|
If You're An Athlete or Recruiter, Read This!
Young athletes from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have a new resource at their disposal in the search for sports scholarship. A new Internet website called OECSAthlete.com recently came online; the site is especially useful for scholar athletes hoping to go on to higher education in the United States. OECSAthlete.com contains information about athletes from the sub-region who are either seeking scholarships or who are already studying overseas. Coaches and athletic directors at American colleges will be able to visit the site in order to facilitate the recruiting process, putting them directly in touch with the athletes themselves.
This innovation is the brainchild of two St. Lucians, Dominic Johnson and terry finisterre, with support and encouragement from the OECS Sports Desk. Johnson, an Olympian and a pole vault gold medallist at the Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships, was named 1999 Sportsman of the Year. Johnson designed and now maintains the website from his base in Arizona. Based in St. Lucia, finisterre is an award-winning sports journalist. He also is the sports editor at Radio Caribbean International and St. Lucia Online - www.slucia.com/sports.html - as well as a contributor to the local print media. His responsibilities constitute sourcing information from athletes, coaches and administrators. The two young men are hoping that OECSAthlete.com will become a major tool for athletes and administrators in the Caribbean and the United States alike. The site will give the athlete further exposure and access to American universities, but athletes will only benefit from this initiative through hard work and dedication.
For further information, call (758) 459 0149 or email allsport@slucia.com
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Magloire Third At Penn
(29 April 2000) - Hey, here's timely reporting for you. Dane Magloire was third Friday at the Penn Relays in his second-favorite event. The former national long jump record holder, Magloire cleared 7.51 metres (24' 7.75") in that event at the prestigious meet. His teammate, Maurice English, was the gold medallist with a clearance of 7.74 metres. More on the Penn and Drake Relays in the next Sports Bulletin.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Ti Loy Keeps Pouring It On
(28 April 2000) - Last year, he was the leading scorer in domestic football, and he guided Root Alley Ballers to double success. His feats earned him the Footballer of the Year title, and he was expected to be a key contributor to St Lucia's World Cup 2002 qualifying campaign. Instead he was unceremoniously and deviously booted from the national team, which duly went out at the first hurdle of the World Cup.
Some months later, Vieux Fort striker Emerson "Ti Loy" Jn Marie is unfazed by the recent events in his career. Early this year he signed with Caledonia in the Trinidad Professional Football League. Joining him was Roots Alley Ballers winger Sheldon Emmanuel, and defender Oliver Elva. Meant to join them under coach Jamal Shabazz was Titus Elva, Oliver's brother, who was trying to effect a transfer from FA Cup champs W Connection Football Club, the team coached by Stuart Charles-Fevrier, St. Lucia's former technical director of football. He had been hoping to secure Jn Marie's signature this season, and his club continues to hold up Titus Elva's transfer.
If it seems like a bit of a soap opera, that's because it is. Emerson is the leading scorer in the League, with five goals from four matches in the PFL's second season, and he's not too happy that he can't have his old partner Titus Elva at his side. Nor can Shabazz be too thrilled with the situation, even though his team is doing well. For Charles-Fevrier, he could use the scoring that Jn Marie would have provided, and the Elva saga will be on his mind as well. Lo and behold, the sides meet Sunday, and it's likely to be a heated battle. Maybe this one should be played in St. Lucia – between WCFC and Caledonia there could be up to nine St. Lucians on the pitch. We'll certainly have the results of that match for you in the next Sports Bulletin, and here's hoping that FA can arrange for the return leg to be played at the Mindoo Philip Park.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Three On Windwards Team, But Coach Disappointed
(25 April 2000) - Three St. Lucian cricketers have been named to the Windward Islands' under-nineteen squad for this year's Northern Telecom regional youth tournament in Guyana. The trio of allrounders comprises Sergio Fedee, Sharm Pierre and Gairy Mathurin, all of whom played key roles as St. Lucia ended the tournament third from four teams, looking much better than they did last year in finishing last. All three young men were picked on the basis of their performance at the just-concluded Windward Islands tournament. Sergio - the St. Lucian captain - was fourth leading batsman, with 187 runs and a 31.1 average. Gairy excelled as the third best bowler by average and total wickets, with 16 victims at an average of only 10.7 runs per wicket. From 116.4 overs he conceded only 172 runs. Although Sharm didn't really figure prominently in the averages, he did enough to impress the selectors.
