Dear Editor,
Sports on St. Maarten is in a dire state. It has become a major issue within our society; the elephant in the room that has everything disheveled, and has been neglected for far too long. Long gone are the days when our young athletes could look forward to regular, properly organized competitions here at home and the opportunities to compete against peers within the region and internationally are few and far between.
The technological age is in full effect and we now have a generation of youths that are more inclined to stay indoors behind computer screens and laptops surfing the internet and/or playing video games. No longer is it that the vast majority of the younger members of our society plays outside, climb trees and scratch their knees. However, with the amounts that opt to stay inside, there are still large numbers that continue to frequent the basketball courts, soccer pitches and baseball fields - among others.
It would be simple to blame government for its blatant oversight in this matter - with it being public knowledge that the Sports Sector of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport has long been under-manned. It would be easy to throw up our collective arms and simply shrug our shoulders until government takes action, but how much longer is sport to be considered an unnecessary luxury, rather than a necessary part of our children's physical development; how many more generations are to be lost to athletic oblivion?
Thanks to numerous initiatives such as the St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation, Dynamic Sports Club, United Volleyball Club, and Island Hoops Basketball Academy, solutions to the athletic void are being filled and opportunities for our youths are being provided. Not only are structured trainings and competitions being organized, but they also give the youths that participate in the programs the opportunity to travel abroad to compete and compare their level of the sport with others. More importantly, our young athletes are exposed to different worlds, cultures and peoples – all things that help to develop the overall person.
Sport is very powerful and offers a constructive and positive outlet, as well as an environment that teaches youngsters fundamentals - not only for the sport that they participate in - but also teaches them the fundamentals of life: how to be disciplined; how to work within a team-setting; how to communicate with others; as well as selflessness.
St. Maarten has produced world-class athletes in a variety of sports over the years and more success stories are necessary – as they help to form the new story of country St. Maarten. It is imperative that the aforementioned initiatives – and others alike – continue to be supported so that we can have future generations of regional powerhouses, Olympic-caliber athletes, as well as Olympians. #sxmmovement
Soualiga Social Movement
