Dear Sir,

I just want to add my voice to the discussion that is taking place regarding the state of sports in Bermuda.

Let's be honest. None of us should be surprised at the state of sports in this country. It has been brewing for a long time.

The acceptance of bad behaviour by clubs, coaches and national associations are a national past time in Bermuda. Second chances for the George O'Briens, Lionel Canns and Chris Douglas' of the sporting world are given like we change a ring tone on our cell phones. Then we react with horror when they act like the spoiled brats that they are.

Yes, the players deserve a lot of the criticism for their abysmal performance and behaviour, both on and off the field of play. They should be chastised for their lack of national pride when representing their country. However, they are not the only culprits in this debacle.

Parents, clubs, coaches and the national associations must accept that they have dropped the ball (no pun intended) where sports in this country are concerned. Last week, you had the coaches from Pembroke Hamilton Club, not the club executives or the president, talking about withholding their players from the national team training because they were fatigued.

That's a strong statement about national pride and commitment from one of the most successful sporting clubs in the country. Yet the BFA and other sporting administrators sat silently by and said nothing and did nothing. Predictable behaviour.

To right this sinking ship called 'sports' is going to require radical surgery. It is obvious money by itself is not working. It is apparent that parental policing of their children's behaviour is not working. It is quite clear that some clubs have winning as their only objective, thus purposely ignoring or making excuses for errant behaviours by their players.

The various national bodies seem to be stuck in some kind of 1960s, 1970s time warp of ineptitude when it comes to sorting out how they should run their business.

The one area where I think immediate improvement could be made is in the coaching ranks. It would be wise and prudent to borrow the 'blue print' of coaching success from people such as Calvin Simons, Pacers track coach, Leroy (Nibs) Lewis, former coach at Pembroke Hamilton Club and Gerry Swan, national track coach.

I am sure that some people in the sporting community will take issue with some aspect of these three gentlemen, whether it be their coaching, resume or knowledge base. However, I think that few will argue with these facts: their teams were always well-prepared, disciplined and highly successful. Additionally, no-one was better than these three coaches at identifying talent, honing and grooming that talent, and ultimately blending that talent so that it became a cohesive unit on the field.

Along with player development, the imparting of life skill lessons and the value of education were, and are, paramount in their own minds, and they are not hesitant about passing that message along to their players every chance they get.

To illustrate that point, the present day PHC team has seven or eight college graduated players in their squad. So Coach Lewis' message lives on.

The other aspect of their coaching lives that are noteworthy are that all three coaches, in conjuction with their respective clubs, have arranged for their various teams to travel and play abroad. Coach Simons and his Pacers Track Club have been participating for years in numerous track meets along the east coast of the United States. Coach Lewis and his PHC teams participated in home and away matches during their successful CONCACAF run some years ago. Coach Swan has been responsible for numerous teams that have participated in the CARIFITA track meets throughout the Carribean.

At no time, at least that I can recall, have any of their teams disgraced Bermuda in any way, shape or form. There were no drug embarrassments, no one sent home prematurely because of thuggish behaviour, no one wearing 'doo rags' while participating in a game or a track meet

Let me be very clear, I am not suggesting that their tours were, or are incident free - not so. Whenever you get hormonal men together, stuff happens, attitudes go haywire and personalities clash.

What I am saying is that on these three coaches' watch, they determined the outcomes, not the players. They are no nonsense - absolutely! Dictatorial - absolutely! Defiant in the face of what they feel is unwarranted criticism about how they run their programmes - absolutely! Hold players and teams to high expectations - absolutely! Expect that all players will be graceful winners and losers - absolutely!

With these three coaches, the clubs, parents and athletes understand the rules long before they leave the shores of Bermuda. As good a player as George O'Brien or Chris Douglas think they are, they would not have qualified for any of the teams coached by these three men.

In closing, I have four suggestions for the national associations of both football and cricket to consider:

Sit down with these three gentlemen, along with another coaching legend, Donald Dane, and discuss ways that collectively will improve coaching in Bermuda, both on the club and national level.

Somehow find a way to reintroduce and engage our legends of the game, Clarence Parfit, Gary Darrell, Clarence Saunders, Calvin (Bummy) Symonds and others, to our present day players. And yes, pay these legends for their involvement, it would be money well spent.

This suggestion will cause some administrators to twitch in the wrong places, but I say get over it real quick. Begin a dialogue with coaches of other successful local sports, like Mr. Lambert in tennis, Mr. Jones in golf and Mr. Chiapparro in sailing, and find out how and why they are having success in both their junior programmes and their overseas' tours.

Let the national coaches make themselves available to the students at all levels of our school system. Gus Logie and his talent and experiences are presently being wasted on young men, both in the senior team and some in the Under-19 team, who have decided that what he has to offer they already know. Let him impact with school boys on a regular basis.

Finally, this is not rocket science, we are not trying to cure cancer or trying to locate Bin Laden. This is about sports. This is about some young men who have been allowed to act as if they rule the roost, who have travelled the world at the taxpayers' expense and who have done nothing but make us the laughing stock of the sporting world. This obnoxious and boorish behaviour must stop, now!

Yours in sport,

LIVINGSTON TUZO

Principal