If anyone told me at age 15 that by age 28 I would have obtained two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree, I would have doubted them and asked what a bachelor’s and master of science degrees are. For persons growing up in a low socio-economic community, guidance on accessing the different pathways to tertiary education is vital. One such path is through sport, which I stumbled upon, as it was not planned or envisioned, and sport was only considered “play.”
Only some people are academically inclined, but every human should know the fundamentals of motor skills. This came naturally to many two to three decades ago, from playing hide and seek, sky high, climbing trees, hopscotch, disorganised football, and cricket in the streets, to participating in road races at every opportunity. It was easy for many teenagers, including me, to transition into organised sports.
In this new era, acknowledging the effects of COVID-19, video gaming and many other trivial factors have taken over the lives of our future population. Hence, the sport pathway to tertiary education has dwindled over recent years. It is a significant problem, but for every situation, there are solutions. The ultimate solution, however, may seem straightforward.
Still, parents need to get their children involved in organised sports and aligned to goal-oriented programs that use sports as a vehicle for many positive reasons. Some of the many health benefits of sports participation for children include reduced risk of obesity, increased cardiovascular fitness, healthy growth of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and many mental health benefits.
Track and field is the number one sport option in Trinidad and Tobago when it comes to young athletes being able to obtain US college scholarships. However, the adverse effects of COVID-19 may affect the number of successful applicants in the coming years.
My journey started one day barefooted with a local legendary coach asking me if I was willing to learn the game of basketball. I immediately said yes, but I had one problem: I had no shoes. He replied, what size do you wear? The rest was history. That Nike 95 Air Max’ was not my size, but it was better than nothing. I immediately removed the inner soles, crumpled my toes, and found myself in an organised environment. In this environment, I learned about discipline, focus, and sharing, and the most important lesson came two years after my initial start.
Another coach’s wisdom planted the seeds of my perspective on life. He said, “Some of you will play basketball for the rest of your life, and some of you will use basketball to get what and where you want to go in life.”
He asked, which one are you? He then walked away and left us at that crossroad. It was a crossroad of truth: we had to question ourselves and provide honest answers. That day, I decided that I was going to use basketball as a vehicle to achieve my life goals. I just had two questions for my coach about my decision: what is my pathway, and how do I get on it? His words were, ‘believe’ and ‘hard work.’ Two and a half decades after those words were uttered, I believed and worked hard to get on and stay on the path.
Now a teacher, a coach, a business owner, and a mentor, I encourage this pathway to any athletic child willing to learn how to balance sport and education. To every child who aspires to pursue tertiary education, keep at it. Alternatively, there is also a pathway for those who have a passion for sports, as my story and others bear testimony. Nothing is guaranteed, but anything is possible if you believe and work hard.
Kern George is the basketball coach of UWI St Augustine and the Athletic Director of New Chapter Global Sport Academy. He has BSc degrees in Education and Sport for Development and a Masters in Exercise and Sport Science.