THE SELECTION OF COACHES FOR OUR NATIONAL TEAMS HAS LONG BEEN A SOURCE OF PERSONAL FRUSTRATION. IT ALL CAME TO A HEAD AGAIN THIS WEEK WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE CANADIAN SOCCER ASSOCIATION HAD NAMED VANCOUVER'S DALE MITCHELL COACH OF OUR NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM. RIGHT NOW CANADA IS IN A LOSING BATTLE FOR 94TH PLACE IN THE WORLD RANKINGS WITH SUCH SOCCER POWERS AS MOLDOVA, KUWAIT AND ICELAND. NOT ONLY THAT...CANADA'S SOCCER RANKING IS IN FREE FALL..DROPPING NEARLY 10 PLACES IN THE LAST YEAR. WITH THIS KIND OF RECORD YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE AN ATTEMPT TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO COACHING TEAM CANADA. INSTEAD WE AGAIN TURN TO HOMEBREW TALENT THAT HAS NEVER TASTED SUCCESS ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
FOR YEARS OUR NATIONAL SKI TEAM FLOUNDERED UNTIL FNALLY UNDER KEN READ'S DIRECTION A NUMBER OF COACHES FROM ITALY, FRANCE AND SWEDEN BOLSTERED THE STAFF. THE TURNAROUND HAS BEEN STARTLING.
THE BEST EXAMPLE I CAN PRODUCE IS IRISH BOXING. DESPITE THEIR IMAGE AS GREAT FIGHTERS IRELAND HAD NEVER WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL. IN 1992 THEY FINALLY DECIDED THEY WOULD GET FIRST CLASS COACHING. THEY HIRED ONE OF THE BEST TRAINERS IN CUBA. THE RESULT IN BARCELONA WAS NOT ONLY A GOLD BUT A SILVER MEDAL. IRONICALLY THE IRISH BOXER BEAT A CUBAN FOR THE GOLD.
THE LESSON IS, IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED YOU NEED TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT. HOWEVER WORLD CLASS COACHES DON'T COME CHEAP. AND THERE'S THE OTHER PROBLEM --- IT'S CALLED "PENNY WISE AND DOLLAR FOOLISH."
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