IF IT ain?t broke, why fix it?

That?s an old saying that we hear often in Bermuda.

And it would come as no surprise if, during some time in the last year, those words haven?t been whispered into the ears of Paula Lewin.

Far be it from this writer to tell Lewin how to sail ? heck, I can barely tell one end of a boat from the other ? but it would seem to me and a few others who have been following Lewin?s career that leading up to the current Olympics, something somewhere went horribly wrong.

Lewin will leave Athens desperately disappointed having failed miserably in her quest for Games glory over the past week.

That may appear to be a cruel assessment of Bermuda?s multiple Athlete of the Year, who without a doubt will have given it her all during racing off the Greek capital this week.

But as of last night she was placed dead last in the Yngling class, 16th in a fleet of 16 with just one race remaining. And that simply isn?t reflective of Lewin?s talents.

She?s better than that. She?s not only Olympic class, she?s world class, and she?s proved it time and again.

Just a year ago it all appeared smooth sailing as Lewin?s results in regattas around the globe made her a real contender for an Olympic medal. But then, just nine months before the Games were to begin, came the tactical error ? not on the water but back on land ? which some might say unravelled much of the painstaking preparation which had consumed Lewin?s life since her last Olympic venture.

She decided to drop crew Carola Cooper from the ?team? and bring in Christine Patton.

At the time she said she felt Cooper?s skills were much the same as her own and believed Patton would add a different dimension to the team.

Good PR perhaps, but one suspects not entirely accurate. A personality clash would seem to have been a more likely cause of the split.

As skipper, that was Lewin?s prerogative. She had to do what she felt would eventually reap success when it mattered most ? in Athens.

Sadly, it never worked out. Since Cooper was unceremoniously dumped, Lewin?s performances have been nowhere near as successful as they were previously.

That?s in no way reflective of Patton?s contribution. She too is obviously a very capable sailor.

But the question still begs: ?If it ain?t broke, why fix it??

One wonders what Cooper was thinking this week as she watched on TV and read reports of Lewin?s increasingly disappointing results.

If she thought her presence might have made a difference, she might just have been right.

STILL on the Games, not enough can be said about the fantastic performance by teenager Kiera Aitken in the Olympic pool this week. At her own admission, Aitken went to Greece with aspirations none other than to give it her best shot.

And that she did.

In the 100 backstroke, she not only won her heat but smashed her own national record by half a second.

Granted it wasn?t the strongest heat of the day and her time still wasn?t sufficient to earn a place in the final.

But how many Bermudians, if any, can say they?ve won an Olympic heat?

Kiera says her next goal is to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Given what she achieved this week, she should be a shoo-in.

BERMUDA?S cricketers came away from Canada with a hard-fought draw in their Intercontinental Cup three-day match this week.

But that result coupled with the loss to the USA on home soil last month means they finished bottom of the qualifying heap. And that?s simply not good enough.

With the talent that abounds in Bermuda, we should be far more competitive against our North American rivals even though this is the first season for many that local players have experienced the longer version of the game.

In skipper Clay Smith, the Island team have a rare talent who could hold his own in any Caribbean side, in OJ Pitcher and Delyone Borden a couple of outstanding youngsters and in Dwayne Leverock an exceptionally talented spin bowler. And there are plenty of others in the squad who can cut it at international level.

But for some reason, as a team Bermuda are not competitive enough.

Coach Mark Harper may have done his best over the past three years and will likely argue that administrative decisions taken by his employers, Bermuda Cricket Board, haven?t always helped his cause.

His contention that we can only compete at international level if we play more at international level is probably spot-on.

But the general consensus seems to be ? and former top player Wendell Smith said as much in a recent opinion column in this newspaper ? that it?s time for a change at the top.

Qualification for the 2007 World Cup is less than a year away. If we?re serious about making the finals of that competition for the first time, then any changes must be made soon.

If we can?t beat USA and Canada, then who the heck can we beat?

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