Almost a year ago, fresh from his triple triumph at the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt appeared on The David Letterman show.  At one point Letterman asked Bolt whether running had always been his first love and, to my surprise, Bolt replied that cricket was the first sport that interested him.  His position on the team had been as the fast bowler and it was only when his teacher noticed his speed that Bolt turned to athletics.  Had his teacher simply continued to develop Bolt as a cricketer, the world champion may not have ever had an opportunity to celebrate before a finishing line.

The point that I’m trying to make here is that for school sports to progress, to be able to spot talent while it is still develop-able it should be skill sets that are the focus of competitive sports.  It’s lucky that Bolt’s skill as a runner was noticed; otherwise he may well have slipped under the radar as is the case with many school children.  The unattractive elitism of school sports today is based in the isolation and exclusion of not being on a school team.  Where the members of the football team may be getting the attention and nurture they require, others with potential may not be receiving the right support to boost their confidence and show what they are capable of.

By centring school sports on the ethos of building up skill-sets, schools can develop the essential building blocks to participate in different sports and it is easier to spot strengths.  For example, a shy eleven year old boy failed to make the tennis team in try outs.  However, in a skills-based session that centres on how many times you can hit a ball against a target on a wall with a racket, it becomes clear that this boy could have something special.  Instead of relegating people to team sports and creating an atmosphere of exclusivity, skills-based sessions puts all participants on a level footing and school sports are no longer about whether you are in the team or not.

Returning to Usain Bolt, another interesting aspect of his sporting life is the fact that, for a long time, he displayed an unfocused, unprofessional attitude.  His first coach was often frustrated by Bolt’s lack of dedication to training and a predilection for practical jokes.  In fact, Bolt almost jeopardised his career through his mischief when was detained by the local police for hiding in the back of a van  while he was supposed to be preparing for the 200m CARIFTA Trials.

These kind of young people are almost certainly the ones that slip through the net in school sports and skills-based sessions are one way to ensure that they feel included and don’t just pass off school sports as a past time exclusively reserved for ‘jocks’.  Who knows, maybe the lazy joker of the class could be the next Bolt and by providing skill-based sessions through Active you can identify this talent early on and develop it.