After Saturday's blow-out outside the Netball Stadium between two former national coaches and a former national captain, no one expected to see another so soon. Tonight at the Netball Stadium, they were all proven wrong.
The senior national squad COMPLETELY annihilated the BEST U-21 squad in a game that was over "before" it began. The supporters of the younger girls probably thought that an "upset" was in the making when they rushed to a 5 goals to 2 advantage. That was the only time for them to have a lead.
The score read 2-5,3-5,4-5,5-5,6-5, etc, until at the end of the first quarter, it was 13-6 in favour of the "older" girls. Shouts of defense,mark,catch the ball,shoot were all that spectators heard. In an attempt to limit the onslaught of goals, bodies started flying all over the court until a voice asked "Wait dem want porridge?"
Most of the passes were terrible especially in the last quarter when the WD made numerous passes into the shooting circle. As my friend would say it was like she was STONING MANGOES.
NO matter what was done it was goal after goal after goal until FINALLY the timekeeper mercifully put an end to what was a despicable display of netball and the scoreline reading 58-twentysomething to the team that COULDN'T get seven against the BEST ever.
It wasn't all gloom however as there were at least three players from the U-21 squad who in my opinion tried their best to give a good showing, namely Makeba Clarke who showed that her time in England can be useful, Leah Harper who is finally getting her game together and definitely Samantha Browne,who was solid in both attack and defense while trying to motivate a squad that seemed lost after the first quarter.
I know that there are many out there with the same mindset that SOMETHING can be done to save this squad, but CAN ANYONE HELP??
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
England v Australia
England's Pamela Cookey in action versus Australia's former captain Liz Ellis. World Championship 2007
Users or Losers
Recently a letter of 'resignation' from my coaching partner was sent to the Barbados Netball Association. The letter gave some detailed reasons relevant to the decision that was made. For those individuals who are of the belief that I influenced this decision, I didn't.
I cannot recall the exact date that this letter was sent via electronic media ( email) to the BNA but I know that it was sent before February 5th 2009. That was the date I sent my FIFTH ( 5th) letter to them.
It is almost TWO months later and according to my friend, NOT EVEN A SMALL NOTE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT has he received. Personally I think that that was and is downright disrespectful.
Let me make it clear to you readers that the Secretary of the BNA is not at fault for not replying to said letter. She takes "directives" from the Board.However, wouldn't this be the same Board that said YES to the training position or was it the FORMER?
Read the title of this blog and make a decision of your own. USERS OR LOSERS??
I cannot recall the exact date that this letter was sent via electronic media ( email) to the BNA but I know that it was sent before February 5th 2009. That was the date I sent my FIFTH ( 5th) letter to them.
It is almost TWO months later and according to my friend, NOT EVEN A SMALL NOTE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT has he received. Personally I think that that was and is downright disrespectful.
Let me make it clear to you readers that the Secretary of the BNA is not at fault for not replying to said letter. She takes "directives" from the Board.However, wouldn't this be the same Board that said YES to the training position or was it the FORMER?
Read the title of this blog and make a decision of your own. USERS OR LOSERS??
Saturday, March 21, 2009
That's the way it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's never easy to be in a position where decisions have to be made that some people will not agree with. None more so than the being the chairperson of this year's League Committee.
Less than one week into this year's domestic season, some clubs/teams with really BIG names are apparently trying to sabotage what is obviously working. Why is it that the umpires from these clubs/teams are ALL unavailable at the same time?
MY ADVICE to the chairperson is this. It is not and will never be a popularity contest.If it was, you wouldn't garner ONE vote. However make your decisions and be PREPARED for the backlash that will eventually come,whether good or bad.
At the end of it all THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
Less than one week into this year's domestic season, some clubs/teams with really BIG names are apparently trying to sabotage what is obviously working. Why is it that the umpires from these clubs/teams are ALL unavailable at the same time?
MY ADVICE to the chairperson is this. It is not and will never be a popularity contest.If it was, you wouldn't garner ONE vote. However make your decisions and be PREPARED for the backlash that will eventually come,whether good or bad.
