What Others are Saying
- Observer West On The Sporting Edge
By Paul Reid
Source: Observer West / Jamaica Observer
Congratulations,
Donalda!
Sunday's successful 'Hoops for Haiti' fundraising
venture organised by the newly elected executive of the
Western Basketball Association (WBA) led by Donalda
Reid signalled a new and refreshing start.
To
date, the basketball double-header at the Montego Bay
Cricket Club, which also included entertainment led by
Digicel Rising Star winner Brown Sugar, is still
the only fundraising event organised by a sporting body
in the island and that speaks to the vision of the new
body.
The new president has promised sweeping changes and on
Sunday the public address announcer repeatedly announced
that all WBA events would be drug-free, indicating that
ganja smoking will not be tolerated in the stands
anymore.
This is another good sign, and hopefully the new sheriff
will be able to make significant changes both on and off
the court if the sport is to continue to inch its way
forward.
Presently the WBA trails behind the Southern and Central
Conferences, not only at the club level but also at the
schoolboys' level and if this is to change any time
soon, serious development work including the formation
of an Under 14 league must be the way forward.
Another area that the new WBA executive must start
looking into with some urgency is the recruiting and
training of new referees.
While no one can honestly say any of the present
officials are dishonest, the more officials there are,
the better off the league will be.
In the same way clubs are asked to have certified
coaches and table officials to be eligible to take part
in WBA-run competitions, the clubs at all levels, and
even the schools that take part in the ISSA/KFA leagues,
should be encouraged to submit their brightest minds to
take part in referees' seminars.
Seeing the same three or four referees all season long
and then in the play-offs cannot be good for the league
or the officials.
The WBA could look into ensuring that when the play-offs
come around officials from other conferences are brought
in and likewise our officials be sent to oversee games
in other conferences.
One gets the impression, however, that the new WBA
executive is off to a positive start and has laid a
solid foundation for meaningful growth.
Caption: Here a Red Cross Officer accepts
cheque for $30,700 from the WBA President Donalda Reid
as the rest of the executive members observes.
To
date, the basketball double-header at the Montego Bay
Cricket Club, which also included entertainment led by
Digicel Rising Star winner Brown Sugar, is still
the only fundraising event organised by a sporting body
in the island and that speaks to the vision of the new
body.
