Yesterday has gone and hopefully, the memories of both success and failure have been just reminders of the emotions which remain in the mind. The road ahead must now be filled with aspirations for the future which must aim at a better year on and off the sporting fields.
The performances of each association are now well known by all and no amount of talk will change the pattern of results, neither will the continuance of excuses be part of the solutions. Funny enough, the only source of success can only come from the athletes, national teams and in many cases, the fans.
We are now convinced that our administrative structures are a long way from the principles of good conventional management, which may not be deliberate.
Almost every sporting body has raised its voice since the new government came into power, a practice which stems from a precedent set by the business sector, who is often being pressured for increased salaries and better working conditions.
Turn the pages forward and make an honest effort to establish a higher level of leadership which will serve all the dreams of athletes vying for success at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil or the Copa America in the USA as well as the Caribbean cricket tournaments which will begin with the Nagico Super50 competition in Juanuary.
This must not mean that administrative hierarchy should not prioritize their efforts to handle the areas of efficient management, solid preparation of our athletes and planned programmes to work within an approved budget should not only rest on the shoulders of the government, but by providing methods to generate funding through smart marketing and fundraising, all of which will lure athletes to perform assiduously to the support that is given.
Targets are achieved, not simply by saying that the teams will win medals, but recognizing that the route to success must come from the efforts made by all.
Sometimes I often wonder why the TTOC does not call a meeting of the national associations and request that they bring along their programme for the coming year, as well as their budget prepared for events and the official competitions that may require qualification from the preliminary stages.
This is our weakest area of administration and efforts must be made to start the year right. To the people of our blessed country, let us pledge to work with each other for our goals to be achieved. The collective process is the best known method of being successful.
Have a blessed and prosperous new year with the good Lord solely as your guide.