At the end of it all THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
What's in a name?
The parade of teams for the opening ceremony of this year's netball season could not have happened without some measure of drama unfolding. It wouldn't be difficult to pinpoint many but there were at least two that is worthy of blogging.
First we had a team parading in the new netball uniform and one that is sure to be an eye-catcher this season. I am sure that when more or all the netball clubs/teams begin wearing the same revealing uniform,the relevant authorities are going to be in for a ball( pun intended). Will these clubs/teams be allowed to play in their new gear? For those who weren't present, this new uniform of choice is JEANS!!!
How can a MARSHALL not SEE that this was happening? How can said MARSHALL or anyone from the BNA's board who might've been at Combermere School not disallow this team from the parade? We all know what happens when a precedence is set.
However the most mindblogging was the parading of our national teams/squads. I have followed netball the world over from as far back as I can remember and have never seen nor heard of any country with three( YES THREE !) different tags.
We have the GEMS,PELICANS and PRIDE? HAHA!! Jamaica has the Sunshine Girls, Trinidad the Calypso Girls, etc. I can identify with the effort behind what is being done,but shouldn't we have ONE tag? Wouldn't that be easier instead of reading ..... the Barbados Gems ( seniors), Barbados Pelicans( U-21) and Barbados Pride ( U-16)?
Educated as we are this is a puzzle that cannot be solved.Or is it?
First we had a team parading in the new netball uniform and one that is sure to be an eye-catcher this season. I am sure that when more or all the netball clubs/teams begin wearing the same revealing uniform,the relevant authorities are going to be in for a ball( pun intended). Will these clubs/teams be allowed to play in their new gear? For those who weren't present, this new uniform of choice is JEANS!!!
How can a MARSHALL not SEE that this was happening? How can said MARSHALL or anyone from the BNA's board who might've been at Combermere School not disallow this team from the parade? We all know what happens when a precedence is set.
However the most mindblogging was the parading of our national teams/squads. I have followed netball the world over from as far back as I can remember and have never seen nor heard of any country with three( YES THREE !) different tags.
We have the GEMS,PELICANS and PRIDE? HAHA!! Jamaica has the Sunshine Girls, Trinidad the Calypso Girls, etc. I can identify with the effort behind what is being done,but shouldn't we have ONE tag? Wouldn't that be easier instead of reading ..... the Barbados Gems ( seniors), Barbados Pelicans( U-21) and Barbados Pride ( U-16)?
Educated as we are this is a puzzle that cannot be solved.Or is it?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
What if???????????????????
Four years ago and a better prepared national youth team than now, management made a decision to play SELECT games against the teams in our first division hoping to give that unit some measure of upper tier netball. That decision proved to be good giving Coach Cutting and all involved the opportunity to see the strengths and weaknesses of the players.
Fast forward to the present and we now find ourselves STRUGGLING to choose a team which will hopefully be as competitive as the manager has said. Here is where the tragedy is. With less than six months to go,OUR team is still very much in the GENERAL PREPARATION stage as opposed to the COMPETITION stage. Is this the stage where the SECRET FORMULA is?
As I have said before and will always maintain, I am not about third party conversations. However when one of fixtures was shown to me, I wanted to know which team the SHNC was playing. You guessed correctly if you said the U-21 squad.
Now for two questions. What if the U-21 squad wins this knock-out game and the ones that come after? What if they are the eventual winners of the knock-out competition? Will that make them ready for the Cook Islands?
What if SHNC defeats the U-21 squad? Will we have to go back to the drawing board and look at all the reasons for the defeat? Will the coach of SHNC be considered to coach the defeated opponent? Will that make the SHNC ready for the Cook Islands or will the defeat mean that the U21 squad isn't ready YET?
"Lebron B" may very well get to travel to the Cook Islands if SHNC wins on April 3rd. WILL YOU BE THERE?