Also impressive was debutant allrounder Darren Sammy, ninth best in batting and tenth in bowling. Himself and Esau Gabriel were named among four Windwards reserves, and Sammy – according to his coach - especially impressed in SVG. Emmanuel Bellasse, guiding this team for the first time, says that he was pleased with Sergio and Gairy as well, but he expected more from some of his young veteran players.
Wicketkeeper Gaspard Prospere had scored plenty of runs already this year. He did well in the 2000 United Insurance Inter-Secondary School competition, and his run of form continued in the Piton Beer Inter- District tournament. He even made thirty in St. Lucia's opening match against Grenada, but then the runs dried up, and good as he is behind the stumps he needs to do some scoring to hold his pick.
Mon Repos pacer Cletus Mathurin also turned in poor returns. Himself and Castries spinner Joakim George never really got into the wickets, and as they return to action in the Piton Beer competition, Bellasse will certainly be looking for better work from them.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
My Grenada Diary
(23 April 2000) - St. George's Grenada
600: Woke up. I can't tell you where, because then you'd be an accomplice.
730: Grenada's National Stadium I pretty impressive, with its Pancrete
and its Mondo markings everywhere you look. The setting is also lovely, nestled in a seaside valley. Want to know how nice it is? The Jamaicans and the Barbadians were envious!
745: I'm told that the Games begin at nine, so I'll catch up on my sleep.
900: The athletes begin trickling in. Lots of green, yellow and black (Jamaica) but no sign of St. Lucia's three-member contingent. Esther Maynard, the veteran Bajan official (her 25th time at CARIFTA) tells me the Grenadians are working well with the new equipment.
930: Still no sign of Levern Spencer and Nathan Justin. I go wandering about in search of them, but no luck.
945: The sound system comes to life - conscious reggae - and so does the electronic scoreboard. The board displays the schedule for that morning's events: no girls' high jump.
1000: Twelve territories with at least one medal (from a total of nineteen territories) but no St. Lucia; sixteen flags up already, but no St. Lucia - I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps the AAA decided to just forget this whole CARIFTA thing!
1015: Ah!! My beautiful national flag is up! And the right colours, no less.
1630: Well, it's been a long day, but Levern's finally in action. Her uniform may not be as fancy as that girl from the Bahamas, but the fancy uniform girl is walking away after hitting the bar. Levern is still there.
1715: Four girls left, and Levern has hit the bar once already at 1.73 - the other people in the press box look at me funny as I let out a loud yell when she clears the new national record.
1730: She looks nervous going for 1.76, and I'm not really surprised when she knocks the bar over on what's really her first actual attempt. She went under twice.
1830: They're draping the bronze medal over Levern's head somewhere back in St. George's, but I'm off to St. Vincent to try and get the score on the under-nineteen cricket. I guess this trip wasn't really a big waste of my time.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Bronze Princess Wants CARIFTA Crown 2001
(23 April 2000) - If you'd asked me eighteen months ago to point out Levern Spencer, I couldn't have done it, not even if she stood right in front of me. She's not particularly physically impressive. Michelle Baptiste at fifteen was a powerful young woman – Michelle you could look at and say "There's an athlete!" The Next Big One to emerge from St. Lucia isn't a stereotype, but she is a phenomenon and a bit of a prodigy.
Her rise to prominence has been well documented. At last Junior Championships, Levern literally leapt into the spotlight, clearing 1.69m in the girls' under-seventeen high jump, and resetting the SENIOR national record. She was fourth in her event at that year's Junior CARIFTA Games, the regional track and field meet held then in Martinique. She earned herself a repeat ticket to CARIFTA this year, jumping consistently before clearing 1.72m at Junior Championships. Sunday at the National Stadium in Grenada Levern did it again, winning CARIFTA bronze by jumping 1.73m - it was her third national record in thirteen months, and she wants to make it four in fourteen.
"I'm looking forward to winning at National Championships [in May] and I think I can clear at least 1.75," said the Entrepot Secondary student in the wake of her CARIFTA success. That would leave her within a centimeter of the CARIFTA record, the height at which she failed on Sunday. Levern has declared 1.76 as her new Holy Grail. "Every year I'm getting better. This year I was third, and I think next year I'll be first." Her coach, Gregory Lubin, says that it's "back to the drawing board" for himself and Levern. Both agree that she could have cleared 1.76 in Grenada, but Lubin says that she may not have been mentally ready. She's fifteen, though, and nowhere near her prime.
Lost in Levern's CARIFTA spotlight, Abilene Wildcats' Nathan Justin clocked a personal best in the under-twenty boys' 400m. Having made the finals of the event, Nathan ran 48.56s in placing sixth.
