Youngsters running on the renewed track of Raoul llidge Sports Complex (RISC) on the Friday/Saturday edition’s front page was a welcome sight. The Dutch side’s premier outdoor sports facility had been in bad shape since Hurricane Irma struck the island in September 2017 and even before.
Parties involved deserve praise for making the renovations possible, including a new artificial pitch, which no doubt took hard work and determination. The importance of offering particularly the youth proper sports and recreation options cannot be overstated.
Physical activity promotes not only good health but sound mental development. Practising sports requires discipline, dedication and teamwork.
It also allows local talent to develop and helps produce competitive athletes who can serve as positive role-models for their peers. Those who excel internationally make their country proud, but to do so need the right conditions in place.
A recent example was St. Maarten’s football team that did well in the Concacaf Nations League despite not being able to play home matches due to the lack of an adequate field. Hopefully such situations will now be a thing of the past.
Mind you, the job is in no way finished, because several other facilities still need work. The “soft” reopening of RISC nevertheless represents a milestone in terms of giving local sports a significant boost going forward.
Renovating and upgrading public facilities is one thing, keeping these at the same level quite another. In addition to regular maintenance, that requires correct and respectful usage by all.
