jun.27.2001
by Andre E. Baptiste
"As a father, I think we have got to steer our children in the right direction, give them the best choices, and let them understand that life is not only about nice clothes, sex and partying."
"In my time, when Zeno Constance was my Coach, he was a disciplinarian, and he would hit me a clout on my head if I messed up.Nowadays you cannot do that, " said Hasely who is a part time coach at the University of West Indies on Mondays and Thursdays and also assists the Burnley team under the direction of his close friend Joan Thomas.
Hasely is a San Fernando child by birth, having grown up on Sutton Street with his five other brothers and five sisters. When asked where he fitted in, this larger than life but modest hero stated," Number seven, lucky seven and I have been blessed all my life, by having love all around me, we were not a rich family, but I had rich friends,and we were so close as a family that we all took strength from each other"
"So every afternoon after we played together and my friends went home and went out for dinner and cinema and I stayed home because we were poor, I knew then that I wanted to find a way to overcome this poverty and this is where running came in."
Hasely also recalled that famous day in July 1976, when he scorched the earth and brought joy, ecstasy and jubilation to this twin island republic, this year marks the twenty fifth anniversary of that event .
"Many people don't know this, but it was O J Simpson that called the race and my name was never called until the end, when it was it was obvious that I was going to win. It was all about those big name countries and O J Simpson was only calling"Borzov, Borzov and Quarrie, Quarrie and in the final metres it was Crawford, Hasely Crawford of Trinidad and Tobago. They did expect me to win that race and I felt as well, were it not for the injury in the 200metres I would have won that race also,"
Hasely Crawford says that coaches in Trinidad and Tobago have to learn to take advice. It is this sort of behaviour that keeps Hasely outside of the business of coaching in Trinidad and Tobago.
"I am very particular in giving advice, I really do not want to be accused of stepping on anyone shoes,"
He is determined that as part of the National Gas Company family, it is necessary to educate teenagers on the whole question of parenthood. In particular he believes that young teenage boys need to understand what being a father means," We have to teach these youngsters that being a father is not about having a child here and there and then going your way, there is more to fatherhood than that," Hasely warned.
Perhaps it is interesting that during the course of this interview, Harlan has remained within close proximity to his father at all times, causing Hasely to remember that he needs to find his 1976 Olympic Gold Medal, Olympic shoes, Olympic jersey, Olympic short pants, because Harlan has asked him to visit his school later this week to meet his friends.
Even as you exit his home at Federation Park, where he has been residing for the last four years and you look at the sloppy work done by the contractors, Hasely admits, it is home now and he will stand by it. There are tiles of different shapes and sizes in his dining room; the wood that was used clearly was not of a high standard with a lot of termite holes still visible.
But Hasely Crawford is not a complainer; he is a private man, strong in his conviction that in the end, all will be solved with fairness and objectivity.
Just a word of caution to all readers, if you see Hasely running the savannah on evenings or mornings, please don't ask him for a race.
"Yes, it may seem incredible but up till now, if I am in the savannah and someone sees me walking or running, they will come up to me and challenge me to a race."
As I leave, he is about to engage his children in the rudiments of running, and there is a broad grin on his face as he watches them go through their paces. His wife Paula is at his side very much involved.