A Brief chat with Janeen Salim GHL Team leader.
Thoughts about what it takes to make leadership happen in CariFin

On Thursday January 12, during a short chat with GHL team manager Janeen Salim a lightbulb moment. It just came across to me what it takes to make leadership happen in the sports arena of the financial services sector and CariFin in particular.
On entering the white painted building of GHL at West Shore the obvious serious business outlook from the outside was transformed to a more friendly lobby area by the pleasant receptionist and courteous security officers in the lobby area.
Down came the smiling Janeen with that ray of confidence to greet me and escort me to what turned out to be really fun, exciting and insightful. She was full of understanding of how she wove her magic wand in making a team that started CariFin a day into the activities into a fully confident, enthusiastic, competitive outfit.
For one getting members out to events is important, but also your best talent has to be onboard to ensure your best performances on the given days and especially when it counts on the big day.
Good leadership in CariFin is not just being able to bring out your troops to the Torch Relay and Urban Challenge. It’s in getting them prepared and motivated for other events like cricket, football and All Fours. Also, getting them past Grand Bazaar down to Sevilla Golf Course in Couva for CariFin’s cross country and family fun day.
It’s not just about getting them involved but also ingrained with CariFin’s three watch words – Fun, Fitness and Friendship in a manner that can demonstrate authenticity and spirit from the theme.
So it was no surprise in 2011, when we added Xplosion to the Fun, Fitness and Friendship theme, GHL team membership took to it as a moth to a flame. They literally transformed the opening ceremony to an outstanding spectacle that had everyone’s jaw dropping. They gave a riveting performance portraying their interpretation of the Xplosion of Fun, Fitness and Friendship.
Everything was not fun and games because there weremany challenges to face along the way. Missing the first event meant rallying the team together and bringing them forward with a sense of purpose to compete in the remaining ones.
They rallied on even though they didn’t get full points for the missed day of the Urban Challenge. Not letting it bother them they took part in every other event and showed why they have been one of the great teams since they started participating in CariFin.
Janeen is not a leader that leads from the sidelines but is in the heat of the battle leading from the front. At every event she was there in the mix, warming up with the team, showing them concern, sharing in the laughter, fun and jokes.

Even when the spotlight was focusing on her every move in the opening ceremony, in the final event of the Games at Sevilla Golf Course she showed what real leadership is all about. In that critical moment, when most leaders would find a plausible excuse to duck the main stage and the public glare and say it nicely to let another member shine… She was on the production line ensuring the highest quality output. If it’s to be done right, then sometimes the leader has to be there to ensure the highest quality.
Already she is excited as ever as to how GHL training and participation in CariFin 2012 would unfold as she look forward to a bumper year for team GHL.

Well here it is… The last CariFin newsletter of 2011.
It’s crazy how fast this year flew by, isn’t it?

Luckily, we get a fresh start next week. We get
a brand new year to say this is going to be my
best and show my best performance year yet and then actually
go out and make it true!

2012 will be the year of setting massive goals
that seem almost unattainable and then doing
everything you possibly can to go out and
make them happen.

2012 will be the year the excuses disappear and
massive action take over. You know you are
capable of doing what’s necessary to make this
coming year the most successful year of your
life. Health, Wealth, Love… Whatever it is,
you know the power to get whatever you want
is in you and this is the year you’re going to
prove it!

I’m not always doing exactly what I know I
need to be doing when I need to be doing it.
I know that… But it doesn’t matter. This is the
year that I get everything done that I’ve been
saying I’m going to do for years.

I wish everyone a safe and fun New Year.

But be ready! 2012 is the year you get the things
done to get everything you ever wanted out of life!

One of my favorite physiotherapist and strength trainer Kelly Starret http://www.mobilitywod.com/. Google had a seminar where they invited certain well known leaders in fitness to share to their staff. Here Starret talks about…. Everyone knows that prolonged sitting at a desk is hard on your body and health, and an inevitable part of being a functioning modern human. The problem is, sitting is a high-skill and creatively demanding activity. Everyone should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. This includes knowing how survive the high risk, high stakes game of being “desk bound”. Armed with a pinch of game theory, a dose of anatomy, and a picture of one of the all-time best sitters, you can transform any desk into a platform for thriving. I enjoy this series so I will be posting most of the series of these talks on this website

I would really like to introduce Crossfit to Carifin in 2012. The first question shooting to your mind id what is crossfit? I would like to suggest it go after the Family Day and as part of the CariFin Games and have it own day and be called the CariFin Crossfit Challenge.

Crossfit encourages a higher level of fitness, strength and endurance through the use of functional, every day human movement. It draws some of its main ideas from Gymnastic and weight training.
Here you would discover the need for effective core and midline stabilization as part of improving your ability to executive all movements better.

Please read a good account of what is crossfit?

