"The structure of cricket in the West Indies is not a professional one, it is a very amateur structure." This was the opinion shared by T&T Cricket captain, Daren Ganga, as he delivered his presentation on 'You, The Leader' on the first day of the Thinking Sport Symposium. The Theme of this year's edition is entitled 'Our Heroes, Their Stories', at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann's yesterday. Asked what was his greatest challenge on or off the field, by one of the eager participants of the annual symposium hosted by the Sports Desk, a non-profit organisation chaired by Trinidad Guardian Sports Editor, Valentino Singh, Ganga responded; "Being consistent at the highest level."
Ganga went on to explain that as a young player introduced to the West Indies system, he noticed that there was no structure in place for rehabilitating players. "When a player does well and he gets the opportunity to play at the highest level, if for some strange reason that player goes off the boil a bit, that player is obviously dropped because it's international cricket and we are expected to perform at a certain level," said the highly successful T&T skipper. "A lot is left up to the player, there is no framework to take that player forward, to communicate to that player, what their deficiencies are and how they can get back to the level they want to be, so that they can perform at the highest level." He added that off the field a number of problems afflict West Indies cricket and this does not help the player. "Off the field, is the greatest challenge, where things such as plane tickets, accommodation, training uniforms, sponsorship and other things that people don't really think about, are a problem in the West Indies, contributing to its unprofessionalism.
Asked if he could change one thing about his cricketing career, Ganga said; "I would start my career a little later." Following Ganga, T&T's Miss World 1986, Giselle La Ronde West, facilitated her topic, 'Beauty in Sport', sharing her experience in the beauty industry and her life as an athlete and a professional. La Ronde West impressed upon the 150-plus students present at the Cascadia ballroom, that maintaining a balance between the sport and academics, or in her case, sport and beauty, is essential to being an all-round individual. La Ronde West, who beat popular actress Halle Berry, the year she took the Ms World crown, said where her height and wardrobe were deficient, her attitude, and desire to learn about others and tell the world about her country, proved to be, as she believed, the deciding factor in her victory.
Rounding off the first day, was motivational speaker, Don La Foucade, who, in his usually animated way, spoke on 'Positive Vibes' as he used his gift of words, to inspire those present to believe in themselves. "True beauty has everything to do with what's on the inside. Nobody can make you feel unhappy unless you give them permission," said La Foucade. Earlier in the morning, title sponsor, bmobile, made their presence felt, with greetings from Camille Salandy, head of public relations and external affairs, TSTT, who explained that the company often looks for investment opportunities such as the Symposium, and as such, the TSTT Foundation was shaped out of their interest in helping young people. The symposium continues today at the same venue where, the students will be facilitated by Olympic Committee general secretary, Brian Lewis, sport analyst and swim coach, Anil Roberts and national 100 and 200 metre hurdler Jehue Gordon.