I was fortunate to have been born when I did, I had the opportunity to see athletes of all caliber performed live in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and within the diaspora. I have also had the opportunity to review the footage of some of the athletic greats of yesterday. Locally I have seen the likes of Dorian Philips the Rosians Goal Keeper. I have never seen a greater goal keeper than Dorian Philips in his young adulthood or even in the later part of his football life. The unfortunate thing is I do not have the video footage to support my claims but the memories of Soccer fans in SVG will attest to this.
I have seen footage of all the greats, of USA Basket Ball such as: Will Chamberlain, Abdul Jabbar, Doctor Irvin, to the unmatched fete of Nate Tiny Archibald, Spud Webb two men who was too small to play the game; but dominated the games of giants weaving a web of fascination around the big men. I have also witnessed the flair of Kobe Bryant, to the levitation of Michael Jordon (footage). I have seen the unbeatable long athletic stride Usain Bolt and the dominance and athleticism of Serena Williams who dominated the game of Tennis, with, hard work, skills, determination, style and flair.
I have watched and weigh all of the competitive athletic performances of these world renowned athletes and still, none of those super-athletes can be compared with the greatest athlete I have ever seen, laced up the booth and take the field of play.
I had no interest in Netball except for the fact that my sister Charmaine, took me to Netball as a toddler. However, I fell in love with the game after I first bear witness to the athletic miracles that was performed by a young lady, who played the game like no other I have seen before or after.
It is hard to think of a Vincentian athlete as being the greatest consistent athletic performer I have ever seen, it is even more difficult to think that an athlete from the lease of the sport Netball, was responsible for leaving an indelible impression on me. An impression, I took with me for the rest of my life; so much so that thirty plus years later, I can write about the impact she had on me.
I went to watch a friend play tennis at the Old Montrose Tennis Center; on the other side of the facility was the Old Montrose Netball Center, the single Netball court, was the center of Netball in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. this was the main netball facility where all competitive Netball games were played. I climbed up on the center column, which supported the wall that parted the facility into a two sport facility, as tennis fans and players will often do.
When I mounted that wall, I was shocked as to what my eyes beheld. I saw a well-built, beautiful, athletic young lady; I heard fans and other called her Joanne, later I got to understand that she was Mr. Gloria Ballantyne president of the Netball Association daughter, Raymond Ballantyne, the ace National Full stopper sister.
I knew the Ballantyne family very well and I knew them all of my life, for very often especially on Saturday, my mother and her younger children, would take what appear to be a long tedious journey on foot, up to visit my Aunty Laris Jack who lived on the other side of Frenches. I always saw a group of guys, hanging out at the Ballantyne home, trying to get in a game of Table Tennis or use their gym; but I have never remember seeing this beautiful young lady before.
At this era of SVG Netball, the game was transformed from what I remembered as a child, which was a slow, uncertain and boring game that was designed to keep elderly people active; to a game, that was played by athletes filled with unbelievable athletic fete.
The game was fast, the players were fit and agile, the skill set were high, the passes were zinging and the sport was highly competitive. Although there was no money associated with playing the sport, the athletes played for the love of the game, the recognition of the adoring fans, and the privilege, the pleasure and the rights to declare I am or we are the best.
At this stage of the sport, it had become a thinking woman's game. It was not about throwing and catching the ball, and curtsying until the ball was thrown to you, because everyone was throwing and catching the ball effectively and efficiently and they were doing that with vigor, strength and a whole lot of athleticism. At this stage in the development of the sport, it was all about out-thinking your opponents, hustle for four quarters and harnessing the collective skill, will, and intelligence of your team, to outperform or outplay the opponent.
Joanne played center, that mean she was the Marshall of her team, she had the responsibility of running the whole court. The center is the central play maker of the team, she is the primary defender, the primary midfield player and the primary attacker,
For the people who had the privilege and the pleasure of watching this young lady play the game of Netball, they would be able to bear testimony to my recollection. Joanne brought everything to and she left it all on the court. She was fit, agile, fast, with tremendous jumping ability, flair, style and class.
Before the NBA was showing off and even before I was exposed to Michael Jordan levitation ability on television, there was Joanne Ballantyne; the teenager who often catches the ball on the run, take the required two steps, leap, left foot out in front of her, and performed a ballerina grand Jete, completing what appear to be a full split in midair, with her hands in third position arabesques, ready to make a perfect pass to one of her team mates.
What made Joanne moves so special, was the height she manage to achieve, the distance she covered and the amount of time she spend suspended in midair when she jumped. Hate her team or love it, moves like these was always enough to bring the on lookers to their feet in an uproar of cheers and applause, a sign they appreciate the aquabatics performance that was put on display by this youth, a performance they have been privilege to witness.
