Jamaica's Secret to Success - No Secret

The Observer reports that the Jamaica Netball Association kicks off its "fund-raising effort to send the young Sunshine Girls to the 2009 World Youth Championships in the Cook Islands ... on Saturday, May 30 with a concert at the UWI, Mona Assembly Hall."

The concert's patron is Lady Rheima Holding-Hall, wife of Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall and JNA president Marva Bernard is reported to saying that this is the first event in the JNA's bid to raise the J$10 million needed to send Jamaica's Under-21 team to the WYC next year.

I would like Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean to see this. It is reported that some Caribbean islands have not yet even started their preparations for the regional championships in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in July. According to Barbadian journalist, Andi Thornhill writing in his column in the Nation Newspaper on Wednesday May 14, the Barbados team is among them.

Thornhill was writing on if netball in Barbados is in crisis. Personally I do not believe that it is in crisis, my view is that it is behind the times. Sport in this century has to be run more like a business - there must be a business plan and soldiers able to execute the plan.

Since the beginning of my efforts to deliberately highlight what is happening across the region in netball, Jamaica has demonstrated that their success is not a coincidence. They have a plan and are working vociferously to achieve it, no wonder they are where they are in the world and the rest of the Caribbean is lagging behind. (And yes I lived in Jamaica for 4 years and they have all the female hormonal issues that other associations do! They are however able to get their act together for the pride of their country.)

Jamaica's under 13 plays a Cayman team on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Their national team will play the Australian Institute of Sport June 23 - 30th and of course the U16 just won the Caribbean Championships.

What is Jamaica's secret - PREPARATION! I adopted a saying from my university days - "If you fail to prepare be prepared to fail." In my estimation the other Caribbean islands are lagging behind because they are not prepared for the NEW WORLD OF NETBALL.

(Wondering why the ackee picture? Well its Jamaica's national dish and I am hoping that someone would send me a couple cans because I can no longer find it in the supermarkets in Barbados)