Click Here

Proposed dates for CariFin 2012

1. Torch Run – Saturday April 14^th 2012 at 7.00 am / Port of Spain to Couva
2. 1 Lap savannah – Wednesday April 18^th 2012 at 5.00 pm
3. Green Mile – Wednesday April 25^th 2012 at 5.00 pm
4. Chancellor Challenge – May 02^nd 2012 at 5.00 p.m.
5. Aerobics Burnout – May 09^nd 2012 at 5.00 p.m. / CBTT Plaza
6. Cricket, football & All Fours – May 12^nd 2012 at 5.00 p.m. / Republic Grounds Barataria
7. CariFin Fun Family Day – May 27^nd 2012 at 5.00 p.m. / Sevilla Golf Course
8. CariFin Crossfit Challenge – June 10^th 2012 at 1.00 p.m.  / Q.P.S

People love making excuses.  People especially love love love making excuses about working out.  One of the most commonly used supposed barriers to attaining physical feats or status is age.  But because I’m always quick to call the cops on out -of-control pity parties, and I love raining on the “I can’t workout cause I’m ________” parade, I have compiled a few examples why age is no excuse .  Go back to using “But I have no time to workout”, well at least until I write a blog debunking that myth. 

Krystle Gomez

Ms. CariFin 2010 Krystle Gomez of central Bank gives us a brief account of her reign and shares her feelings as to why Central Bank produces the kind of candidates that has dominated this event so much.

She explains her philosophy on fitness and training and how winning ms. CariFin has help her keep focus on maintaining a high level of fitness

Hi everyone I caught up with Kerry Wilson of  Central Bank – two time CariFin female cross country winner.
She won in 2002 and 2005.

Here Kerry tells us how it was for her.

She reveals some of the never told situations before and after the races.
Why she took so long after winning in 2002 only to come back in 2005 to win again.

Her views on the current crop of runners.
The advice from her swimming coach to her about her running and how to motivate herself to win

Listen to the full story.

The route for the cross country has been changed or altered a bit. The change to the actual course is not really major but its impact on the day’s proceeding is far reaching.

I had a visit with the Sportt Company personnel and the golfers and the people who are going to cut the course and we show them what areas to be cut based on where the course is passing and the restrictions from the Sportt Company.

Most important coming out of that trip to Sevilla is the fact that the finish line for this year’s event will be changed or has been changed.
How is it going to be changed you are asking?
Simply the finish line is going to continue on the road instead of the customary finish on the greens coming up from the bridge between the tents, where the finish line gantry would normally be.

That leaves us in a quandary should we leave the tents as they were in previous years, if they are left the same way then only the tents next to the road would get a full view of the finish of the races as it passes. (Kind of unfair) But we are left with the option to move the tents to accommodate the finish line. The question is there any suitable place otherwise to accommodate this changed.
This is a really dicey issue and could only be really sorted out when you actually put them where the finish of the race dictates.

That finish is having the participants of each event continue on the road turn right into the street and finish in the middle of the street.  That could see the setup for the tent taking place on either side of the street that leads out from where the DJ is setup.

I can’t actually say from here if that would be the case but it looks like the major option we have but we have to explore it to see how feasibly and practical in terms of the space available and the general layout. Because the original tents that were there last year would have to be shifted or moved a bit to accommodate this change.

Team Song
I know that Republic and First Citizens already have their 3 minutes song for visiting their tent. Republic is not telling anybody what it is. You hear it, you know it only when it is played, and team manager Colette is very discreet about it. So far only two people in the whole organization know what it is, the person who put it together and Colette.

Word has it that RBL group would be coming in the dark of night to decorate their tent…. Taking discreet to another level. (Night people).
“All yuh better clean and shine that crown and keep it for us,” Colette talking about the Ms. CariFin crown and expressing confidence and cockiness that their entrant has a great chance at the title.

I was there running my Torch legs and that of the other team as well and really enjoying the fun and fellowship.
I saw guys and gals running or walking as if there life depended on it… and they were doing it without promise of reward, recognition or prize and putting out their best performance. That must be applauded.

And we must say hats off to teams like CITI and IBL that kept there end of the bargain and came with a nice crew and ran their leg with dignity and pride.
And Central Bank did come good as they held home court advantage and they made the best of home support and pack in their Fusion team in there and look quite massive for once.  But of course down in the dregs (coming to the end) – that long second to last legs only the die hards was their to carry the Torch and we say thank you guys……. Imagine Ervin coming out and lending a hand….. sorry a leg. well what ever? And Miss Grashan who sat most of the journey in the team bus, found the energy to run de whole… long – leg, but in the end Team CBTT got the Torch to the hand-over point at Rienzi complex to hand it over to the more than happy Team RBL to have the final short leg… smiling all the way to the “Bank” car park.

And RBL, FC, GHL and RBTT kept it decent did what had to be done and at the end there was a good show on their part.
And big thanks to the senior personnel that accompanied the participating teams. This did send a strong message that we are serious and willing to do what it takes to educate, encourage and inspire our staff to take personal responsibility to fight off all that complacency and lethargy that accompanies a sedentary lifestyle

Thank you all again and we look forward to a massive turnout and start to the Urban Challenge on Wednesday April 06, 2011 at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Remember our theme this year is centered around the “The Fitness Enthusiast” and our challenge to the teams is to bring out at least 50 walkers to the Games. That means each bonefide CariFin participant must encourage his fellow colleague to start to train and come out and participate in carifin. Thus promoting a more active lifestyle.

Thanks again for your support on the Torch Run Relay.