paul Wright is a noted sports medicine specialist and media personality. For feedback, email: paulwright1948@yahoo.com