ALTERNATIVE Sports has been attracting a wider following lately, and the participants in these games are taking it to a higher level with tactical skills to display their abilities with great enthusiasm.
On the local front, Youth Development and Sports Minister Kenson Casimir is optimistic about the prospects that the islands’ young talent and other more seasoned campaigners can benefit from this genre of sports.
Many sports can be considered alternatives to dominant sport forms, but the term alternative sport has generally been used in sociology to refer to a group of activities that meet a particular set of organizational criteria.
He reported that the ministry was getting ready to launch its second season of alternative sports.
“It’s a season where we give young people who are not necessarily footballers, sprinters, basketballers (and other athletes) an opportunity to showcase their talent to Saint Lucia and the rest of the world,” Casimir told reporters at a recent media briefing.
The minister recalled the “inauguration of this initiative”, last year, with competitive games across the island, such as chess competitions, and Motor X with several individuals participating. He also listed horse racing on the Kaka Bouef, Vieux Fort, and other activities, like draughts, domino and darts competitions.
“So, it’s an exciting time for our young people,” he said.
Casimir says the sports department is working towards building up on this initiative. He informed that, last year, “we were able to have our first-ever national team in drag racing …and Invest Saint Lucia has come aboard to support some of our initiatives”.
He noted that one of the challenges the department face is “getting a home for Motor Cross, considering that Motor Cross in Martinique and Saint Lucia has (share) that same symbiotic exchange and relationship between the two countries.”
Casimir said, this venture contributes to the overall “tourism aspect” of things, and “what we’ve built on is stronger ties with other countries.” These include Antigua and St Kitts/Nevis, two countries which will be bringing in some of their athletes in alternative sports “to compete against some of our very best in Saint Lucia.”
He added, “We are also expecting ‘the gamers’ to come to the fore in this edition of the (alternative sports) season …and that is where we’ve seen some strides being made again in Saint Lucia.
“So, we’re really expecting to build on last year. The interaction of other segments of the alternative sports sector is something that we continue to do …through Craig Gustave – the Alternative Sports Officer.”
Also, the minister said, there have been discussions on how to include “Combat Sports” into the alternative sports season.
He noted that talks have been held to revive ‘skate boarding’ on the island, as well, as a segment of alternative sports. However, the minister said, the group have been beset by challenges, whereby they have not been able to come together “to really have the sort of relationship that we want among the different associations and the different clubs in skate boarding, so we’ve had difficulties bringing them together.”
He said, it is an aspect of alternative sports with “great potential” in Saint Lucia, and so the ministry will continue working with these groups “to come together and do something significant, something that other people can look to in the future.”
Alternative sports initially existed outside of formal sports organizations and participants were primarily young people who, for one reason or another, did not fit into the world of traditional youth sports such as baseball and football.
Casimir also commented on the issue of water sports, in Saint Lucia, stating that: “One of the challenges that we face with alternative sports is the financing … we really need corporate Saint Lucia to come on board to provide some additional help.”
He continued, “We’ve invested about $250,000 to actually host the season and to provide support to the different organisations during this time …but for us to branch off into the Blue Economy in sports, we need more and more individuals to come on board.”
Casimir added that game fishing has also been factored into the alternative sports season, and earlier this year, the Saint Lucia Yacht Club partnered with the Ministry of Sports, to host a Game Fishing tournament.
“But in terms of wind surfing and some of the other activities on the shores, we certainly hope that we can build towards that in the coming year,” he asserted.