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Swimming Olympians Establish New Records
(22 September 2000) Their presence in Sydney, Australia for the Summer Olympics was questioned: two swimmers, Jamie Peterkin and Sherri Scobie-Henry, both of whom failed to qualify for the Games in their event, the men's and women's 50m freestyle. Jamie traveled to Sydney from the University of Kentucky, where he had just begun his freshman season on a swimming scholarship. Sherri had just completed her tenure in Trinidad and Tobago with the Marlins Swim Club and St. Joseph's Convent. Both came in as OECS champions and national record holders."My goals are to win my heat and set a new national record," said Peterkin.
Heat 2, Thursday evening St. Lucian time, will have been memorable for the young man. After getting the worst start of the eight swimmers in the race (0.89 seconds reaction time) Jamie recovered well to finish in 25.33s, ahead of Aruba's Davy Bislett and Muhamed Ahmed of Iraq. It was a new national record, and Jamie had won his heat. The time wasn't drop-dead impressive, 59th best out of 75 sprinters, but Jamie felt he'd have done even better if he'd had a faster heat.
Jamie's name and the St. Lucia national flag were displayed in the Sydney International Aquatic Centre after Jamie accomplished his historic feat. It was the first time a St. Lucian had graced the pool in the Olympics, and Jamie has long stated his intention to be there again in Athens 2004.
It wasn't long before the second St. Lucian stepped into action in Sydney. Sherri's result was not as good as Jamie's, fourth in a field of eight. Still, Sherri, behind athletes from Nigeria, Mozambique and Azerbaijan, established a new national mark in the 50 free, clocking 28.81s in Heat 2.
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Olympics End Cruelly for Ron, Verneta
(22 September 2000) In Sydney Australia's Olympic Stadium, the goals for St. Lucia's track athletes were unspoken. In spite of the silly talk about the "quest for gold" at the Summer Games, a majority of St. Lucians would have been happy if Ronald Promesse and Verneta Lesforis completed personal best times in the men's 100m and women's 400m respectively. The other goal would have been advancing a round, as they would have by finishing among the top three or four in their respective heats.
Promesse, the 25-year-old from Vieux Fort, was coming into the 2000 Summer Games with a national record time of 10.17 seconds beneath his belt, and at least a half dozen runs under 10.4s. Had he achieved anything close in Heat 5, he'd have been the first St. Lucian track athlete to go to the second stage of an Olympic event. Ronald also came into Sydney with a niggling hamstring injury, a hindrance that had caused him to pull up twice already in the month before the race. Physical therapist Michael Clark had cleared the University of Texas el Paso graduate to run, though, and there he was in lane 6, ready to meet his destiny.
Ron's destiny, unfortunately, was to have a horrible start, coming out of the blocks last. He tried to recover, but ended doing himself only greater harm. Less than twenty-five metres into the race, Ronald Promesse lay on the rubber in Australia, clutching what would later be diagnosed as a torn hamstring. Out for three weeks, he'd have no chance of redemption in the men's 200m dash.
Lesforis came into the Games as a bit of a wildcard in that she had qualified for Sydney nearly eighteen months earlier. Ron had run a lot this year, clocking very encouraging times in his events. We had heard little of Verneta since the 1999 Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. At that meet she surprised many by winning the women's 400m, establishing a national record of 52.51s in the process. Even repeating that time might not have seen her move forward from Heat 5, but she was well below her all-time best in Australia, running 54.4s to end sixth out of seven competitors in her heat.
They say being there is what it's all about, and they're right. Hundreds of thousands of athletes never get to the Olympics. Ron and Verneta may not be in Athens in four years. They were there, however, in Sydney, and their disappointment must mirror that of St. Lucians everywhere. Still, we ought to be proud of them for being there, for their mere presence at the XVII Olympiad was evidence of their excellence. They aren't the best in the world, but they were there among the best, legitimate first-class qualifiers for the world's greatest athletic showcase.
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Zeph Starts, Finishes Well
(18 September 2000) St. Lucia's former 1500m and 5000m champion, the 25-year-old Zepherinus Joseph of Mon Repos, is beginning his collegiate career at the University of North Florida, and he's beginning it well. The 1999 silver medallist in the National Junior College Cross-Country Championships, where he competed for Central Arizona College, he's also represented St. Lucia at the Central American and Caribbean Cross-Country Championships.With his wealth of experience, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Zepherinus is a winner in just his second race as a UNF Osprey. On a muddy and sandy 3.4 mile course, he ran under seventeen minutes for the victory at the University of Jacksonville, a week after placing second in the Twilight Invitational hosted by the University of Florida. UNF men were second in Jacksonville.Bethune-Cookman College won the men's race; they were third among the women, with UNF first.
Competing for BCC, St. Lucian Windy Augustin was sixth on a 5km course, clocking 24:21 to lead her school.
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Intrigue Builds in Local Football
(20 September 2000) The bulk of St. Lucia's domestic football season is nearly over, with the Premier League and the Heineken FA Cup nearly into their final stages. The Premiership quarterfinals are being played on a home and away basis, with the first legs completed Wednesday. 1999 double champions Roots Alley Ballers lost in round three of the FA Cup, so they're desperate to stay alive in the Premier League.
