Basil Jarrett | Now that Champs is over, what next?

SO, ANOTHER ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships is in the record books, and those infernal purple people from North Street have walked away with yet another title in the bag. I will admit that although I very publicly announced that I would not be attending this year’s event, I did take an occasional peek at the TV every time I heard ‘Jamaica College’. Old habits die hard, I guess. But whether it was just my bad timing, or perhaps I wasn’t paying close enough attention in-between the commercial breaks, I wasn’t particularly impressed with what I can only describe as an uncharacteristically subdued iteration of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships this year.

A week later, and a reflective quietude seems to have now settled over our nation’s collective sporting consciousness – or is it that we are all still hoarse? This year’s Champs, while showcasing the continued rise in the use of internationally recruited athletes, paradoxically dimmed the local fervour that typically engulfs our island this time of year. Yes, the games were still an entertaining spectacle, but throughout the entire five-day event, Champs 2024, though still glittering with talent, somehow lacked the pulsating heart that characterises this beloved athletic carnival.

Or maybe it was just me.

Real or imagined, this moment of introspection compels me to consider the broader canvas of high school development, as well as the true essence of our support as alumni and school stakeholders.

SWITCHING FIRE

High school alumni support must transcend the boundaries of the track and spill over into the arenas of academics, mentorship, and the holistic growth of our students. With Champs behind us, we should now be looking to switch fire to nurturing the intellectual, creative, and moral fibres of our future leaders.

Alumni, in the grand tapestry of high school life, are not mere observers and cheerleaders. We are, in every sense, the most critical benefactors — the architects and sustainers of the legacy and well-being of our schools. Anyone who doesn’t get this is a dimwit of the highest order.

Just recently, there was a small-ish dispute between Calabar’s Old Boys and that school’s administration. I don’t know quite what happened, but I’m told that the old boys were pulling their mentorship presence and programme in protest of several issues at the school. Do you know who was the first group to stand in support? The PTA. That’s right. The Calabar PTA. Contrast that with ongoing issues at my own alma mater, whose PTA seem to be deaf, dumb and blind to the impact that the flight of old boys out of the college has had on the school. Calabar’s parents and teachers know where Calabar’s bread is buttered. They know the importance of the old boys’ support to the school’s mentorship programme, and so immediately threw their weight behind the alumni association.

PIVOTING SUPPORT

As old boys and alumni, we must now pivot our support and look to put the same energy and resources into the classroom by being the benefactors of scholarships and the providers of resources that enrich the academic and extracurricular ecosystems of our alma maters.

After all, our schools’ legacies must be built on not just the laurels of athletic prowess, but on the foundations of academic excellence, innovation, and character. The measure of any school’s greatness must be seen in the scholars it produces, the thinkers, the problem-solvers, and the compassionate leaders who will navigate the complexities of our world – not just the sports stars.

That commitment to the holistic development of students should compel us to forge more profound connections with the academic and extracurricular life of our schools. It calls for alumni-driven initiatives that provide robust mentorship programmes, where our experiences and insights illuminate the paths for younger generations. It begs us to invest in state-of-the-art resources that transform classrooms into incubators of discovery and innovation.

In other words, the narrative of support must celebrate and elevate the arts, the sciences, and the humanities with the same vigour we reserve for sports. It is in the diversity of these disciplines that the true spirit of a well-rounded education is kindled. Jamaica needs more thinkers, more innovators, and more persons of integrity than it does more Olympic medallists. By championing academic achievers, debate and quiz team members, artists and literary societies, we must affirm that the cultivation of the mind and spirit is as critical as the honing of athletic talent.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen old boys get so angry and so outraged over a sporting loss that they demand the head of the team’s coach or worse, that of its principal. But when confronted with low academic performance or persisting displays of poor discipline, they are remarkably silent. Maybe it’s because those alumni with enough interest in their school’s sports teams know better than to send their own children to their alma mater to get a good, solid academic experience. Not my pickney, not my problem, I guess.

And that’s where I separate myself from those alumni. I don’t need to have my son attend my alma mater to understand the importance of holding the school to a higher academic standard. But again, that’s just me. Many Jamaicans are quite content to just stick their head in the sand and let Jamaica cruise smoothly along the lazy river of life, with no interest in actively shaping the direction we are heading in.

And so, in this reflective, post-Champs recovery period, let us look to rally our support around initiatives that affirm the value of every student. We must now look to champion scholarship programmes that recognise academic excellence and creative prowess. And as we recalibrate our focus, let us remember that the legacy of a school is immortalised not by the records it breaks, but by the lives it shapes.

The call to action, I believe, is clear. Our schools need us now more than ever, not just as benefactors of sports, but as guardians of the institutions of knowledge, creativity, and character. We must now show the same passion, dedication, and unity that we reserved for Champs, Manning Cup, and whatever sporting entertainment we aligned ourselves with.

I am hopeful that as alumni and stakeholders, we will now realise that we are the custodians of our country’s future; and one that will be decided more by the quality of our people, more so than the quality of our athletes. Sports support education and learning. It is the side dish, not the main course. Unfortunately, however, some of us have gotten it completely wrong.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.