And we're off..!!!

Yes its that time again when my passport gets stamped...no not REJECTED but 'Immigration of ______' date_______'! Yes, I am off on another trip with my volleyballers! Not UWI this time but the National Team.

This time we are going off to the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo) and we are gonna face some tuff tuff competition. To be realistic we are gonna get beaten, but only by the teams we know are the TOP (Cuba & Dominican Republic) in the field and certainly not without putting up a fight. As far as losing goes, that's where it ends! We have worked far too hard and dealt with many obstacles and challenges which despite having drained us, tested us and many times made us want to quit, have left us motivated, driven and determined to make a statement. I am not gonna brag or make unrealistic promises, I am only gonna say that the 'Riddim Girls' are gonna be that breath of fresh air that the sweeps through the sporting arena in this country.

Its hard to believe that volleyball is 45 years old this year, yet many ppl don't know about volleyball much less that the 'Riddim Girls' are vying for a spot at the World Championships in 2006! There are so many opportunities that this sport can bring yet no one looks out for it. True it isn't one of the traditional pet peeves of sports in Jamaica, but lets face the reality of what exists. Football is no longer the King of the Hill despite all the premier league championships and cameo appearances at CONCACAF qualifiers and even more so hasn't had a chance at another world cup since 1998. Cricket is a sport that reminds me of a very abusive relationship (masochism at its very best). Where, despite the constant beat up, battering bruising, fallouts, disrespect and total lack of discipline, it continues at the same pace and with the same ppl and the keep going back for more!. No longer is it the pride of the Caribbean yet we continue to pump resources into what may be (I think it already is) a sunken ship.

Netball is one of those sports that has worked really hard to get to where it is today. It is still growing and the only place we want to see it go is to the top. Its almost like a woman working tooth and nail to get into a gentlemen's club not because she wants to be equal to a man but because she wants a man to realise that he can't be her equal without her teaching him how to. We had done so well at the World Championships and we continue to do well. We don't look at the losses as just that, we use them as motivators to get it right the next time. I see netball further down the future with even more promise and prestige than I do now. Pretty soon it will be our very own 'Debutante's Club'.

Then there is track & field...lovely lovely track and field. Amidst the 'one stops' and the 'pull ups' and the 'growin groin dilemma', there still remains much hope. I won't say anything of the lack of courage or the inability to deliver when it is expected. It is well and good to have the natural talent and the skill, its a totally different playing field when you've got the steel mentality to go with it. I commend our athletes on their recent successes. I just hope that they use the experience as lessons and learn from them and rise to the occasion when it occurs. Prove that we are indeed the best.

SO you see, sports has gotten quite mundane and predictable. We need to inject new fire, new vibe, new riddim! And I believe that only our female volleyballers can get it done. The men have lost the opportunity in most cases...why is that? Even this morning on Full House Fridays the question was asked why do only the men (athletes) have a 'growin groin injury' (a groin injury that doesn't seem to get better following the previous meet where it occured/was aggravated)? And a man (my good friend Chris 'Johnny' Daley, the crackhead) replied..."I can tell you...that's easy...its because we have a 'growin groin'! Which I believe is the problem...an injury growin as fast as one's ego...! Sad but true....but in the meantime, I hope and I expect the women to dispel the myth that we can't live up to the mettle. We have what it takes to handle the heat when it matters. Through our coaches' efforts and certainly our own (and all the ppl who believed and invested in us) we are gonna do what we were born to do...keep it together. We are persistent creatures and for us few things are impossible to diligence and skill. We shall be great but not because of strength but because of perseverance.

Until I return.