Watching the Games

All of a sudden, the Caribbean exploded over the weekend at the Beijing games – especially in the cases of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
We have yet to hear from our own St. Lucian contingent, except for the performance put in last week by Danielle Beaubrun, who put in a national (St. Lucian) record-setting effort … and with that kind of exertion and determination exhibited by the young lady, all we can say is, “Who can ask for anything more?”
She displayed true Olympic spirit, excelling herself and raising the standard for whoever follows in her footsteps back here at home to shoot at.
Over the next two days, it will be the turn of Erma Gene, Dominic and Levern to show their mettle and after Danielle’s effort, we all are confident that – even were they not to come away with Olympic medals (although, like the Olympic flame, Hope continues to burn brightly) – they will succeed in making all St. Lucians feel that it was worth the effort and the expense to have our country represented at these 29th Games.
In a larger sense however, we still have every right to sit before our television screens and bask in the glow that emanates from the outstanding, history-making achievements of the other Caribbean athletes.

Even as we watched, last week the Prime Ministers of St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago signed a document demonstrating the will to integrate our countries into a political and socio-economic union which, once it materializes, would mean that we would feel as proud as any Trinidadian when one of “ours” wins a medal at the Games.
And of course, it is to be hoped that the initiative takes root and spreads throughout the entire region, so that a triumph for an athlete from any island is truly – even more than it is at present – a triumph for every island.
We do it in cricket. The time must come when – with total integration – we do it in every discipline.
For now, even though we share in the glory attained by our sister-islands, we will nevertheless, over the next few days, continue to concentrate on whatever performances will be displayed by the young folk wearing the blue, yellow, black and white of our Helen … and keeping our fingers crossed, will mentally push, pull, jump and strain with them, as they do their utmost to make their mark on the world stage.
For at this moment in time, we stand behind them without any feeling of discrimination regarding race, colour, religion or political affiliation. Out there we see them not in colours of red or yellow (or green, blue or any other for that matter) … they are simply St. Lucian.