APRIL 3rd will be what may be the biggest game for the 2009 season
Fast forward to the present and we now find ourselves STRUGGLING to choose a team which will hopefully be as competitive as the manager has said. Here is where the tragedy is. With less than six months to go,OUR team is still very much in the GENERAL PREPARATION stage as opposed to the COMPETITION stage. Is this the stage where the SECRET FORMULA is?
As I have said before and will always maintain, I am not about third party conversations. However when one of fixtures was shown to me, I wanted to know which team the SHNC was playing. You guessed correctly if you said the U-21 squad.
Now for two questions. What if the U-21 squad wins this knock-out game and the ones that come after? What if they are the eventual winners of the knock-out competition? Will that make them ready for the Cook Islands?
What if SHNC defeats the U-21 squad? Will we have to go back to the drawing board and look at all the reasons for the defeat? Will the coach of SHNC be considered to coach the defeated opponent? Will that make the SHNC ready for the Cook Islands or will the defeat mean that the U21 squad isn't ready YET?
"Lebron B" may very well get to travel to the Cook Islands if SHNC wins on April 3rd. WILL YOU BE THERE?
APRIL 3rd will be what may be the biggest game for the 2009 season
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Age vs Youth
It's been almost three years since I had an active interest in local netball.Interestingly enough those individuals who thought that my not being involved would elevate the standard of the sport here have been the ones seeking my advice ALL THE TIME.
When the 2009 season begins,the division one MAY have the national U-16 team playing in the competition. Good right? I was asked how the team playing in that division will benefit all the OTHER teams. It wont!! My understanding of the regional tournament is that the games are played in four TEN minute quarters. The senior games are played in four FIFTEEN minute quarters. DO the MATHS! That extra five minutes will be crucial to victories for all teams.Is it going to be taken away?
Jamaica has been the most dominant country at this tournament. Is the U-16 team playing top flight netball to prepare for their game against this country? Will the umpires allow players to play the game as they should and not penalize them because they are playing against the junior national team? Time will definitely tell.
Kudos to coach Julie Phillips for ensuring that "her" team is well prepared. Reading is still fundamental and it's never too late to learn.
When the 2009 season begins,the division one MAY have the national U-16 team playing in the competition. Good right? I was asked how the team playing in that division will benefit all the OTHER teams. It wont!! My understanding of the regional tournament is that the games are played in four TEN minute quarters. The senior games are played in four FIFTEEN minute quarters. DO the MATHS! That extra five minutes will be crucial to victories for all teams.Is it going to be taken away?
Jamaica has been the most dominant country at this tournament. Is the U-16 team playing top flight netball to prepare for their game against this country? Will the umpires allow players to play the game as they should and not penalize them because they are playing against the junior national team? Time will definitely tell.
Kudos to coach Julie Phillips for ensuring that "her" team is well prepared. Reading is still fundamental and it's never too late to learn.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Read carefully
THE FOLLOWING EXTRACT WAS TAKEN FROM "NETBALL SHOTS". IT'S VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING!
Umpiring
I am starting with the umpiring because this is what I am closest to. Angela Gibbs started the season brilliantly as the scheduler and coordinator of the umpires. She was doing a fantastic job until controversy struck and she resigned prematurely ending what I considered to be the best management of the umpiring fixtures since Deborah Lynch-Theobalds gave this up for a higher calling.
Then between Stephanie Greaves and Mona Alleyne the scheduling was a disaster. Some umpires were fixtured twice an evening while others did not make the fixture for an entire week. Check out last week's fixture and you will s
ee what I mean. There has also been numerous problems with umpires not showing up. As a matter of fact, Veronica Rock who is preparing for the series between Jamaica and the Australian Institute of Sport at the end of the month mentioned that she was at the stadium on Monday with gear, was not scheduled but was ready to umpire. She was not asked, while Tony Brathwaite who is creeping along in his umpiring and will probably go no further than Barbados netball, got to umpire twice.
