|
Carnetta's Basketball Journey
( 12 August 2001) - Born two days after Christmas in 1985, Carnetta Stanley (photo) first set foot on a basketball court in 1998. She did not make a good first impression. From the west coast St. Lucian village of Micoud, she attended Girls Vocational School, and debuted with the Sandals Lady Sonics. Head coach Morgan George described her as clumsy, but he says he saw something in her that led him to believe she had talent. Three years later, Carnetta is a 6'3" 190lb frontcourt player who hits 80% of her free throws, and averages fifteen rebounds per game. As St. Lucia has no organized girls' basketball, she honed her skills in games against boys, or visiting teams from overseas. During a recent clinic, Jeff Bennett, a coach at Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee, Illinois, saw Carnetta. High schools don't offer scholarships, but Bennett arranged for Carnetta to be enrolled in the tenth grade at McNamara. She'll be living with Bennett's family. McNamara is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference. With a 15-12 record, the Irish were regional, sectional and All City champions in 2000-2001. After a 20-7 season two years ago, they lost a couple of frontcourt leaders, and Carnetta is expected to contribute immediately.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Dom Disappointed, Collins Triumphant
 (12 August 2001) - The sole St. Lucian entry at the eighth World Championships in Athletics, Dominic Johnson (photo) ended the men's pole vault in fifteenth, failing to pass the first round. Dominic needed to clear 5.70m, matching his personal best and national record, to make it to the second phase. After passing at 5.30, clearing 5.50 on his first try and 5.60 on his second try, the 25-year-old missed all three attempts at the qualifying height. In the opening rounds of the men's 200m, Keita Cline of the British Virgin Islands was disqualified from heat 3. Darren Tuitt of Montserrat clocked 21.94 to end seventh in heat 4 after a horrible start. Kim Collins of St. Kitts clocked 20.41 out of lane 6, finishing second in heat 7. Thursday, Kim advanced to the finals of the half-lap event, where he was third, the first-ever World Championships medallist from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Sharing the bronzer with Shawn Crawford of the USA, Kim clocked an OECS record 20.20 seconds for third place. Earlier in the week, he had placed sixth in the 100m finals.
Vieux Fort's Carifta Doctor
(12 August 2001) - Former St. Lucia national athlete Nicholas Eugene has been award a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Mathematics from Central Michigan University. Current assistant track and field coach at the University of Michigan, Michigan State graduate and St. Lucia national record holder Ricky Deligny was on hand to witness the 4 August ceremony. Eugene, from Vieux fort, read for his first degree at Coppin State College in Maryland, where Beryl Harris of St. Lucia and Nickie Peters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are now undergraduates. Eugene ran 3:53 for the 1500m while he was there, after representing St. Lucia at the Carifta junior championships. He will take up a professor's chair at Baltimore University.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
OECS Athletes Make Worlds Finals
(5 August 2001) - Kim Collins finished out of the medals in the final of the men's 100m at the World Championship of Athletics in Edmonton, Canada. The 26-year-old from St. Kitts was the only athlete from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Barbados in the final, which Maurice Greene won in a 2002 world best 9.82 seconds, beating Tim Montgomery, Bernard Williams and Ato Boldon. Collins ran under 10.10 seconds for the third time in two weeks, clocking 10.07 to end sixth.
Barbados' Olympic bronze medallist Obadele Thompson, coming into the meet with a shoulder injury, clocked 10.31 to end sixth in his semi-final heat. During the first round Saturday, Dominica's Sherwin James clocked 10.76 to end fifth in his heat.
Among the women, Natasha Mayers from St. Vincent and the Grenadines clocked 11.31 in the 100m quarterfinals, advancing to the Monday semis. Anguilla's Shyronne Hughes ran 12.99 to end sixth in the opening round. Collins' compatriot, Valma Bass, ran 11.89 for a similar result in her opening heat.
 Grenada's Alleyne Francique (photo left) is into the men's 400m finals, after clocking 45.11 in Sunday's semis. Alleyne was in the same heat as the superlative Bahamian runner, Avard Moncur. After running the slowest qualifying time, Francique will be running outside on lane 8.
Antigua's Kenmore Hughes clocked 48.18 in the opening round of the 400, finishing sixth in his heat. Sixteen-year-old Anguillan Kerth Gumbs got his first taste of big-time competition, clocking a disappointing 57.83 in his heat.
Barbados' Andrea Blackett missed out on the women's 400 hurdles final, clocking 57.10 in a heat that was won by Jamaica's Debbie Ferguson.
 Starting the World Championships on Friday, Pamenos Ballantyne (photo) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was 25th in 2:24:36, after battling his way through the field from 49th at the halfway point. Ballantyne and Ronnie Holassie of Trinidad and Tobago were 31st and 32d respectively in the marathon at last year's Olympic Games. In Edmonton, Holassie led through 20km before dropping out.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Aubrey Off To Panola
(5 August 2001) - With the help of oecsathlete.com, a free sub-regional athlete development programme, another St. Lucian volleyballer has taken up a scholarship in the United States. Shana Aubrey, a 5-7 130 lb 22-year-old power hitter for former national champions Ciceron Seagulls United and the St. Lucia national team, flew to Texas on Sunday. She'll take up a two-year scholarship at Panola Community College, working towards her associate degree and developing her skills with the Eastern Texas conference champion Fillies.
