Getting it right the first time

Should we here in St Vincent and the Grenadines take on the getting it right the first time approach as it relates to the way we do things in sports?

Better still, are we really and truly prepared for change, both gradual and drastic, in the way things are done?
These questions, whilst being somewhat rhetorical, are pertinent if sports is to take on that new look, adopt that fresh approach and take a more prominent place on the national ladder of priorities.

So we are somewhat stuck in a rot, doing the same things over and over again, yet the results are not changing and we are still at the rear of our regional neighbours.

Unfortunately, Vincentians’ general culture of being laid back, taking on that permanent resort way of life and let things just pan out, have been our undoing generally.

So that type of thinking and action has infected the marrow of sports here in St Vincent and the Grenadines to the point of becoming gangrene.

Therefore, things are taken for granted; there are no clear pathway to what we want to achieve, where we want to go; the extent of what is to be achieved, and without a timeline.

In fact, sports in SVG is a hit-and-miss, as most, if not all national sporting associations, whilst having strategic plans in place, rarely refer to these plans, make adjustments where necessary and work assiduously towards ensuring these plans come to fruition.

It can be safely said that most strategic plans are merely cosmetic and are for window dressing.

This major shortcoming is compounded by the lack of structured development, hence, reinvention of the wheel takes the front seat whenever things go awry.

Among the pitfalls is the much needed technical register of monitoring and tracking system of our sportsmen and women.

We instead just live in the moment, praise, criticise or even ridicule those who make the actual efforts to expend their energies on the field, on the court, in the ring or in the pool.

One way of reaching that stage where excellence and proficiency are second nature, is to adopt that getting it right the first time notion and do some with vigour and meaning.

We seem to perfect the notion that it is always best to go for mediocrity and hopefully do better the next time.
Why should we trim that fat and strive for perfection from the get go?

Taking on an air of wanting to always be the best at what we do, no matter what sphere of life, should become the national mantra.

The time is fast approaching for that type of overhauling in the way we think of our sporting endeavours and the outlook towards sports in general.

This is so, because others are leaving us still in the blocks while we watch them head to the finish line.

To excavate ourselves from our current status in sports, we have to prepare to have a cultural change, with sports being a part of the renaissance.

Embracing the will to win, but not with the win at all cost mentality, must be embedded in the psyche of our people.

Settling for second and praising runner-up spots should be dismissed as settling for less than the best.

The fast fowarding of progress is mandatory in sports; not only for the sharpening of that competitive edge, but for the building of that energy of making success top priority and the main objective of being engaged in sports.

The getting it right the first time should be upheld nationally in going forward here in St Vincent and the Grenadines’ sports and all round.