Squash, as you may know, is not exactly a spectator-friendly game. You’re basically looking down into a large box, with no roof, and most of the time the players are backing you. It’s a relatively small spectator area, and God help you if the players are good because that draws a crowd and somebody is always blocking your view. You find yourself asking people, “What happened?”
The game was strange, yes, but right away I was struck by the commitment and intensity of the Guyanese (there may have been skylarking, but I didn’t see it) and especially by their demeanour off the court. This was clearly a group that had been honed and developed by people who were serious about what they were doing. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, there was the reaction from the Caymanian public to these young athletes. It goes without saying that the host country is always vociferous about its own team, and is quick to point out the slightest negative behaviour from competitors. A team late, a wrong shirt colour, an official confronted, temper after a play is over, even an untidy bench, can and will make the local media and sometimes be the subject of post-tournament summaries. In that vein, I am here to tell you that among the teams coming through, the local officials and spectators, while ripping some of the foreign teams whom I won’t name, had the highest praise for the Guyanese. Their sportsmanship in particular always received high marks, and more than one official would say, “The Guyanese don’t give us any trouble”. That tells you a lot about your people.
The way the players disported themselves, on and off the court, left a very positive impression, particularly in a time when mention of Guyana in the media was one horror story after another. In effect, these athletes, engrossed in their game, were also unintentionally operating as ambassadors for their country and doing it indirectly but very effectively. Marketing people will tell you about the unrivalled impact of word-of-mouth, pro or con, and the squash teams from this country have done a lot of good for Guyana in that regard over the years.
It goes without saying that it helps that they were winning, but even before the matches were decided, the Guyanese ‘squashers’ (that’s my word for them) had made an impression not only for themselves but also for their country. You can’t buy that kind of image building; it comes only from the genuine condition; four-colour brochures can’t create it.
It’s the same story with our rugby team. In fact, it’s even moreso, and I’ll tell you why. The sport of squash is in a more favourable position in Guyana, because the adherents of the game are more financially able to meet the expenses of the game and to pay for coaching, facilities, and the higher equipment costs. Many of the rugby players are not from affluent families; it has to be a strain for them to buy gear. With many in full-time jobs, time for the game is not as provident. But nonetheless, our rugby players have been one of our top touring teams over the past 10 years.
In case you missed it, here’s some evidence from a recent news story here:
“The Guyana Rugby Football Union teams which participated in the regional Sevens Championships in Mexico last weekend, returned home on Tuesday evening after their successful campaign. The female team played undefeated in their round-robin competition, while the men dominated, eventually beating Trinidad and Tobago in the final. The men have now qualified to participate in next February’s International Rugby Board’s Sevens World series tournament in Las Vegas, USA and the Commonwealth Games in India, which is the Word Cup of Rugby Sevens.”
So, we’re undefeated now in four years. Even in the thin air Mexico City, we triumphed.
However – and here’s my point – it’s beyond the winning. It is the impression these rugby players create, the good will they build for their country, that makes me proud of them. I was not a rugby fan, and went to my first game in Cayman to watch Guyana, expecting to find a knock-down game played by roustabouts. Instead, I discovered that while they were an exuberant group, this was a disciplined bunch of men, impressive in how they carried themselves, impressive with their sporting behaviour on the field, impressive even in their manner of dress, and, like the squashers, making Guyana proud. It made your heart full to see them operate. They were not only winning games, they were making good impressions.
I invited them to my house for an afternoon, got to know some of them a little better (boy, these guys can eat) and was again moved by what polished guys they were. Simply as people I was impressed by them, and I was proud they were Guyanese.
I’m not sure of the proportions, but clearly these rugby and squash athletes are a combined product of their own upbringing or individual influences, and the influences that came to bear on them from the people running their sport. We should be truly grateful for them. Playing a sport they love, for which they make huge sacrifices, when they pack their bags to return home from an overseas trip, they are also leaving the Guyana flag flying high behind them. I know, without asking, that what I saw in Cayman, every time our squash and rugby teams passed through, was being replicated in other places.
Having lived away, I’m aware we don’t always know at home when some of our people are doing good things for us outside. I can’t talk for other sports, but our squash and rugby players have done Guyana proud. You can’t put a price on that.