I cannot put a number on the amount of times I saw Joanne, came out of nowhere, like an Eagle swiping away the ball that was intended for another person and in another area on the court, and landing at the edge of the defensive circle, on one foot; pivoting on her toes like a ballerina, with her balance feet stretched out behind her, as she stand suspended on one foot with shaky balance as she looked for the most suited of her player and accurately pass the ball to before taking her balance on both feet.
Joanne was a wizard when it come to stealing balls and interceptions. Often time on defense, Joanne will leap vertically, into the air, in the same manner a circus dolphin would on cue, she would have contorted her body in the same way a dolphin would before falling back into the water. However, when Joanne bend her body in the same manner a dolphin would; it would be to get the advantage over the opponent, to whom the ball was intended.
She would often use both of her hands, bringing them over to the side to which her body was contorted, bringing her hands over the head of opponent to whom the ball was intended, who was also in the air; However, once her hands made contact with the ball; then with lightening fast speed, strength and aggression; she would snatched that ball away, like an angry person reclaiming their properly from the hands of a thief who was caught in the act; while making a picture perfect landing body erected and most often on one leg, in order to avoid being called for a traveling violation.
I have seen Joanne leap so high, that she reached heights that people taller than she was; were unable to reach. With her feet open coming up in front of her, which appear to give her the ability to reach just a little higher, or the required height needed to make the critical interception, which would have resulted in her landing in a stooping position. For it was totally impossible for her to get her legs back in place to accommodate a standing landing. Her displace legs were more than for achieving the height she had attained; but they were also an essential part of her balance at that altitude.
I can recall many other fascinating and unbelievable, gravity defying plays, that was a regular feature by this youth's game; plays I have seen put on display before the appreciative crown that gathered at the Old Montrose Net Ball Center. I will say this, as long as this young lady took the court, plays as I described here was put on display, because as I said earlier she brought everything onto the court and she always leave it all there.
Although I think Ms. Ballantyne was the best player I have every seen; this is not to say Joanne Ballantyne stood alone and reigned supreme over the netball kingdom; for she did not. There were range of other outstanding players that was a part of the sport in this era; players who also performed miraculous aquabatic fate. There were, the grate Stella Boyea, Stella and Joanne played a similar game, both strong, both agile, both fast, both superior athletes; there were also the game of the Irish sisters Gailean and Yolande, that had a similar fast, aerobic game like Joanne Ballantyne, there was also the Foster sister noted Thelma and Joanie foster to name a few. The Foster sister also had a fast energetic game, but the Foster sisters were more centered with not as much high flying.
I could remember it like yesterday, the day the magic stop for a while. My friend Delliarice "Deli" Duncun met me all sad and heart broken, and she said, Palmer did you hear the bad news, I was wondering what Deli was speaking of. After prompting her she told me, Joanne, has retired from Netball, I was shock, for one thing. the super athlete was just a teenager, and she was at the top of her game. Why would she retire? I asked even today.
I doubted Deli but she was correct. About five or so years later, my friend Deli came to me once again, this time she was all excited, then she said to me “Palmer did you hear the good news?” I was lost, what was this good news? And then she said “Palmer boy you will never believe it,” She pause for a while looking all excited and then she declared “boy Palmer Joanne is back.” That was indeed good news. I wanted to see, if the long layoff of five or six years, had any effect on Joanne's game, I wanted to know does she still have it!
I made myself present to see the only person who was responsible for me abandoning Soccer and Victoria Park and got me addicted to Netball; She was actually back after a long layoff from the sport. I often wonder what could have been responsible for this super athlete, leaving the game she loved and master for so long and what brought her back?
Later, when I got into basketball, I had a natural propensity for the sport. I was extremely good at the game. I made national trials the first year playing but did not participate because of an accident that rendered me unhealthy, and later, when the SVG Basketball Associate had their very first slam down competition; at 5' 11" I made the finals of the inaugural slam dunk competition in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
At that time of my life, the only basketball I had ever seen, was that which was being played on the court in St. Vincent. There was no YouTube and cable TV was restricted to Cane Garden and Dorchester Hill and I had no friend in those area. So when the other guys were trying to find out, where I watch the NBA and how do I get access to Chicago Bulls games; I did not know what they were speaking about, for I did not have access to basketball, to the NBA Games or to the Chicago Bulls games. In their mind, my style was to advance for the few months I was playing the game. The senior Basket ballers who had access to cable, who were watching the NBA on Cable TV though I was watching Michael Jordan and I was imitating Mike.
Up to that time, I have only heard of Michael Jordan, I saw his photographs on the magazine covers in the store. All I was doing was replicating and transiting Joanne Ballantyne Netball game into my Basketball. My lay ups was a carbon copy of Joanne Ballentyne catching the ball on the run, taking the two steps, however instead of passing the ball I took it to the net. So you can say when Bert and the other player who had access to the NBA and Michael Jordan games, were trying to be like Mike, I was playing like Joanna Ballantyne; the greatest athlete: I Allan Palmer had ever seen.
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