Where have the fun and games gone?

It is often said that age is just a number. However, here in St Vincent and the Grenadines this is not the case, as many of our sportsmen and sports women seem to have put a cap on their participation at an early age, hence, there is little activity after the age of 40.

Instructively and what is the major cause for the hastened “retirement” from sports, is the general lack of organized competition for those who are no longer “ eligible” for national representation.

Yes, there is the annual local Masters Cricket Competition with St Vincent and the Grenadines hosting an International Masters Competition during the latter part of October coinciding with the annual independence celebrations.

Over the years, the SVG Over 35’s Masters Football Competition and most recently, the Compsports Over-40s Masters competition have taken care of the ballers who have the energy to run about.

In netball, save and except for Vets, there is no other “over the hill” team that is engaged in the sport.

Neither, is there any outlet that caters for those “youngsters” who simply want to keep the body going in a less than competitive atmosphere, where winning is secondary.

Going through the other disciplines, the hue and cry is the same, as Volleyball and Basketball, also are devoid of opportunities for those who are past their best to get an “organized sweat”, with some rewards at the end.

As it is, Table Tennis too is in the mix; the saving grace is the Sean Stanley Table Tennis Academy’s Firms Competition which promotes fun and participation.

But at the national level, even though the St Vincent and the Grenadines Table Tennis Association(SVGTTA) has a category for persons 50 and over, that does not attract the type of participation that engenders encouragement for that age group.

Hence, that type of disinterest adds an ironic dimension to the discussion and concerns.

But the lamentations are rife in track and field, as the National Championships, no longer accommodate persons who are more concerned with having fun.

Likewise, the Commercial Banks here once had Inter- Bank Sports which then transitioned into an Inter- Financial affair.

This undoubtedly, brought camaraderie as the non-traditional and traditional activities brought out families and promoted that social cohesion among workers.

Similarly, the Inter-Ministerial Sports, the Rotary Softball, and the “ Street Cricket”, played on the hard courts, have all lost their way on the national sporting calendar, especially among employees of the various institutions.

Hence, these have been replaced by oversized employees who have been robbed of opportunities to throw off steam and get their adrenalin going.

Therefore , today, we see many of our sportsmen and sportswomen of yesteryear sporting big pouches.

That can be fixed by their own accord and the will of those who understand the benefits of sports.

This column is hereby calling out those in Track and Field to get the wheels in motion, so that St Vincent and the Grenadines can host its own Senior Games.

It may not be on a large scale at the first go, but can grow exponentially with each edition.

They can be the starter, and hopefully, the other disciplines will follow suit as the void is indeed gaping.

We speak at the national level about Non-Communicable Diseases(NCD) and the whole wellness package, but doing little in ensuring that activities are geared decisively in attacking the scourges on all fronts.

As a nation, we can do better in this regard as we are losing too many persons who were once active, by simply not making provisions for them to be on the move physically.