“The heights of great men and women reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, for they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Cellar Despondency
My emotions were in the cellar from the moment I received the heart wrenching news of the murder of 13-year old, Melchizedek Gilbert Tixcy of Desruisseaux, as he slept in his bed. It sank even lower when I learned that he was the eyes of his visually impaired father, and that he was a ward of the “Our Boys Matter” programme managed by the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment. All week long, my mind was flooded with thoughts of how Mel’s father would fare in his absence. So distraught was I, that it seemed impossible my spirits would be lifted anytime soon.
Then, I received a text from a friend, inquiring about the scheduled time for the 100-metre women’s final at the Paris Olympics. Miraculously, my somber mood was replaced by heart-thumping expectancy. There was an “Air Jordan” spring in my step as I raced to complete as many chores as possible, before the start of event. As I did so, I reflected on what it would mean for Julien and for Saint Lucia, if she earned a medal in this high profile, and brutally competitive race, before a global audience of millions, that included her coach, family, sponsors, and 180,00 of her people at home, and countless more in the Diaspora.
Before Julien secured her gold medal in the 60-metre dash at the World indoor Championships, in Glasgow in March this year, Saint Lucia had only Rick Wayne’s “Mr. Europe,” “Mr. World,” and “Mr. Universe” titles between 1964 and 1970, and Levern Spencer’s High Jump, medal hauls in the Commonwealth, Pan American and CAC games, respectively, to rave about. And so, understandably, we were all giddy at the prospect of Julien medaling in arguably the biggest event of her life. Saint Lucia had taken part in the Games since 1996 but had never earned a medal.
Anticipation to Elation
After her runs in the Heats and semi-finals, I felt confident that physically, Julien was in great shape. Yet, I wondered about her state of mind as she went through her warm-up routine. As a student of athletics, she would have known that races are won or lost in the mind. I hoped that by the time she lined up for the most important race of her nascent career as a professional athlete, that somehow, she would have shed the heavy burden of expectation of those rooting for her and think only of herself. To do otherwise would have been tantamount to courting failure. As the athletes appeared from the processing room, I found Julien’s calm demeanor to be deeply reassuring. It made me feel that the stars had moved into alignment and that Julien was ready to achieve something celestial. And so, she did, crossing the finish line in 10.72 exhilarating seconds, to not only win the Gold Medal, but also to become the eighth fastest woman in history. Trailing her, was pre-Games favourite and current world champion, Sha’kari Richardson, who took silver in 10.87 seconds, and another American, Melissa Jefferson, who took bronze in 10.92 seconds.
If I had the most complete English dictionary at my command, it would be impossible to describe the emotions that assailed me as Julien ripped her name tag from her chest and held it up to the crowd, as if to say, I AM JULIEN ALFRED! REMEMBER THE NAME! The roof-raising screams from homes in my neighborhood would speak my joy far more eloquently than I ever could. As Julien draped herself in our country’s National Flag, my eyes would give fresh expression to my sense of national pride, releasing tears that nourished my appreciation of how far our small country has journeyed from vassal to victor. Only sport could have created that effect. Only sport could have delivered such instantaneous and unbridled joy to so many, from the success of one individual.
Digging Deep
The next morning, Julien would reemerge after less than 3 hours sleep, to compete in the Heats of the 200 metres. While she easily won that event and later the semi-final, I had convinced myself that another gold medal would be too much to expect. After all, this was not Julien’s favourite event. Moreover, I reasoned that her main rival, Gabby Thomas of the USA would have more gas in her tank, having run fewer races than Julien. I was right! Eventually, Thomas would take gold in that race with a time of 21.83 seconds. So far back was Julien after the first 100-metres of the race, that a medal seemed nigh impossible. However, the near, super-human effort that she put in, to earn the silver medal, in a time of 22.08 seconds, spoke volumes about her Gibraltic determination, as she drilled deep into her energy reserves to give herself and her country its best outcome ever at the Olympics, with gold and silver medals.
For Julien and for Saint Lucia, the “high” generated by this feat will last a lifetime. The ignominy of not having earned a medal at the Olympics has been erased and replaced by countless memes that proclaimed our collective pride and joy. And that is all good. When our athletes excel, we claim them and rejoice with them. But going forward, we must ask ourselves: how do we treat our sportsmen and women before they attain global acclaim. How do we behave if/when they fail? Do we leave them to deal with their failures on their own? How do we treat them when they really need our help?
Lessons
Julien’s journey from her days as a “nobody athlete, “…struggling with no shoes, running barefoot, running in my school uniform, running all over the place,” to her triumphs as an elite, medal winning athlete, provides a welter of potent lessons. Julien was extremely fortunate to have had Cuthbert “Twa Ti Né” Modeste, as her first “coach” when she was 9 years old. Modeste was not a qualified coach, but that did not matter as much as the fact that he cared enough to commit himself to assist Julien to develop her obvious talent. Critically, his lack of credentials did not prevent her from heeding his advice. Here, we see the value of caring and mentorship. Julien could easily have gone “off track” in the mode of hundreds of young, gifted, athletes before her, who struggled with little or no support from family, community, employer and State. As I reflected on this reality, my mind returned to the tragic murder of Mel Tixcy. Could it be that his alleged 18-year old murderer was once a promising athlete, who did not get the mentorship he needed at a critical juncture in his life?
