Barbados v the top 2

In a manner fit to be nothing but utter folly or pure clairvoyancy,the Barbados national coach has 'promised' the world of two upsets at next year's World Cup promising to defeat both Australia and New Zealand. Does this mean that we have already defeated Trinidad and Tobago?

I would be the first to admit that games are won or lost on the day BUT in this case..both games have already been played and the decisions known.

What has made the plight of the national team even harder and this premonition worst  is the recent resignation of the islands best goal shooter in Laurel Browne, the best playmaker in goal attack  Nikita Piggott and allegedly the best wing defence in Kizzy Marville.

With three of the best out of a possible twelve making such a resounding decision, will the Barbados Netball Association seek to find out the reason behind the sudden 'mass' exodus or will any hope of a discussion go untouched?

Madame President...do the right thing! Players or personnel?

Grotesque travesty !

The word TRAVESTY when used as a noun means a false, absurd or distorted representation of something.

The Free Dictionary uses the word GROTESQUE when talking about travesty, as in an exaggerated or grotesque imitation. Maybe the people who wrote this definition had a vision of Barbados' netball in 2014.

That a selfish and SH**TY decision to bench the best goal shooter in Barbados at such a crucial time and in such a crucial game, demonstrated that leadership or lack thereof was the hallmark of the persons in charge.

The decision reeked with as much blatant disregard that one wonders if all the horsehair usually worn had gone grey and senility had settled in.

 In Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games,we lost to Trinidad and Tobago by one goal due to poor coaching decisions.Then the  players were allegedly  blamed for NOT having any backbone to defeat a weaker Trinidadian team.

We lost by seven tonight. Will the players have to take the blame again and if so..what for?

Had somebody not been personal and played the standout goal shooter in Laurel Browne, maybe the result would've been different but like so often in the past when words are spoken which people don't like...ALL HELL BREK LOOSE!

People will always ask who guards the guard. This time it should be WHO COACHES THE COACHES?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Congrats Team Barbados on your effort.

Letter to a GARGOYLE!!!!!

To whom it may concern,

In case you're not aware, I have no desire to be on any Board of the Barbados Netball Association where the possibility exists that I would have to sit across a table and look at anyone whose only claim to fame is in a diminished capacity.

I have no desire to listen to or try to read hieroglyphics written by you which makes those written by any doctor seem understandable.

I have no desire to have my name mentioned in the same sentence and at the same time as yours simply because it tarnishes my reputation.

Jealousy is cancerous or green depending on how it is viewed. Maybe the cast that is permanent on what is the first to be seen will go away when the life support system you have changes.

The offended parties or the ones who have the loudest voices are usually the ones with the shallowest of brains and in this case...PLEASE COME TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS!

Don't start a war if you're not prepared to battle!

Meet the Fockers!

Foolishness as is known to the present hierarchy of netball in the Barbados Netball Association may cause a junior netballer her debut at the national level.

Safepasses and all concerned has been reliably informed that the top guns who are presently in Calgary for the AFNA qualifiers are crying foul about the decision made to leave out the captain of the national team in favour of this junior player.

The questions now to be asked are : (1) When was the decision of exclusion and inclusion made? (2) Who made said decision? (3) Why wasn't the entire Board informed that a decision was to be made? (4) What happens to this junior player both mentally and emotionally?

The level of LAVATORY MATTER which has permeated the entire netball fraternity over the last few days is enough to clog the tanks in Fontabelle and reeks of nothing more than a plot to keep the churchyard team at the top of local netball.

None of this would've happened if the elders of the sport hadn't intervened four years ago when the country was on a climb. Now these same Witches of Eastwick are so embarrassed at the decline they are as quiet as church mice...or is that OGRES?

Barbados as I know it is a democratic society. Netball as I know it is a sport. With that being said, it is high time that the clubs who ARE the powers of netball join forces and do the right thing in ridding the sport of anything with a high ACID level or they are in for two more years of AUTOCRACY!

Pink,green and blue = PH St B

Lavinia Butcher was the captain of a national   team which was  fighting for acceptance. On the 'eve' of the team's departure to a major event. Lavinia realised that an important piece of her travel documents was missing.

She did the right thing and made contact with the management of the  team only to realise she wasn't getting any help from them,especially the second in command.
 
What she didn't know was that in order for any decisions to be made in her favour, she would've needed to be a member of the PINK,GREEN and BLUE club.

