Theon Gordon, feature speaker at the SVG Community College’s inaugural Sports Awards Ceremony held on Thursday, 23rd June, at the Hospitality and Maritime Training Institute at Diamond, wants to see a new perspective pursued as it relates to sports in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Gordon, the current Director of Technical Matters of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF), addressing the theme ‘Crafting a new Perspective’, advised that there needs to be a new perspective towards development and called for a reversal in the way we live.
According to Gordon, “We are in a time when everything is a quick fix and everything is at our finger’s tips, no one wants to put in the hard work… As a result, we have become sedentary and lost in our screens…We have turned our backs to our way of living.”
In support of his assessment he asked rhetorically: “What’s the difference between climbing a jungle gym and climbing a tree? What is different between swimming in a pool and swimming at the beach and the difference between running on an elliptical and running on our roads?
In order to change the perspective, Gordon called on persons who are engaged in sporting activities to “create your masterpiece, which is yourself.”
Toward this end he emphasized, “Understand that the only person you can control is yourself…You have to become someone before you can be something…Never try to be better than others… Try to be the best version of yourself.”
Additionally, Gordon believed that for any transformation to be made in Vincentian sports, there has to be a greater national focus, but bemoaned, “Vincentian administrators, sports men and women are not ready to be successful.”
And while he acknowledged that this country has produced some of the best politicians, doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals in other fields, he pondered: “When are we going to produce the same level of professionalism in the field of sport?”
Calling out all stakeholders to get on their act and turn a new page in sports, Gordon implored, “Too often we are focused on the nouns… it’s time for us to be verbs.”