Losing with dignity

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IN 2017, it was expected that Kingston College (KC) would win Champs. KC had the quality team, but for injuries and, arguably, poor management, Champs came down to the wire, with KC coming out on the wrong end of a very controversial decision by the judges which, up to this day, is still being debated.

KC athletes went to the podium proudly to collect all their medals, some literally crying on the podium. But they did what dignified people were expected to do.

The fans of KC stayed and cheered to the point that several overseas coaches who were sitting close to me became confused and asked me who had really won. Such is the character and class of KC.

I do know many old boys of Calabar personally, and these are honourable men who have since reached out to me, apologising profusely because this behaviour does not line up with the character of these decent men.

Therefore, in my conclusion, this comprehensive defeat by KC was timely, and even necessary, because a particular spirit of indiscipline and disrespectfulness has crept into the school, where it may be felt by some of these athletes that they are bigger than the school, and this culture may have been transmitted to the other students.

In addition, it’s very clear that Calabar has a serious leadership gap, which must be addressed quickly by the board and the old boys association if the school is to be saved. Calabar, like KC, is a great Jamaican institution that has shaped the minds of young boys for years, producing great men who have helped to positively shape the Jamaican society and other countries in the world.

At KC, we pride ourselves in being a great place of academic learning and mentoring that happens to be good at sports. DONOVAN MCLEAN KC Old Boy Toronto, Canada