‘Get off the sidelines’

Jackie Cowan’s desire to effect change in Jamaican sports has now led to her historic election as Jamaica Olympic Association’s (JOA) first vice-president.

Cowan, the Jamaica Volleyball Association president, became the first female vice-president in the JOA’s history, defeating incumbent Nelson Stokes 29-21 in an election held at their extraordinary general meeting on Saturday.

Cowan is one of the two new faces of the executive body for the next four years under President Christopher Samuda, who won re-election.

In the wake of her victory, Cowan has encouraged more women to challenge for higher leadership positions in sports.

“Don’t be afraid to step up,” she said. “I was at first hesitant, but we can’t always sit on the sidelines and we have the skills; as females, we need to bring ourselves forward. At the end of the day, we do have a lot of females that are involved in sports and we should always have females around the table.”

For Cowan, being a part of the solution to the various sporting issues meant getting involved at the highest level.

“We cannot sit on the sidelines and try to effect change,” she said. “People sit aside, they say nothing and quarrel in the meantime. If you want to effect change we need to be involved, and that is one of the main reasons why I wanted to run.”

While acknowledging the significance of her win, Cowan said that she was pleased that the member associations placed faith in her skill set, which she plans to use to boost the profile of non-traditional sports in the island. She has emphasised more cooperation with the various regional bodies that may be in the best position to offer assistance and opportunities.

“I have the experience, the knowledge, and skills which I think can assist the JOA in fulfilling its mandate, and, by extension, assisting the associations, especially those like mine who are deemed to be lesser associations to come up the curve.

“The one thing that I realised when I went into volleyball is to have a good association with your regional bodies. Sometimes we forget that they are there to assist us, and if associations know what’s out there for them in terms of the support, it will help lift their associations locally.”

Samuda has welcomed Cowan’s historic election and says that he has full confidence in her ability to make her mark during the next four years.

“Mrs Cowan is very capable, she has demonstrated her pedigree and credentials, and I have no doubt that she will make a signal contribution to the Olympic movement,” Samuda said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com