F the academic talents of gifted children were nurtured with the same zest as youngsters' sporting talents, then fewer of our best brains would be going to waste.

That is the view of top American educator Dr. Rena Subotnik, who told a public forum in Bermuda that sports could be a model for educators of talented children to follow.

And she felt that if the island did not take steps to nurture its most academically gifted youngsters, the island could suffer "a brain drain".

Dr. Subotnik, the director of the Centre for Gifted Education Policy at the American Psychological Association, was speaking at the forum hosted by Bermuda's Institute for Talented Children.

Renowned for using new ideas to enhance the performance of children with special talents, Dr. Subotnik said: "What makes sports an ideal model?

"Clearly the community is involved and committed; achievement is highly valued, especially by peers; achievement levels are easily recognised; strategies for coaching are effective because failure is not tolerated.

"Good coaches are respected and their role in talent development is recognised by the community."

She added that months and years of practice and concentration led to effortless performance in sport ? but it was well known that talent alone was not enough to succeed.

"Of course, sports are viewed as entertainment for the community, whereas academic talent is viewed as benefiting the gifted individual alone, as if he or she does not contribute to the community.

"This must make us think until we realise that we all benefit from creative thinking, the paramount gift of the gifted.

"Please note that just as the model of an ideal athletic talent development programme exists in every country, the model of an ideal academic talent development programme is hard to find anywhere.

"So why not try a cross-culture approach and adapt what works in the sports arena to the lecture theatre, the laboratory and the classroom, the home and the community?"

Dr. Subotnik told the forum that she believed Bermuda was well placed to nurture giftedness and argued: "Denying opportunity to the most gifted does not help those less gifted.

"Crucially, if nothing is provided on-island, parents with gifted children are forced elsewhere. A brain drain ensues or talent remains undeveloped."

She added that Bermuda's insurance, law, medical and hospitality sectors attracted an influx of talent from overseas and the island needed to respond by developing local talent.

The Institute of Talented Students, based on Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton, is a Bermuda registered charity that provides programmes for gifted children.