Realising the mountain she had to climb and the pitfalls in her way,poor Lavinia tried and tried and TRIED to find what she was looking for but ALAS....wasn't to be.

The day of departure to a rather cold country arrived and Lavinia was informed that she wasn't needed because a newer and younger person had been found to fill the void....Hmmm!

What Lavinia wasn't told was that  when she was searching,her termination papers were being prepared.

Wishing on a COACH

SPAR Proteas coach Elize Kotze remains upbeat about South Africa’s prospects at the world cup in Sydney next year, despite the disappointment of finishing sixth at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Speaking on the opening day of the SPAR National Championships in Cape Town on Monday, Kotze said her goal had been to reach the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games. “We were playing the best netball teams in the world, and we believed we could challenge for a medal,” she said. “I still believe we can do it at the world championships next year. We have beaten England and Jamaica in the past, and I am very positive we can do it again.

“We will have to plan very carefully between now and the world championships and make sure that we have the right players, the right mental attitude and the physicality to compete with the top teams.” Kotze said the team had learned a great deal from the experience and would have a better idea of how to tackle the top teams in Sydney.

“We will select a squad of 25 players to prepare for Sydney, and this will be reduced to 15 early next year. Ideally, I would like them to be compensated for the loss of income so that I can work with them fulltime for two months before the world championships so we develop new tactics and work out how to counter the top teams.

“We also need to play against at least two of the top four countries before we go to Sydney, to hone our skills. If we are to compete against professionals, we need to become professional as well.” Five members of the team that went to Glasgow have been forced to miss the SPAR National Championships because they have no more leave. Kotze said she would ask Netball South Africa compromise on its ruling that players should take part in the SPAR National Championships to be eligible for national selection.

“Those five players are among our very best, and we need them to be part of the squad,” she said. The five players are Maryka Holtzhausen, Adele Niemand, Karla Mostert, Zanele Mdodana and Chrisna van Zyl. Kotze said the selectors would be on the lookout for rising stars. “There is always room for new talent in the team,” she said.


***The following which is in ITALICS  is the opinion of an avid netball fan on what is happening in Barbados and what needs to be done as it relates to the national team***.

To have this type of insight, a coach must be able to move a practice way beyond. 2 drills and a scrimmage. Each training session should have a focus. It has to  be planned from warmup to cooldown. What I have seen so far is a 'go as you please approach'. The only result is absolute failure. We have returned to the days of high disgruntlement among players. The players are no longer enjoying the game. The declaration of " I LOVE MY TEAM" has to be tough love. Make the tough decision, resign in the interest of this team. That will be TRUE LOVE. Your staying around has returned  the team to the graveyard of 2006 when you and the Manager were at the helm of the 12th of 12 teams.

Interesting!

It is a fact!

Last month I was told that a reader of this blog had said if she ever saw her name mentioned, she was gonna be suing because. " I have two lawyers and I want money."

 Admittedly I guess that she would have to be a reader to see her name but in order to do that I would have to write it and it won't happen as long as I am senile.

Well the challenge is real  and not a blind cent ( plastic surgery costs more than 1c).

It is a fact that the plot to be rid of world class shooter Laurel Browne didn't start with an interview which was published  before the Commonwealth Games but during the 2014 Barbados Netball Association's domestic season. It started when the former and still highly sought after shooter Lydia Bishop was approached not once but several times, PRIOR to the friendly series against St Lucia. It started with the visits to another promising shooter who didn't make the 2013 U21 team.

It is also a fact that when some members of the senior national team decided that the fitness test administered today  ( 9-8-14) was a crock of lavatory matter...they were justified in not stepping in the puddle.

It is also a fact that the benchmark of the recently concluded CommGames seemed to be finishing higher than in seventh position established in 2010 by the Alwyn Babb coached team. Oops! Last in 2006,second last in 2014.

It is also a fact that Coach Babb can close his eyes to sleep and be 100 times better than whomever is seeking money from me.

It is also a fact that when the Barbados Netball Association refuse to listen to the voice of the players, they are telling whomever that they have the right to make the most ASSinine decisions.

So finally, it is also a fact that when peas are sowed, sweet potatoes are never reaped. 

Lucky 7

"I wanted to be in the top seven.That was the goal.It was very possible."  

