Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
During our 50th anniversary celebrations, The Gleaner will be presenting to you many of the remarkable individuals from all walks of life who hold positions of distinction in the rest of the world. They have carved out a name for themselves and continue to fly our flag high. Clinical psychologist Dr Jason Scott Hamilton is among them.
The Florida-based Dr Hamilton is the president and founder of Elite Sports Psychology (ESP) and is the dean of the Doral campus of Strayer University. He was recently the main presenter at the invitation of Carole Beckford of The Business of Sport Jamaica for a series of workshops titled: Sport Psychology: Maintaining the Competitive Edge. The three workshops were held on January 24 and 25 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. Participants included athletes, students, sporting officials and associations, and the some of the topics covered were: personality, coaching, team dynamics, youth versus adult competition, stages of development, scholarships and the good and bad aspects for a national athlete.
Outlook spoke with Dr Hamilton, a graduate of Jamaica College, and son of Howard Hamilton QC, following the workshops, about a wide range of topics, including his unending quest for knowledge. Asked why he is still studying after already being very qualified, he said he just loves to learn. With two master's degrees and a PhD already under his belt, he is now working on his MBA. "I get to do it for free and I just love academia," he said. He is extremely motivated to be among the only four licensed sports psychologists (that he is aware of), in the state of Florida, and the only Jamaican. And he asserts, "I have a vision for Jamaica to be a Mecca for sports development in the world. To that end, he said he would return home in a heartbeat, given the right offer, because working towards that goal is something he has wanted to do for a long time.
Temple for track and field
"Jamaica can be a temple for track and field; our athletes perform consistently well and, with the help that I can give, that can be vastly improved," he said. To that end, he held discussions with Prime Minister Simpson Miller, who also holds responsibility for sports, about ways in which he can collaborate. "We talked about ways in which I can assist our athletes in the area of sports psychology. It's our 50th anniversary year and we are poised to do well at the Olympics this summer. Our athletes know they have nothing to lose, so they should relax, have fun and do their best," he offered by way of advice.
Quoting from the Invictus principle:
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and chance
Looms the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Dr Hamilton underscores what each athlete should be feeling and believing before going into every competitive situation.
"Everything is surmountable and I can beat the odds no matter what, as long as I use the power of my mind," he notes, should be all athletes' mantra.
So, what about the varying personalities that comprise a team, how would he advise them to work as a cohesive unit for the success of the whole? He said many different personalities make up a team, even the one who comes to disturb, undermine and cause trouble. He teaches coaches to understand that these types are not the best for a team, so they should be dealt with very early in the preparation process.
Dr Hamilton's role is really all about improving team confidence and composure through mental conditioning and building athletes' mental skills to help them reach the pinnacle and operate at their best on any given day. Using these and other techniques, Dr Hamilton works with clients on issues like personal awareness, self-confidence, motivation, discipline and self-esteem.
University Dean
But that's just the tip of Dr Hamilton's iceberg! Besides his role in his private practice as a clinical psychologist, he has a "day job" as dean of the Dural campus of Strayer University. He is responsible for hiring and firing faculty and everything involved in running a campus with 2,500 students. "The buck stops with me; Strayer has 92 campuses with 72,000 students and I have a full schedule that includes lecturing a class of undergraduate students."
Dr Hamilton would like Jamaican students to know that, if they would like to attend Strayer University, he is authorised to issue I-20 forms, but only if they can prove that they can afford to pay the tuition fees. The father of three is an Independence baby, having been born on May 28, 1962, and he began his career in the hospitality industry. His impressive list of clients includes NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and various NFL players, FIFA player (World Cup 1996) George Weah and Ian Bishop of Everton and Manchester City, as well as many of Florida's top athletes. He is also a member of the largest governing body of sports psychology in the world.
His words of advice to athletes at the top of their game is that, even if you still have more phenomenal feats to achieve, you will not be number one for ever and when that day comes, you should be mentally willing and ready to embrace it, having nurtured your career and put plans in place to retire in comfort.
Contact Dr Jason Scott Hamilton at: dr_scotty@yahoo.com.
barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com