I was not scheduled for a bit despite my offer to umpire twice a week, now I get at most one day. According to Kizzy Marvel, Banks Spurs and National player who I had to discipline in the last game I umpired, I will never become an international umpire. She said it out of spite but at the rate the scheduling is going she just might be right because I will definitely not be getting in the match practice.
Standard of Play In Barbados
The standard of play this season was very poor, no wonder the country has fallen so low in the world ranking. In the lower divisions there are glimpses of hope for the future, but at the rate the administrators are going, there maybe no future.
There's something to be said for clairvoyancy. The more things change, the more they stay the same!!
Umpiring
I am starting with the umpiring because this is what I am closest to. Angela Gibbs started the season brilliantly as the scheduler and coordinator of the umpires. She was doing a fantastic job until controversy struck and she resigned prematurely ending what I considered to be the best management of the umpiring fixtures since Deborah Lynch-Theobalds gave this up for a higher calling.
Then between Stephanie Greaves and Mona Alleyne the scheduling was a disaster. Some umpires were fixtured twice an evening while others did not make the fixture for an entire week. Check out last week's fixture and you will s
ee what I mean. There has also been numerous problems with umpires not showing up. As a matter of fact, Veronica Rock who is preparing for the series between Jamaica and the Australian Institute of Sport at the end of the month mentioned that she was at the stadium on Monday with gear, was not scheduled but was ready to umpire. She was not asked, while Tony Brathwaite who is creeping along in his umpiring and will probably go no further than Barbados netball, got to umpire twice.I was not scheduled for a bit despite my offer to umpire twice a week, now I get at most one day. According to Kizzy Marvel, Banks Spurs and National player who I had to discipline in the last game I umpired, I will never become an international umpire. She said it out of spite but at the rate the scheduling is going she just might be right because I will definitely not be getting in the match practice.
Standard of Play In Barbados
The standard of play this season was very poor, no wonder the country has fallen so low in the world ranking. In the lower divisions there are glimpses of hope for the future, but at the rate the administrators are going, there maybe no future.
There's something to be said for clairvoyancy. The more things change, the more they stay the same!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
To most people, SHNC is a bunch of misbehaved misfits. To me, they are the BEST at what they do, both on and off the court.Winning the senior Knock-out title several years ago was one of the highlights of my coaching this club. It was accomplished through dedication,with massive HEARTS and a will to win.
Assisting and at times leading the way was arguably the best co-coach known to man( or woman). On the eventful night of May 10th 2006 my coaching partner wasn't at the netball stadium and has never publicly made any comment(s) regarding the matter and so assumptions were made.
Assisting and at times leading the way was arguably the best co-coach known to man( or woman). On the eventful night of May 10th 2006 my coaching partner wasn't at the netball stadium and has never publicly made any comment(s) regarding the matter and so assumptions were made.
Now the silence has been broken, the mute button turned off and some netball know-it-alls are wondering why now? Why not let it go away? Why not just allow the suspension to peter out? Here's why not. It's called PERSEVERANCE.
A good player knows when to do the WRONG thing at the RIGHT time!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Well really !!!
On May 25th 2006 I received an email from the Barbados Netball Association informing me that I had been suspended for five years( May 25th 2006- May 24th 2011) after a recommendation from the Disciplinary Committee . Some of the members of the former Executive Council as well as Floor Members hurriedly made it known that they were not aware of any decision.
As always some people will have problems when questions are asked and solutions sought. Through my initial attempts to obtain a SIGNED copy of a CONSTITUTIONALLY OVERDUE transcript, some of these members stopped speaking to me. I guess they thought I was attacking them the INDIVIDUAL. That was never the case at all!
It is ironic now almost three ( 3) years and five ( 5) letters of appeals ( the most recent being yesterday morning-02-03-09) later, it is now being known that several people who said they didn't know, KNEW what was going on. One member then even told me that instead of five years, I should've received ten ( 10) instead. I probably did KILL the sport!