Facilities
In a post-event interview, Julien observed, that “Saint Lucia barely has the right facilities, and that the stadium is not fixed.” She shared her hope that her gold medal “…will help St Lucia build a new stadium, to help the sport grow.” Every Saint Lucian would be familiar with the plight of the George Odlum Stadium. After its construction, there were high hopes it would catalyze the rebirth of track and field in Saint Lucia. Alas! Due to an unpardonable sequence of acts of maladministration by successive governments, details of which need not be rehashed here, the stadium only briefly served its intended purpose. The Pierre Administration has vowed to correct this appalling situation and has secured financing to end the use of the Stadium as a hospital, and return it to our young people, after its renovation.
The Champs
Hopefully, when this happens, we could look forward to regular, organized, inter-schools track and field events, along the lines of the GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, in Jamaica, more popularly known as “The Champs.” Still, such a development is not guaranteed to give us more Julien Alfreds.
It is instructive that the Champs, which began as a boys-only event in 1910, is but one part of a culture of excellence in Track and Field (T&F) in Jamaica. Unlike inter-schools T&F events in other Caribbean countries, the Champs is a 5-day event, beginning with field events and ending with relays. Also, it is noteworthy that most of Jamaica’s athletes who have competed at the Champs, have gone on to global success. The list includes Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell and Elaine Thompson. This is the standard we should aim to reach.
Another critical contributor to the culture of excellence in T&F in Jamaica is the sustained support of the private sector, spanning many decades. Companies in Jamaica prioritize support for sports development, over sponsorship of fetes, carnival and other public entertainment events. Hopefully, Julien’s success will inspire Saint Lucia’s private sector to emulate the example of its Jamaica counterpart. Beyond financial sponsorship, our companies can resolve to do simple things, such as giving sportsmen and women in their employ, time-off WITH PAY to take part in sporting events. Their failure to do so in the past, has been a huge barrier to the development of sports in Saint Lucia.
Our Schools
Another lesson from Julien’s success is the importance of establishing our school system as the nucleus of a national culture of excellence in sports. Consider that when Julien moved to Jamaica at the age of 14, following the passing of her father, two years earlier, she entered St Catherine High (SCH)—the equivalent of the Leon Hess Comprehensive School—which had an improving track and field programme and had been competing regularly in The Champs. By that time, Julien had already built a big reputation following her record-breaking performances at the 2015 Sagicor Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Age Group Championships in the heptathlon. However, her time at the SCH was hugely transformative, as it helped to build her physical and mental strength and exposed her to regular high-class competition. So foundational was her time at SCH, that she was able to make a seamless transition to Texas in 2018. During her five years in the programme, she won numerous “Big 12” indoor and outdoor championships and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor championships. Her graduate season was rated as one of the best in Texas and NCAA history, earning her the 2023 Bowerman Award, the highest honour of college track and field in the USA.
Priority Setting
With all the will in the world, it will take us some time to establish a national T&F culture that approximates that of Jamaica and the USA. However, we will not make any progress towards that goal, if we don’t set the right priorities. Julien’s journey ought to have given us clear evidence of the many, priceless, tangible and intangible benefits we can derive from successful participation in elite global sports events. At no point in Saint Lucia’s history has it received such international exposure. At no time in our country’s history have we been as united as a people, as we were during the second week of the Olympics when Julien did her thing. At no time has our sense of national pride been so full, to overflowing.
Will we heed the many potent lessons from Julien’s accomplishments?
Culture of Excellence
I return to Longfellow’s highly motivational quote, which was often recited by my father in our home. For all the benefits that have flowed and will likely continue to flow from Julien’s incredible feats, it would be a tragedy if we should fail to recognize and replicate her sterling example, in our daily lives. Our failure to do so would render us undeserving of the inestimable honour she has bestowed upon us.
Truth be told, we have not made the most of the example of our Nobel Laureates. Most of us gleefully cite their achievements, without fully appreciating that they were not attained by “sudden flight.” Perhaps it is this patent lack of appreciation of the fact that success is the outcome of hard work, sacrifice, focus, and discipline and commitment, that explains our envy of other’s success, and the prevalence of a lowest common denominator disposition in our country. Consider that the Nobel Laureate Committee was established to draw on the example of Sir Arthur Lewis and Sir Derek Walcott, to promote a culture of excellence in our country. Yet, the money the Committee has received from the Government has never been adequate, thus requiring it to go begging for funds to do its vital work. I am advised that the curators of the “Bam-Bam Wall” have no such challenges. It is unlikely we will produce more elite athletes of the ilk of Julien Alfred and Levern Spencer in a setting where a fete culture trumps the pursuit of a culture of excellence.
Julien Alfred has made us aware of the rich dividends that can accrue from sustained investment in establishing a culture of excellence in sports, education and other wholesome areas of national endeavour. What we do from here on, will say a lot about where we wish to go as a country.