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Spend money on talent –
not on fireworks
It makes my blood boil to hear talk already about how much is going to be spent on fireworks and other celebrations for the 2012 Olympic Games when talented young sportsmen and women all over the country are having to struggle to make ends meet in pursuance of their dream.
OK, I know that some of the top medal prospects are well looked after and there is a measure of support from individual sports but when are they going to realise that if this country is ever going to reach its full potential sports-wise then places like Pembrokeshire need to be better catered for since travel to top events by talented youngsters falls almost entirely on the shoulders of willing parents and grand-parents.
£2 million madhouse
There is a whole list of aspiring sportsmen and women who fall into this category and what is so shameful is the fact that, for example, it is alleged that we spent £2 million on that madhouse presentation for the Olympics which featured a London Bus, some people waiting at a bus stop, some half-baked old has-been of a guitarist and a singer we couldn’t hear – and neatly rounded off at the asylum by David Beckham kicking a ball into the crowd. As one old cynic said to me, “We were awarded the Olympics because half the countries felt sorry for us and the others felt we were mad!”
Come back Ian Wooldridge
I was always a great fan of the late Ian Wooldridge, the Daily Mail sports columnist and someone rightly regarded by his peers as a doyen of the business, who regularly maintained that huge sums of money were being siphoned off for ‘emergencies’ and certain aspects of the Olympics which had little to do with any sport but leaned heavily towards junketing and the like. Like me, he was angry since the original idea of the lottery was to fund village and sports halls, help develop talent and generally nurture an interest in leisure pastimes.
I would be the first to admit that this has happened up to a point with a number of local clubs and organisations benefitting hugely – but try and get any lottery money know – little chance of that my friend!
Wonderful talent in Pembrokeshire
Which brings me neatly back to Pembrokeshire talent that should have already received far greater help. I have been privileged over the past two years to meet some wonderful young sportsmen and women who are talented, committed and have that enthusiasm that is so refreshing – but it is left to their families to make sacrifices and pick up the tab when this ‘slush fund’ ought to be providing far greater help than already occurs.
It has already occurred in non-Olympic sports like cricket, where first Steve Inward and then Andrew Salter have performed so brilliantly that they have represented England at cricket but the demands on attendance at training and matches are enormous. Both are smashing lads from lovely families who are delighted to support but there should be far greater help, perhaps from the sport itself.
Badminton is played in the Olympic Games and in Pembrokeshire we have a real jewel in Jordan Hart (see our junior section) and she has to spend about 20 hours a week in practising and playing, having to travel all over the UK and now Europe as a 14 year old, taken everywhere by parents Derek and Mandy at a huge cost since they travel over 10,000 miles a year, just for badminton – now that’s an awful lot of petrol! Harry Owen is a superb gymnast who has been training since he was seven, Michael Beckett and Ellie Meopham are tops at sailing Toppers, Jason Scourfield is a fantastic fencer, Lauren Bell runs like the wind, Daniel Court is in target as a marksman and Zoe Priestley is a fine athlete. All of them deserve every support from their community as reward for their involvement so perhaps we all ought to ask our MP where the money is going to – I’m looking forward to meeting our Mr Stephen Crabbe in the very near future!
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