SINCE THE start of the school year, Jamaica high schools have lost two of their best track and field coaches, the two Grahams - Raymond and Lennox - to United States (US) collegiate programmes.

Both men are not only well-known but have produced at the junior level - Raymond, first with Camperdown then St. Jago and Lennox at Kingston College (KC) both winning titles, the former four with the girls, and Lennox five with the boys. Despite their decisions to start new careers in the U.S., Raymond at Hampton University in Virginia and Lennox at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina, both made it public that they would continue to help Jamaica's track and field. In other words, they will recruit and work with Jamaicans at their schools, which is good news for our country. This also proves that they did not leave Jamaica because lack of love, nor was it because they are 'foreign minded', as some would put it, but because these men love track and field and want to serve track and field but are not able to do so without good remuneration, especially with families to support.

Now, based on my discussions with both men and several more of the island's top coaches, both at the school and college levels, it is only for the love of the sport that they keep going.

Next to nothing

Apart from not getting much remuneration, these coaches still have to dip into their pockets to help athletes with bus fares, socks, spikes, etc., so at the end of the day they are left with next to nothing. To make matters worse, some coaches even complain of the disrespect dished out to them by former athletes who have moved on and made names for themselves.

Talking to a former junior star about two years back, she spoke of the little respect given to her former coach, saying the money he was getting for his pay could not even cover travelling expenses. Some of these coaches travel miles to go to the schools they coach.

Step up to the plate

It's with this, that, I believe, companies, especially the shoe companies, should now step up to the plate and help out the coaches. They need help to continue their good work or else we are going to lose more, just like our nurses and teachers, to the United States, and we cannot afford this.

These coaches, not only the Grahams, but Maurice Wilson from Holmwood, Michael Dyke from Edwin Allen, Michael Clarke of Calabar, Jerry Holness of Manchester, Mark Price of Immaculate, Lloyd Clarke of The Queen's School, Danny Hawthorne of St. Jago, Claude Grant of Herbert Morrison, John Mair of Jamaica College, Holmwood boys' coach Edward Hector, Michael Russell, Orville Byfield, and Hamlet Pagon of KC, Michael Carr of Wolmer's, Lecroft Bolt of St. Andrew and many others, need to be "adopted" and supported, similar to the athletes because without them there will be no athletes.

So again, not only to the shoe companies but to the other companies waiting in the wings to sign the next Asafa Powell or Veronica Campbell-Brown, I implore them to help out - even if it's just travelling expenses as a starter.

anthony.foster@gleanerjm.com