I want a plantation.....I want it at any cost. Sounds familiar? That aint happening neither!!!!! Mr Mighty Mouth did something that has the inventors of netball in Barbados looking in mirrors...OOOPS! They cracked!

"Ireland is at No.7....that was our spot."
 Our spot at this time is 11th in the Commonwealth caused by inadequate preparation and selfish decisions. Maybe if the focus was on the country and not an individual, the results might've been a bit different?

 “We need exposure and that has been showing in our games."
   
England 2012, Northern Ireland 2013, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica 2014...exposure prior to the devastation that was Glasgow. How much more was needed to showcase what was obviously missing?

Three years after preparation started for the Commonwealth Games, it ended in a mass of destruction for several key players on Team Barbados. SHOOTERS were blamed for not scoring, the MID-COURTERS were blamed for the inability to "get the ball into the circle" and the DEFENDERS for not being tall enough. Guess they got a bit short in Glasgow?

The use of asphalt was blamed for some of the poor performances when this was the only surface we have had when Barbados won an international tournament in Northern Ireland and  it was what we used when our Under 16 team won the Caribbean title.

Maybe the change in surface might've been a factor for the physical injuries but what about the mental scars from the verbal assaults for both these Games and Melbourne 2006? 

Again just as the Barbados Netball Association axed the management of the U21 squad on two occasions prior to the WYC, they can and should do the same  before AFNA 2014. Will they or won't they?

"I love my TEAM!"

Then love the fact that the team needs further help! Love the fact that the team can be better if help that is sorely needed  is sought!






 

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time in a land of long stalk nectar called Barbade, there lived a queen who presided over an empire of many people who was addicted to a certain sport.

Within that land was an imposter who believed she had invented this sport and threw daggers at anyone who dared to speak ill of her sport. |Looking  as dour as an English maid with many  head pieces to suit her many moods, Miss Imposter worked her Medusa like charm on the queen of Barbade to penalize the tongue waggers who would speak out on her debauchery.

As fate would have it,the people of Barbade liked to compete and would often have competitions to see who could destroy anything quicker and faster than they could spit. No one was better than Miss Imposter who would usually be seen wearing one of her many masks at these events.

Now every four years, several kingdoms would come together to see which one was the best. The twelve best lasses in each country were chosen to compete for bragging rights for the next four years.

 From  the previous competition,Barbade was in seventh place based on the leadership of a short person with a mighty mouth. This year , everyone knew that it would be different.

When competition time came, there was so  much  lavatory matter,lavatory matter and more lavatory matter after Barbade was deemed the land with the most ,that the sewerage workers asked if it had signed a deed to highlight it's product.

Finally the queen was forced to listen and a decree was given that Miss Imposter was to be placed in a jail where she would spend the rest of her life kicking rocks and making wigs from the head of gargoyles.

S.O.S

When ninth ranked Barbados plays for the wooden spoon of the 2014 Commonwealth Games ( netball) against lower ranked St Lucia, many questions will be asked  to the Barbados Netball Association  but none will be answered. Hopefully they prove me wrong!

The Selection Committee also has to take some blame as they too would've been part and parcel to the non-selection of specialist wing attack Sabreena Smith. Will they?


Commonwealth 2014 has proven that the ones asking back for 'their sport' are not and would never be the ones to lead any national teams EVER again! Or will they?

Professional sports hire and fire coaches or managers based on results and productivity. Should this case be any different when the results are there to be seen and the productivity from the team is obvious?

Many years ago the Barbados Netball Association dismissed/fired another former national coach who up to that time couldn't motivate the senior team to attend training sessions. Guess who was the replacement?

In 2009 and 2013, the BNA again did the unthinkable and fired the management teams of the U-21 squads weeks before major competitions. Precedent setting.

With the AFNA qualifiers scheduled for Calgary,Alberta in less than a month, will the Barbados Netball Association do the right thing and dismiss the senior management or will they put the WISHES of the same team on the back burner in favour of friendship? Hopefully they prove me wrong !

Many will wonder why the allegations of Glasgow 2014 seem so familiar....that's because it's a repeat of Melbourne 2006.

To quote a former national player on the team then ." Same S**T, different toilet."

The cries have been heard, now it's time for action.

HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

As promised in an earlier post, the former national netball coach Alwyn Babb has indicated his to challenge the hierarchy for that position again.

