Never again would I take Canadian sporting facilities for granted. I never knew you could do so much with so little. These were the thoughts I took away from my visit to Cuba.
I traveled there over Spring Break with a group of Kinesiology students for the course Physical Activity in Cuba. During the course, we learned about the very successful Cuban sport system.
As an athlete, I had certain expectations as to what types of facilities would be necessary to develop Olympic-calibre athletes; I was dead wrong. Cuba’s economy has been deeply affected by the U.S. embargo and the situation on the island is a far cry from the nations Cold War glory days.
We visited crumbing stadiums, dilapidated classrooms and rough-and-tumble streets. These terms are all relative. The Cubans did not seem to recognize these conditions. Probably the best example I can give of Cubans making the most of what they have is at the national gymnastics facility, where it is routine to tear up the floorboards to gather chalk that has fallen from apparatuses and settled underneath. This chalk is gathered up and reused.
If a Cuban were to visit this country and see the facilities we have, two terms may come to mind: spoiled and wasteful.
Another element of the visit that rang true was the pride of the Cubans. The revolution that took place in 1959 alienated Cuba from the United States, but also freed them of their oppression. I visited a family in an unkempt section of Havana who described to me their fear of the roof collapsing at any time.
Despite these diminishing living conditions the Cubans are proud of the revolution and their country. Their pride is reflected through sport as prominent Cuban athletes are all household names and celebrated throughout the country. Cuban athletes are bred to understand the responsibility of being a prominent Cuban athlete. They understand their country is counting on them to be both upstanding citizens and represent the country well in international competitions. Their enhanced national pride may be part of the reason that Cuba routinely out-medals Canada on a per-capita basis in international multi-sport competitions.
I believe Cubans are as happy as any group of Canadians. We spent our evenings roaming the streets of Havana and found a rollicking nightlife with people gathering along the iconic Malecon, a seaside highway that is a trademark of the beauty of Havana. The live music scene was alive and people were inviting and friendly toward us, excited to exchange stories of what life is like where we are from. Many of these people have scarce access to drinking water, let alone the many material goods we take for granted. Yet, their sense of community and enthusiasm for life are second to none.
This trip forced me to reassess what I value and what I really need to be happy.
Anyone who has a chance to visit this magical place should do so, and get off of the sheltered resorts if you do. The real allure of this place is in the cities with the people and their rich culture. On behalf of the students who participated, we would like to thank Darwin Semotiuk for his leadership as well as the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Global Opportunities Fund for helping to make this learning experience affordable for the students involved.
John Leckie is pursuing a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology, and has played football for the Western Mustangs for five years.