In my time of temporary"incarceration",this member and others have asked my OPINIONS on matters relating to this sport and I have given the most sincere advice. Weird! I have maintained this and always will. The members of the Executive Council at that time were SPINELESS and allowed one person to dictate their thinking. Challenges were not allowed and they all knew it.
What the public may not be aware of is that the Spooners Hill Netball Club, should've received a transcript also. Will this lengthy process be the same if a member of the Association requests what is rightfully theirs?
Q- Would any of you readers like to know (a)-Why the delay in giving away paper and ( b) What happens if there really isn't a transcript??
As always some people will have problems when questions are asked and solutions sought. Through my initial attempts to obtain a SIGNED copy of a CONSTITUTIONALLY OVERDUE transcript, some of these members stopped speaking to me. I guess they thought I was attacking them the INDIVIDUAL. That was never the case at all!
It is ironic now almost three ( 3) years and five ( 5) letters of appeals ( the most recent being yesterday morning-02-03-09) later, it is now being known that several people who said they didn't know, KNEW what was going on. One member then even told me that instead of five years, I should've received ten ( 10) instead. I probably did KILL the sport!
In my time of temporary"incarceration",this member and others have asked my OPINIONS on matters relating to this sport and I have given the most sincere advice. Weird! I have maintained this and always will. The members of the Executive Council at that time were SPINELESS and allowed one person to dictate their thinking. Challenges were not allowed and they all knew it.
What the public may not be aware of is that the Spooners Hill Netball Club, should've received a transcript also. Will this lengthy process be the same if a member of the Association requests what is rightfully theirs?
Q- Would any of you readers like to know (a)-Why the delay in giving away paper and ( b) What happens if there really isn't a transcript??
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Still the same
" Gi dem grite!" ," A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!", "Dem people is someting else!". Those were some of the expressions(?) given to me when I made it known that I had intended to write what you are now reading.
As I have said before and am now saying, I have put the "proposed" ban/suspension behind me and I am good with the thought process behind the grouch and others who decided to do what they thought was necessary.
However when correspondences are sent to any organization, it is felt that some response will/should be given. I sent a letter to the BNA,dated 05-02-09 and as yet haven't received a reply. Is the reply delayed because the Secretary might be advised not to reply or is it that there REALLy isn't any transcript and no reply can be made on the "missing document"? IRONIC ISN'T IT?
You may ask why the irony. Here's why. Think who are the present SECRETARY and VICE PRESIDENT.Think,think,think! After you readers have busted your brains thinking,let me make it clear that I do not want either of these two individuals to fight my fight.OH NO! Let them keep what energies they have for their own battles that will CERTAINLY come.
After saying all that I will say this. ANY correspondence which goes to the BNA,BFA,BABA or AAA deserves an acknowledgement no matter what or who it is from. That the BNA has not done so almost one month after mine was sent shows the measure of professionalism and the characters of those involved.
As my VERY GOOD friend said, you should tell them "The more things change the more they stay the same".
As I have said before and am now saying, I have put the "proposed" ban/suspension behind me and I am good with the thought process behind the grouch and others who decided to do what they thought was necessary.
However when correspondences are sent to any organization, it is felt that some response will/should be given. I sent a letter to the BNA,dated 05-02-09 and as yet haven't received a reply. Is the reply delayed because the Secretary might be advised not to reply or is it that there REALLy isn't any transcript and no reply can be made on the "missing document"? IRONIC ISN'T IT?
You may ask why the irony. Here's why. Think who are the present SECRETARY and VICE PRESIDENT.Think,think,think! After you readers have busted your brains thinking,let me make it clear that I do not want either of these two individuals to fight my fight.OH NO! Let them keep what energies they have for their own battles that will CERTAINLY come.
After saying all that I will say this. ANY correspondence which goes to the BNA,BFA,BABA or AAA deserves an acknowledgement no matter what or who it is from. That the BNA has not done so almost one month after mine was sent shows the measure of professionalism and the characters of those involved.
As my VERY GOOD friend said, you should tell them "The more things change the more they stay the same".
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