by ANDI THORNHILL

Jade Bailey has the ability to be an outstanding international athlete.

That's why the saga she is involved in at the moment is unfortunate and may have come at the wrong time. She's at the point of take-off in her career and being grounded or being stalled at this time is not to her benefit.

Bailey was granted an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship which would enable her to get expert training for her particular needs. She was assigned to Jamaica but returned home within a week of going there complaining that her living conditions were very poor.

At first glance her story reminded me of a few footballers who turned their backs on training and trial opportunities overseas after they, too, failed to adapt to the conditions and situations they found themselves in.

Some pundits accused them of being too soft and would not have made it at the professional level anyhow because they appeared to lack a modicum of intestinal fortitude.

Life is not a bed of roses and we have to learn to take the bitter with the sweet. Somehow, it seemed as though Bailey's story fell into this category. However, her side of the story got us all thinking that maybe her case for returning so soon was justified.

She was peeved that no one from the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) or the Amateur Athletics Association AAA) went up to Jamaica in the first place to make sure that everything was in place for her.

I think she would score some points for this observation. Both organisations would probably concur if they are openminded enough and from dealing with personnel from both I know they are.

According to the local track and field authorities they pleaded with Bailey to hold on and give them a chance to get things sorted out in her favour.

After some contact with the Jamaicans, some assistance was given with Bailey staying with a family of two until a place could be found for her to be on her own. That stay was also shortlived as she said she didn't feel comfortable being there. She ran out of patience and was back in Barbados after only a week.

She obviously didn't think, for whatever reason, that the obstacle she faced over accommodation would be cleared soon enough to put her at peace.

Mind you, everything you do can be counter productive if you are not as comfortable in your mind as you would like. The question is though, since when we expect the course of life to run smoothly at every turn? Should we run from every major challenge we face?

And if we do, what kind of success are we expected to attain in life? Maybe on this score Bailey could have given the authorities both in Barbados and Jamaica some additional time to have her accommodation put right.

'Objected'

There was the claim from one senior official of the BOA that the promising sprinter never wanted to go to Jamaica in the first place and maybe this is where we have to start to seek the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The first truth is that although Olympic Solidarity has identified a venue for you, you also have an option to stay and train at home once, of course, the athlete would receive the perceived benefits as if she had to go overseas.

If the BOA official's suggestion is true, it might mean that while Bailey felt here was a fitting base, the BOA may have thought differently thus they insisted on Jamaica as stipulated by Olympic Solidarity. The journey of political intrigue had begun and so far we know what point we have reached. It's a stalemate.

Bailey, if she is serious about her continued development in athletics, needs specialised training at this stage of her career. Taking a bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia this year would have been some indication that with some extra help she can win medals at higher levels in the future. I know she believes so too and her point might be that if I have come this far with my local coach I don't need to seek elsewhere.

But if she stays in Barbados will she get the kind of competition that will press her to improve? I think not, and I know that Jamaica, which has proven pedigree in track, would provide it.

Attendance at major events will also help in refining her skills which were there for everyone to see from the time she was a student at the Parkinson Memorial School. If anything, I'm among those who believe Bailey hasn't always recognised how good a talent she is and how much better she can enhance it.

The time has come and she should go for it with all the commitment she can muster. At 23, time is still on her side and she definitely has the ability to bring further glory to herself and country.

The door is still open for Bailey to take up the scholarship but she will have to accept that no one but her can decide what's best for her.