“To
climb a coconut tree you need to be strong in the mind
and body. It takes concentration, you have to plan
every move and anticipate: The tree can fall, the wind
can twist and swing it like a bucking bronco. Rats bite,
you catch them sometimes in the top eating coconuts. A
man can tire and lose a grip, a foot can slip, the tree
can be smooth with no grip. Coconut tree climbers do fall,
trees fall and men can get hurt. A tree climber must be
wary and not afraid, he must be strong, agile, determined
and fit”.
Ever slide I asked, thinking of the time I got 15 feet
up a tree and decided to come down by sliding: “Sliding,
never, never slide, sliding is lazy man dangerous, tear
the skin off a body. Pretty hard to stop a slide if you
start. When you ready, come down with the same strength
and concentration that took you up. Place the feet, grip
hard and think of every move”.
Keith Cumberbatch climbs about 8 trees a day, everyday,
so long as he is not racing a marathon or in training
for a big race. “Tree climbing is my training, I love
it, I sell coconut to live, people count on me for coconut
water and jelly, I drink at least 8 coconuts a day. Coconut
water is my tonic. Helps my stamina, cleans out the system,
increases energy and libido. Its got all the essential
vitamins and minerals to keep body and mind healthy. That
is why I have to climb”.
You believe what Burgie says about coconut water being
so good for you? I asked.
“Long before
Irving Burgie calypso, people know so. Now research
is proving they were right. Just the other day I hear that
coconut is a new health food. Coconuts and coconut oil have
minerals and vitamins, but you
don't need to know all this if you drink it regular. Soon
it may be a banned substance for runners”, he says with
a smile. “If Roger Weeks had drunk some of my coconuts he
would not have spent time in hospital suffering from dehydration
that stopped his run in the 10K (i).
Keith speaks of the Run Barbados 10K marathon. A ten killometere
race that is held every year along with the 26 mile Run Barbados
Marathon. Runners come from all over the world. Keith
ran along with Roger Weeks and the favourites, Jerry
Kooymans of Canada and Hugh Jones of Britain. Jones
ran a blistering race in hot sun to finish 55 seconds seconds
ahead of Kooymans, winning at 30:33:20.
“It was a hot day in Barbados” says Keith, “but Roger
got dehydrated soon and ended up in hospital for a few days
while they tried to restore his electrolytes. Racing is
like that. It’s a hard sport and Jerry and Hugh were running
pretty fast, pushing us all to extremes”. Keiths time is
not far off the best, in that race he finished 7th.
“Its hard to beat the worlds top runners, he says, but with
coconut water and tree climbing this tiny island can come
in pretty good”.
A
7th place amongst 410 of the worlds best is pretty impressive
for a tiny island I say. Pretty impressive for a Barbados
Coconut man who climbs 8 trees a day and pushes his cart
through heavy traffic to get the goods to his clients, many
who do not even know they are dealing with a world class
athlete: A winner and a contender of international standing,
sponsored by Adidas, the BBC and others. He has placed in
the top 10 in a hundred marathons and raced in Toronto,
Boston, LA, the Caribbean and Africa. At 45 he is
still running along with the best.
COCONUT FACTS
|
| Energy (kcal) |
| Moisture (g) |
| Protein (g) |
| Fat (g) |
| Sugars (g) |
| Dietary fiber (g) |
| Potassium (mg) |
| Iron (mg) |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
|
| Flesh Immature |
Flesh Mature |
| 77 |
389 |
| 84 |
50 |
| 1.4 |
3.5 |
| 3.6 |
39 |
| 10 |
4 |
| 0.7 |
7.5 |
| 257 |
360 |
| 1 |
1.1 |
| 6 |
2 |
|
| Water Immature |
Water Mature |
| 16 |
22 |
| 97.0 |
92 |
| NA |
0.3 |
| NA |
0.2 |
| 4.1 |
5 |
| 0 |
0 |
| NA |
310 |
| NA |
1.1 |
| NA |
2 |
|
SOURCE: http://www.mercola.com/2004/mar/10/coconuts.htm
(i)
From the above website:
"Fresh coconut juice is one of the highest sources of electrolytes
known to man, and can be used to prevent dehydration, for
instance in cases of diarrhea or strenuous exercise, instead
of a sports drink. Some remote areas of the world even use
coconut juice intravenously, short-term, to help hydrate
critically ill patients and in emergency situations".
PhotoGallery
©Ian Clayton, AXSES
2006. http://axses.net