During her time at Bocage Secondary, Aubrey compiled numerous accolades, including best server at the inaugural Caribbean under-twenty championships, club player of the year and national junior athlete of the year. She made her senior national debut in 1997, for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Championships, and was a key player for the 1999 OECS Championship-winning team.
At Panola, Aubrey will try to live up to her motto: "I play my best to make sure my team wins; that's my main goal." There'll be plenty of winning with the Fillies and head coach Justin Gibert. Last year, they put together a gaudy 40-5 record, including their fourth conference title in five years. During its brief history, the Panola women's volleyball programme has dominated the game in Texas. Next year,with Aubrey's addition, they're aiming for a national championship.
Shana is one of three female volleyball players listed on oecsathlete.com to have found new opportunities this year. Leanne St. Rose and Signa President, both listed on the website, enrolled at Division III Concordia College in New York last year. They're moving on to Delaware and the University of Maryland Eastern Shores, respectively. A fourth St. Lucian, Lottie Philip, will play her first season with Saint Leo University during the fall semester.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Gulls Take Volleyball Split
(5 August 2001) - Clearly missing the big hitting of Shana Aubrey, Ciceron Seagulls United lost to Le Club Volleyball for the Vitamalt National Volleyball League women's title. The Sunday evening game at the Vigie Multipurpose Sports Complex was actually closer than the set score (3-0) would have one believe. Strong play from outside hitter Lydia-Ann Harris and the veteran Joana Reynolds helped carry LCV to a 27-25, 25-22, 26-24 victory. Seagulls pulled out all the stops to overcome the absence of Aubrey, who's just begun an athletics scholarship in Texas, but the lack of hitting and a lacklustre defense did them in.
The CSU men gained revenge, however, beating Tombstone 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 26-24 in the nightcap. Both teams were forced to battle back from significant deficits, but CSU's win in the fourth set came after they were 9-1 and 20-11 down. Seagulls hit well and played outstanding defense against a Tombstone attack that lacked depth, but the big story must have been the officiating. The game became increasingly testy and bad-tempered, as calls were made and reversed, contested and discussed. The young officials never really took control of the game, which consequently ran about two hours
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Flavius Scores Twice For Hounds
(5 August 2001) - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds franchise of American A-League soccer ended a nine-game road winless streak in New York on Saturday, beating the Long Island Rough Riders 4-1 at Mitchel Athletic Park. The victory returns the Riverhounds to fourth place in the Northern Conference and eight points behind the Connecticut Wolves who they meet next Saturday in Connecticut. The top three teams from each conference make the playoffs along with the next three best teams in the league irrespective of the conference.
Rough Riders lost defender Carlyle Myrie to a red card in the 16th minute for a foul against Riverhounds St. Lucian forward and leading scorer David Flavius. Playing a man short, the Riders still hit first, on a 27th minute penalty. The Hounds, though, struck twice late in the first half, through John Jones and Paul Dougerty, to go into the locker room up 2-1.
Shortly into the second half, Welton received credit for his second assist of the evening feeding a cross to a wide-open Flavius streaking down the sideline. Flavius scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season. The Hounds completed their scoring in the 65th minute when Dougherty scored his second of the evening.
Last Thursday in Toronto, the Hounds fell 2-1 to the Toronto Lynx, with Flavius scoring the lone Hounds goal in front of a 3,892-strong crowd at Varsity Stadium. Flavius started the scoring in the 15th minute. Welton dumped the ball off to the stocky St. Lucian, who looked as if he would pass it. Instead his shot lobbed over the keeper to put the Hounds up 1-0.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
Charlery Nets In Pilgrims Rout
(5 August 2001) - In England, Boston United confirmed their status as favourites for the Conference title by demolishing Second Division Northampton Town in their last pre-season friendly at York Street . At half-time the score-sheet was blank, a header by St. Lucian international Ken Charlery having brought out a good save from Adam Sollitt in the Cobblers goal.
Just four minutes after the interval, though, Boston's Mark Monington headed home a curling cross from the left wing. Charlery increased the Pilgrims' lead when he latched on to a long through ball to beat the offside trap and slot home. 16-year-old YTS recruit Dan Wormham headed home a corner on his first touch, then triallist Carl Heggs headed home another at the near post. Anthony Elding scored Boston's final goal five minutes from the end, a long punt up field by keeper Paul Bastock finding Elding, who controlled the ball, and struck from ten yards. Minutes earlier, Northampton got a consolation goal from Chris Carruthers.
Boston are considering adding Charlery's former Barnet and St. Lucia teammate, defender Warren Hackett.
ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ..
|
|