With the added advantage of several of the Barbadian netball fraternity, Coach Babb is hitting the ground running and waiting for the last whistle to be blown.

Asked what brought about the change after giving up the coaching position three years ago, he said ,"All will be revealed soon."

Will the return of the popular coach save the national team from the downward slide into netball oblivion? Hmmmmm!

Will the Barbados Netball Association embrace his 'radical' style of coaching? Left to be seen.

With so many negatives going against him,is he doing the right thing?  Maybe.


One thing is certain and it is this. Coach Alwyn Babb is back!

One more time

After the debacle that was today's shocking defeat to Trinidad and Tobago in netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games,2011 head coach of the Barbados team Alwyn Babb is ready to take over the reign once again.

Read his message tomorrow.

Not this again

Trinidadian netballers today smiled at the most callous display  ever when Barbados' starting seven took  to the netball court in Glasgow. At the end of the game all smiles had turned to laughter and jeering after a one goal defeat had rendered the girls in blue and gold to tears

That the starting shooters for Barbados were two goal attacks was either a calculated risk that failed or a sign of pure lavatory matter. It showed that to have an opinion voice it around certain people who have created the sport is again career suicide.

It is shocking and sad that  Laurel Browne, the lynchpin goal shooter in the Barbados team for the past three years and her stand-in could not be given a start in a game with bragging rights and a psychological advantage at stake. It was ridiculous that poor Miss Browne could only muster the solitary LAST quarter to save face in a spate of desperation.

As one of my  Jamaican/English friends who watched the game opined,the "'startling' starting seven put  too much bomba**** pressure on the team."  That was obvious in the 46 turnovers made to Trinidad and Tobago's mere 19.

Here are some statistics from today's game.

Nikita Piggott - 7/11 - 64%
Sheniqua Thomas - 19/26 - 73%
Shonica Wharton - 3/6 - 50%
Laurel Browne - 8/8 - 100%

According to a statistician covering the game, Barbados shot at a measly 71%.

We didn't win what was the lone game we should've have won and now four years after Delhi and Coach Babb's seventh place finish...it's a case of lavatory matter all over again.

COACH BABB...ya gotta come back!!!!!!!!!

Lawyer or law suit?

In all my life as a netball coach, there is only one other opinion that mattered and that was from my co-coach Mr Alwyn Babb and vice versa.

What others felt,thought,opined,etc were never a concern to me simply because these emotions DID NOT MATTER as they  DO NOT MATTER right now!

My accomplishments as a coach and the success that has come with it are evident. My ability to make any player feel as though they belong comes from the fact that without these players they can be no team and I KNEW THAT!

When Mr Alwyn  Babb became the head coach of the senior national netball team ( 2010/11),whatever was started and harnessed at the club level ( Spooners Hill Netball Club) was vastly improved upon. Moreover, the state of mind of all the trialists in those years was about improving their God given talent not about common threats!

There were never threats  about lawsuits nor the mention of lawyers on retainers but discussions on how to improve each individual as a person and as a player and ways and means to improve Barbados' netball globally.

If an opinion on something which is  true  is shared on a  private blog  and  is seen as cause for a lawsuit...then let's play ROCK OF AGES!

How many more?

Sabreena Smith's omission from the  2014 Commonwealth Games team was not accidental. It was a clearly calculated move put in place from the international friendlies against St Lucia and Jamaica. Or was it?

What Sabreena didn't know was that indicating her intentions to return to the Spooners Hill Netball Club for the 2015 domestic competition would be national suicide.Or was it?

To be accused as a troublemaker on PAST national teams by management is akin to being told your days as a player has come to an end.

To be told that your performances aren't what is expected when clearly it is 95% better than one of the chosen few is an indication that you are no longer needed.

In 2013, the Barbados Netball Association grossly disrespected the entire coaching panel of the Under-21 team ,weeks before a major netball tournament.

In keeping with the precedent that was set,why not do the same thing now?

The chosen twelve must be applauded for being given the opportunity to represent Barbados. The Selection Committee however should be disbanded ( if they haven't been already) for allowing themselves to be publicly humiliated as they have said ( no allegation).

As we celebrate Crop Over season,let us remember John King's popular HOW MANY MORE?

AXED!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the longest serving national netball players and arguably the country's best wing attack Sabreena Smith has been axed from the 2014 Commonwealth Games team announced tonight.

Reasons for this shocker will be revealed at  a later date.