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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 59 - Monday June 21, 2004 |
Education & Sports: A Potent Formula for the Success of Dominican Youth
 Avonelle Christian
The advancement of Dominica�s Football Team to the World Cup qualifying games has proven to be one of the most exciting opportunities for Dominica�s recognition in the world as a breeding ground of young talented athletes.
Though it has been known for a considerable amount of time, that Dominica produces world-class athletes -- Karina LeBlanc being just one example, the catapulting of Dominica�s status on the global map for challenging Mexico in football, points to a glaring example of the power that is contained within the hearts and minds of our youth, and the coaches who�ve elevated them to such phenomenal success.
No matter the outcome of the games against Mexico � the message has been heard. Dominica�s athletes were challenged by artificial turf on which they had never played before, unexpected injuries and other mishaps that kept some of the key players off the field, a roaring crowd of 65,000 Mexicans at the Alamodome, countered only by the sunken screams of a few hundred Dominican fans, and a home turf chosen in this largely Mexican city of San Antonio.
Yet through a certain resilience that could only have been inherited from their native country, these young Dominican athletes made us all proud to be Dominicans, as we waved our flags in jubilation. The score of the game did not matter. They had already won our hearts.
As I ponder upon the events of the last few days, having met several players on the team, and exploring their backgrounds to some extent, it became clear that not only are these players talented in sports: many of them have also succeeded in the classroom; yet they are not able to envision an opportunity to obtain a college education.
With the proliferation of scouting for top athletes in the United States, starting as early as the high school years, it would seem that any top athlete from Dominica, especially the athletes who have proven success on a global scale � it would appear that these Dominicans would be assured admittance at any university seeking talent, assuming that they are academically prepared to attend college.
In the United States, private high schools are keen on recruiting top athletes who meet their academic admittance standards. Although it has never been a secret, a revealing article published on Friday, June 19, 2004 in USA Today, comparing high schools competing in sports, reiterated the fact that private high schools are a key source of the talent pool from which colleges recruit.
Many of the athletes recruited into these high schools are awarded full scholarships. While playing in premier leagues in high school, these students obtain the exposure that they need to be recruited into colleges in the United States, who seek to provide full athletic scholarships to qualifying students.
In many cases, the high schools actively seek international students, providing tuition, room and board at no cost to the students. Such a practice is widespread in the United States private schools, not only providing a boost to their sports programs, but also contributing to their diversity initiatives. This pattern clearly shows a path to positioning Dominican students at the high school level for acceptance into college on athletic scholarships.
For players who have passed high school age and perhaps would rather seek ways by which to supplement their income in Dominica , such as the players on the National team, numerous opportunities exist for temporary coaching assignments in premier leagues for short periods of time in the United States.
These coaches are generally sponsored by an organization in the US on J-1 visas. On a yearly basis, hundreds of professional players from Europe and Africa converge onto the United States to coach youth teams (U18 and younger). With the supplemental income that they earn in such period of time, they are able to return to their native countries to recommit their talents to their teams.
It would appear that young Dominican athletes with good academic standings would embrace the opportunity to obtain a college education on full scholarship. Such being the case, there should be measures put in place to foster the relationships between colleges (and even high schools) seeking to recruit talented athletes, and the government body in Dominica responsible for the advancement of Education and Sports in Dominica.
Dominica has already proven that it is a powerhouse for some of the best minds in the world. We have finally arrived on the world map for providing phenomenal athletes. The time has come to weld these two key resources that we provide � education and athleticism� to open doors for the many youth in the country, who deserve a fair chance at obtaining a college degree.
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