THE AGE of 28 is seen by many football observers as the point where most players peak. But national utility player Christopher Dawes who reached that mark in May of this year saw it as the fitting time to take a break from the game he loves.
Since leaving Clarendon College in 1993 where he played on the winning daCosta Cup team in the previous season, Dawes has been a fixture in one national team or another.
He worked his way up the ranks of the Under-20, Under-23 and eventually the senior team where he played between central midfield and sweeper.
Professionally he had a spell in the Belgian Third Division with Handzame but gave it up on the insistence of then national technical director Rene Simoes to concentrate on the national team's bid for a place in France 1998. Most players were told then to put off dreams of playing professionally as the contracts would come after Jamaica's qualification.
Not many came. A contract offer was to come for Dawes from Turkish club Samdanspor but financial problems with the club and an earthquake put an end to that. The next door to open for him was a contract in United States Major League Soccer (MLS) where he represented Colorado Rapids for one season.
Since May of this year he has not been seen in the national programme which caused many to wonder what was happening to him. In an interview with The Gleaner last week Dawes told his story.
QUESTION: What has been happening with you and football?
CHRIS DAWES: As you can see now I am at Rivoli just starting to play since the final for Hazard against Arnett Gardens at the end of last season. I picked up a knee injury in that game and was cooling out for a while to get it healed and give it some strength by lifting weights and I have only just started a little training so that is the reason why I am not totally in the national team at the moment.
Q: You are saying you got injured in the final last season?
CD: Not in that game but previously while in the MLS I got injured playing the first game. I had to play during that time because I just got to the club, could not sit on the bench so I had to play and was playing on it. When I came back to Jamaica on the tough field, it started acting up again so I had to cool out after that.
Q: You played just one season with the Rapids, why?
CD: I never went back after that season because they (the MLS) had a problem where two of the clubs folded there were a number of players available from the two Florida teams and certain things got messed up so I decided to stay and further my education. Also in my time at the Rapids they were in a rebuilding process so we did not do all that well.
Q: What exactly are you studying here at GC Foster?
CD: Physical Education.
Q: What do you specialise in?
CD: We do a wide range of things but I am majoring in football. It is a two-year certificate course. Depending on how well I do I could study for three years get a Diploma and study for another year and graduate with a degree.
Q: What are some of the subjects that you study?
CD: For this semester we are doing like nine subjects, English, Maths, Physiology, psychology, introduction to physical education and so forth.
Q: Why did you did decide to take up this course of study and enrol at GC Foster?
CD: After you reach a certain age you get mature and you have to think about life after football. Not all of us can make it big in football so we have to realise that at some point. Some realise early. Some realise it maybe too late so I just decided that this is the time now that I have to look at after football.
Q: Are you saying that you do not think you are going to make it to the top as a professional footballer?
CD: Not to say that. I am just giving myself options so if that does not happen then I have another door which can be opened.
Q: If an opportunity did arise now would you put studies on hold to pursue it?
CD: Maybe. I would have to look at the situation then decide what is best.
Q: As far as the national team is concerned are you still in frame?
CD: We have talked. Coach Brown and I have talked, we have had discussions and at the moment I am mostly concentrating on the studies. It is the first semester and normally most students fail at lot of subjects at that time so we have an understanding where with that situation and with the injury which I am trying to get better. Being out of football for what maybe four months and playing international football is not easy so I am trying to play myself back in and hopefully I will get the recall.
Q: Are you under medical supervision regarding the knee?
CD: Yes I am seeing a physiotherapist in May Pen.
Q: With the 2006 Germany World Cup officially kicked off with that game against Japan, do you see yourself coming into the programme a little later?
CD: Hopefully I can get a recall but I am taking it day by day. I am hoping to do a lot more training but because of the school I do not get to do as much training as I would like to so hopefully when I start training much harder and get fitter I will get that call up.
Q: So you see yourself back in soon then?
CD: Yes I still have the appetite to play for Jamaica just that I would not like to play for Jamaica unfit because playing for Jamaica you are under a lot scrutiny so I would like to be fully fit playing for Jamaica so I will re-evaluate after the first semester.
Q: You were not seen when Rushden and Dimaonds visited in May, you were also missing from the squad for the USA game as well as the one against Nigeria and a lot of questions were asked about you, what was happening?
CD: I was feeling pain in the knee then. I told coach Brown about it as well as well as the schooling process. He wished me luck and we had a mutual understanding.
Q: Are you afraid that when you are ready to resume playing that place will be gone?
CD: No. Not at the moment. I know we have a lot of young talent coming up but I am not worrying about that.
Q: What happened in your life that made you change your whole perception of football and life after it?
CD: It is not what happened to me. It is what I have seen throughout life where footballers play and they have nothing to turn to so it is not what has happened to me but what I have seen happen to other people that play football. I am trying not to make that happen to me.
Q: Did the fact that you recently became a father influence this thinking in anyway?
CD: Not really. I was thinking about this long before becoming a father.
- Nodley Wright