Should St. Lucia have sent a bigger team to CARIFTA? Visit the Sports Forum and voice your opinion.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Whirlwind Samaranch Tour In Store for St. Lucia
 (23 April 2000) - Since 1980 Juan Antonio Samaranch has been the number one guy in world sports. When he took over as President of the International Olympic Committee, Samaranch made a promise. He said that he'd visit every single IOC member territory before his term ended. Well, his days as the boss of the IOC are nearly over, and he still has a couple of trips to make. A journey to St. Lucia is among them.
Sunday 30 April, the Spaniard will make that journey accompanied by Richard Peterkin, president of St. Lucia's National Olympic Committee. The two arrive in St. Lucia from a meeting of the Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO) and the IOC chief has a packed agenda. Too, Peterkin says that the NOC has its agenda very much in order as St. Lucia has its moment in the Olympic sun.
Upon touching down at the George F.L. Charles Airport Sunday evening, Samaranch receives an official welcome from NOC and government officials. A reception is held in his honor later that night at the Royal St. Lucian, with the media in attendance. Monday morning he visits the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre, among St. Lucia's few international standard sports facilities. He also meets Her Excellency Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy before making good his departure Monday morning. All of that is packed into what promises to be a hectic seventeen hours.
Peterkin reveals that Samaranch will be traveling with the head of Olympic Solidarity, the funding arm of the IOC. The NOC leader explains that Samaranch's visit gives St. Lucia a unique opportunity. The IOC does most of its business in the boardroom, but having Samaranch on island allows the NOC the chance to show him precisely what's being done in terms of promoting the Olympic ideal and the Olympic spirit. Since the guy holding the purse strings will be here as well, there could be a lot in it for St. Lucia - and all from a visit of a mere seventeen hours.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Dominic Johnson and Maxime Charlemagne Sightings
(18 April 2000) - Sportsman of the Year Dominic Johnson returned to action at the weekend after a six-month break following shoulder surgery last November. Dominic contested the pole vault in the Sierra Providence Invitational meet, held at the University of Texas el Paso. He won easily, clearing 5.40 meters (17'8") for gold, a tremendous mark for his return to vaulting. His national record in that event is 5.65 metres.
Also at the Sierra Providence Invitational, which was after all held at his school, Vieux Fort sprinter Ronald Promesse defeated a couple of big names in the 100m dash. He clocked a wind-aided 10.2 seconds for gold, his best time ever in that event. In the process he outran American Kareem Streete-Thompson, a former member of the US national team, as well as Russian champion Vitaly Medvedev. Promesse was fourth in the 200m dash in 20.8 seconds – Obadale Thompson of Barbados won that particular event in 20.16 seconds. In addition to his individual performance, Promesse was on the victorious UTEP 4x100m team. The homeboys completed the race in 38.97 seconds to set a new meet record. Meanwhile, St. Lucia's most outstanding distance runner, Mon Repos' Zepherinus Joseph competed this past weekend at the Mt. Sac Relays in California. Running for Central Arizona College, the 24-year-old was ten seconds outside of his personal and national record as he won the 5,000m race in 14 minutes 51.26 seconds.
St. Lucian sprinter Maxime Charlemagne also took part in the Mt. Sac track meet last weekend. Running the 400m race for the University of Wyoming, Maxime ended 13th out of 26 persons entered for that event. His time of 48.46 seconds was his best of the season. In 1994, Maxime was a member of the St. Lucian 4x100m relay team that set a national record at a meet in France. Two years later, Maxime participated in the Olympic Games in Atlanta Georgia. Along with Ivan Jn Marie, Maxwell Seales and Dominic Johnson, he established a national record in the 4x400m relay, a record that still stands.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Strong Lucian on Links in Carolinas
(17 April 2000) - Last year at this time, St. Lucian golfer Chris Taylor was at a special high school in Hilton Head, South Carolina, honing his skills on the International Junior Golf Tour. When he came back home, he did so in triumphant fashion, winning the Caribbean Junior Golf Championships in Trinidad last July. Those feats earned him a scholarship to Division II Coker College (again in South Carolina) where he's making a big impression as a freshman. Along with Joel McEachrane, his best friend and a sophomore from St. Kitts, Chris has made Coker one of the top teams in Division II. Last week the Cobras tied for third in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Tournament. Chris would have been disappointed to finish ninth - he's usually been among the top three this season. His 228 (74, 77, 77) left him five strokes off the lead. Following the CVAC Championships, the All-Conference team was named. Unsurprisingly, both Chris and Joel were there.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
|
