No Financial Enticements

In response to articles
which have appeared on the web sites of the Daily
Gleaner and Track Alerts on
September 28, Racers Track Club wishes to refute any insinuation of unfair
practices in recruiting our athlete members.
In particular, the allegation in these articles to the effect that we
have used money to entice athletes to transfer from MVP Club to Racers is
totally false.

A clear distinction must be
made between athlete recruitment and athlete support.  Racers Track Club maintains a restrained
policy of recruitment and an active policy of support.

Do we use the offer of
money to attract athletes to join our club?
The answer is categorically No.
The names of several athletes were cited in the articles in support of
the allegations made.  In fact, all of
the athletes mentioned  approached Racers
on their own initiative seeking membership.
There was, therefore, no need for enticement.  No money was requested and none was
offered.  None of these athletes
expressed a major concern with money.
They all expressed a desire to get an opportunity to train in a
supportive, communicative and participatory environment.

Do we seek to support our
athletes financially?  The answer is
unequivocally Yes.  We do try to assist
our athlete members to keep body and soul together in the hard times before
they become celebrities and before they excite the attention of potential
sponsors. We make absolutely no apology for this.   Racers is a professional athletic club.  This fact is generally known.  Athletes come to us with a desire to be
molded into professional athletes.  To be
a professional athlete is to be someone who makes a living from athletics.

In the meantime, that
athlete needs to live.  Almost without
exception, however, Jamaica’s aspiring professional athletes are not
financially self-sufficient.  They,
therefore, need someone to fill the gap.
In many countries, the government would recognize the need for investment
in these young athletes and step in to offer the necessary financial support.  Although Racers is not able to fill this
role, we do try and help where we can.

In those cases where we
provide some financial support, that support seeks to take care of basic living
necessities, nutrition, accommodation and medical care.  In all of these cases, we also insist that
our young athletes continue their academic education and we assist them in this
regard.  In view of the significant costs
involved in providing for these basic needs and the inadequacy of our resources,
Racers Track Club has been pursuing a very restrictive membership policy aimed
at keeping our numbers within the bounds of our resources.

We believe that most
athletes who seek to become members of Racers Track Club do so because, apart
from our world-famous coaching expertise, they have heard about the caring and
communicative family environment in which our athletes train, our attention to
preventative and recuperative injury management, and our constant concern for
the welfare of each and every one of our athlete members.

Racers Track Club remains
committed to the development of athletes who can achieve their personal goals
at the same time that they are a credit to the club and help to strengthen the
proud legacy of Jamaica’s world-beating athletic achievements.

 

Contact:          Glen
Mills