Our faith will see us through

Sports here in St Vincent and the Grenadines craves for an inspirational take-off, and despite the sporadic successes, there is not that deep sense of purpose which pushes our sportsmen and women, as well as our administrators, to strive for excellence.

But whilst there is no institutionalised effort for sports people to be gogetters, there have been some signs of self belief employed by many who represent themselves and moreover St Vincent and the Grenadines, in the field of sports.

Many who lived through the ordeals that St Vincent and the Grenadines experienced in 1979, would attest that sports, namely football, gave the country those soothing moments then.

This, as our national football then performed well in its first outing in a regional competition, that its successes spurred a nation reeling in uncertainty, with the eruption of the La Soufrierre volcano, and its subsequent effects of disruption to normal life.

Fast forward to 40 years after, and we are seeing a similar type of self belief and confidence displayed by the current senior men’s national football team, known as “Vincy Heat”.

Their continuous show of never say die attitude, by the present crop of footballers has beene exhibited a few times now.

The new-look team, since the Windward Islands Football Association (WIFA) tournament earlier this year, has proven that no mountain is too high for them to climb and that they are willing to dig deep into the reserves and will, to get the desired results.

This attitude has been carried over into the CONCACAF Nations League, and last Friday here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, that innate desire to win was borne out, as they eeked out a hard fought draw against Suriname, which prior had won both their matches.

The Vincentians went better than last Friday, when on Monday, slayed the Surinamese 1-0 in the return fixture.

So after being down and almost out on Friday, Vincy Heat were able to set themselves up for a grandstand finish for the rest of their campaign.

Indeed, like 40 years ago, football is providing that fillip for that good national feeling, when at times so much is being said about our young adults, especially as it relates to their sometimes carefree attitude.

This does not translate to the conclusion that the 2019 Vincy Heat team is invincible and has reached the heights as previous outfits.

But their display of will thus far, can be used by other national sporting teams to provide that much needed desired effect of being tenacious whenever they represent St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Unfortunately, many of our sportsmen and women have not taken to sports and national representation as a meaningful exercise of civic duty and outlet opportunities to make this country better.

So as we celebrate our 40th anniversary of political independence, St Vincent and the Grenadines has at its disposal a daily guide that can assist in the transformation of our fortunes in sports.

The guide words are lodged in part of the chorus of the national anthem of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which states “Out faith will see us through”.

That line though is preceded by “What e’er the future brings” .

When placed in context, that meaning of our faith will see us through, becomes profound, as it provides a mantra for nation building, and hope in times of despair.

With some deep search for meaning and impact, that line also penetrates the social and spiritual psyche of Vincentians.

Hence, our faith will see us through, provides that platform of belief that when applied, we can to turn times of despair into advancements.

But have we as Vincentians taken the time or paid careful attention to the line in every sphere of our lives?

Surely, sports should not be exempted, as we need that hope and strong will, now more than ever.

Can we now, from here on, adopt these words as the influences to sports and other social forms of engagements?

As it is, we continue to repeat the lines of our national anthem, but have not allowed them to resonate with us.

Thus, if we are short on skill, let that will and faith see us through in sports.