They lost to DCYO in Dennery in the first leg one-nil.With the champs in search of answers, there are others out to unseat them, perhaps none more so than VSADC. The Castries team is eager to get back to the glory days of the 80's, but to do so they have to get through an old nemesis in Niabinghi. At the Vigie playing field, it was Nia with the upper hand as the first half wound down, two-nil up through strikes from Dave Frederick and Angus Sexius. With a little over a minute left in the half, Nia let VS get back in the game, giving up a penalty that was coolly slotted home by Sean Kirton. The one-goal Nia advantage held up, though, and they go into the second leg with a three-two win under their belts. In another quarterfinal, this one in Vieux Fort, Square United were held to a draw at home to Gros Islet side Orion. Northern United were to have played the first leg of their tie at home in Gros Islet, against Lancers. That game failed to materialise because the referee failed to materialise, No word yet as to the replay.
Meanwhile, the antepenultimate phase of the FA Cup has been announced, with great geographical spread. In an east coast derby, Micoud's Boca Juniors will meet White house of Dennery. Only VSADC and Northern United remain alive in both Premier League and the FA Cup. VS are drawn against Foundations of Anse la Raye, with South Stars of Laborie meeting Northern. Mabouya Valley side Rovers United is due to match up against Ghetto Stars Youth Organisation of Soufriere, the side that eliminated defending champions Roots Alley Ballers.
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Inauspicious Start for Taylor
(21 September 2000) Twenty-year-old Chris Taylor is off to a somewhat inauspicious start as he embarks on his sophomore season with Division II Coker College of North Carolina, where he's a key member of the Cobras' golf team. Playing at the Johnny Palmer/Old North State Tournament hosted by Pfeiffer College, Chris ended tied for 20th. He scored 72 in the first round, but he was well off the mark on the second day of the competition, stroking 78 to end with a cumulative 150. He finished with the best individual score for Coker, but the team scored 314 in the first round and 300 in the second to end in 11th place.Chris will need to get his game together if he's to improve on an impressive freshman season. He came to Coker after doing well on the International Junior Golf Tour, and he's more than capable of excelling.
Last year, in Trinidad and Tobago, Chris became the 1999 Caribbean Junior Champion.
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Inter-Gender Football
(22 September 2000) The national women's football team defeated St. Vincent and the Grenadines two-nil at the Mindoo Philip Park last month, with goals from captain Lisa Vidal and striker Beverly Francis. For the return leg next Sunday St. Lucia will miss Francis, a burly, athletic, prolific forward who's playing in Martinique. They'll have Vidal, though, and they hope to have a renewed understanding between herself and her mates in the midfield. Attaining that understanding was the purpose for a pair of warmup games, the first Friday at Vigie versus an under-sixteen boys' team from the Bocage Secondary School.
The women defended well and showed great technical skill, but they were unable to get much penetration against the stronger, faster boys. The national team passed well, though, and hard work in midfield resulted in a penalty. The spot kick was not converted, however, and Bocage eventually powered through the stalwart defense for a sole score, enough for the win.
Sunday, a week before their trip to SVG, the national team travel to Desrisseaux to meet an under-twenty boys' team. The ladies will spend the entire day down south, and coaches Victorin Weekes and Trevor Anderson are looking forward to a better result than that against Bocage.
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WCFC Fail to Capitalise
(18 September 2000) Earl "Ball Hog" Jean is many things. Nearly thirty, he's captain of St. Lucia's national football team. He's also the nation's most prolific striker, and he's a score away from being the top scorer in the Trinidad and Tobago Professional Football League.
Earl netted in his most recent match for W Connection Football Club, but it was not enough to secure the victory.The side managed by Stuart Charles is currently third in the PFL, behind Defence Force and leaders San Jun Jabloteh. In their most recent game, WCFC had a chance to make up some ground on Jabloteh, their opponents. After fourteen minutes, things were looking bad for the Connection cause. Kittitian forward Keith Gumbs, the leading scorer in the PFL with 13 goals, demonstrated that he could be a setup man as well, as he put one through to send his side ahead.The score held up 'til the second half, early in which a Jabloteh player was sent off with a red card. Nine minutes later, Jean converted from compatriot Elijah Joseph's corner kick, heading in for his twelfth score of the season.WCFC were unable to add to that scoreline, ending it at one apiece. With the draw, WCFC remain in third on 31 points. Jabloteh have 35, Defence Force 34.
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Boxing Is Officially Back
(17 September 2000) St. Lucia's Boxing Association has elected a new executive, led by Mr. Alfred Emmanuel. Emmanuel is the current president of the Amateur Athletics Association, a post he's constitutionally ineligible to retain.Vice-president and secretary are veteran boxing administrators George Alfred and Theresa Alcee, with Andrew Harmon assistant secretary and Anthony Ferdinand the treasurer. Freelance journalist and former boxer Robertson Henry is the association's public relations officer. Guyanese-born promoter David "Shakes" Christopher and young boxer Sebastian Alexander are floor representatives.
One of the first duties for the executive (minus Emmanuel, who's with the Olympic team in Australia) was meeting WBC Continental Americas lightweight champion Benjamin "the Tiger" Modeste at George FL Charles Airport. Flying in two weeks after defeating Trinidadian Learie Bruce in Barbados for the WBC gold, Tiger is eyeing a world title shot, but a title defense comes first in St. Lucia in November.He'll have a warmup fight in St. Lucia in October against Michael Pittman of Guyana. Also on that card will be Guy "Guy Love" Lawrence, past whom Sherwin Marshall of Barbados will have to get in order to challenge for Tiger's belt.
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