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Promesse Glows As He Hits An All-time Low
 (7 May 2000) - Sprinting is a funny sort of game - after all, there's not a great deal of margin for error in a sport where fractions of a second make a huge difference. Running that fraction of a second faster can seem like an uphill battle; achieving it usually owes as much to luck as it does to out and out speed. Now, no denying that Ronald Promesse is a fast man - he's indubitably the fastest St. Lucian man ever, with national records in the 100m and the 200m dash, in both of which events he has qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
The 25-year-old from Desrisseaux had yet to combine the speed and the hard work, though, with that soupcon of good fortune. Until Saturday, that is. He's a senior at the University of Texas El Paso, and so it's fitting that the high point of Ronald's career to date should come at that school's Twilight Invitational meet. Getting down in the blocks for the 100m two weeks after running a wind-aided 10.2 seconds in that event, Promesse declares that he "felt as if something good was going to happen." Happen it did.
Running against a field which included Russian champion Vitaly Medvedev, Jamaican Wayne Johnson and American Demar Johnson, Prom "concentrated on getting out of the blocks real fast." Exactly 10.17 seconds after the starter's gun went off, he had set a new national record, the eighth best time in the world for 2000. To hear him tell it, this is just the beginning. "I know I can run 10 [flat] and I intend to do that this summer." Hitting that sort of time consistently (his best race before Saturday was in 10.21 seconds two years ago) would place the fastest man in St. Lucia among the fastest in the world. More importantly, it could land him in the Olympic finals.
He's excited about the prospect. In two weeks he heads for French Guiana for an invitational meet that will provide a true test of his abilities, against a number of world-ranked runners. He has a plan for the next few months, and he's definitely keeping Sydney very much on his mind
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One Day, Three New Records
 (7 May 2000) - It must be some kind of record, three very different records falling at the National Championships. Well, it may have happened before, but seeing it take place was fascinating. First was Tamara Popo, the junior women's record holder in the discus throw. Her best throw before Sunday's National Track and Field Championships had been an effort of less than 35m. On Sunday, she threw 40.83m, eclipsing her personal best and seizing the senior record from Adella Paul, whose best throw had been 35.74m some five years ago. Tramara also won the shot putt on Sunday.
Soufriere's Nessa Paul, overlooked for the 2000 CARIFTA team, beat out her rival Mina Philip of Entrepot Secondary on two occasions on Sunday. The first was a victory in the 1500m run, a victory that made Nessa the fastest junior female ever over that distance in St. Lucia - she ran 5:01 to break Tricia Octave's nine-year-old record by some seven seconds. Nessa was voted most outstanding female athlete on Sunday after taking the 800m and then the 5000m titles.
Also winning three individual gold medals was Jineil Vite (see photo), also of Soufriere. Jineill was golden in the javelin, but she also dominated (as usual) in the sprints. A month before her birthday, the seventeen-year-old completed the 100m in 12.06 seconds, well ahead of Dionne Saltibus (12.56) and junior sportswoman of the year Levern Spencer (12.76). In the 200m, Jineill came in at 25.25 seconds, with Electra Marcelle (26.31) and Spencer (26.34) trailing her.
It's a tribute to Spencer that equaling her national high jump record of 1.73m is seen as a disappointment. She's used to resetting it nearly every time she laces up her spikes, and her failure at 1.75m will not deter her from trying again to conquer that height. And she's still fifteen years old.
Spencer's CARIFTA teammate, Nathan Justin of the Abilene Wildcats, had a tremendous day in the junior sprints. Yes, he won the 400m (a relatively slow 50.07 seconds) and the 100 (10.69) but it was in the 200m that he stole the show. Nathan crossed the finish line in a new junior men's record of 21.14 seconds, improving on he mark 0f 21.34 previously set by Ivan Jn Marie. There are big things in Nathan's future.
Of note, the senior men's sprints were less remarkable than those of the junior men. Soufriere's Nihemiah St. Jean was lost to the action fairly early, hurting a muscle as he hit a bump on the uneven track. That gave Edmund Estephane a pretty clear field in the 100m, which he won in 10.79 seconds from Damian Henville and Gimry Lewis. Henville won the 200m in 22.2 seconds, and Jeremie Richardson won the 400m in 49.89 seconds.
Electra Marcelle won the women's 400m in a minute and .93 of a second. Jason Sayers won the men's 1500m and the men's 800m, the latter in 1:58, winning by a second. He settled for silver in the 5000m, which was won by Wayne "Ali" St Ange. Gavin Lesporis won the junior 1500m and was third in the 800m.
Akim Herbert was a gold medallist in the shot putt and discus, beating Gael Henry and James Prospere. He had to settle for bronze in the javelin.
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Piton Beer Prelims End
(8 May 2000) - In cricket, the under nineteen national team fell short in pursuit of what would have been a tremendous upset on the road to defending champions Gros Islet. The youth team was bundled out for 125 in the first innings, then they conceded 268 for 9 before the champions declared their innings, clearly eager to force a victory. John Eugene scored his third century of the season, 128 decorated with 17 boundaries and six sixes. Frankie Gustave added 52 runs. In their second innings, the youth team put on 192, Shervin Charles with a courageous knock of an even 50, That left Gros Islet needing only fifty one to win off eight overs, and although Alton Crafton's men made the runs, they lost five wickets in the process.
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Babonneau won by an innings over Laborie. Danny Harris had almost half the runs for Laborie as the West Coast team scored 163. Harris had 76, and Claudius Louis took 5 wickets for only 29 runs. Three batsmen went past fifty as Babonneau totaled 316. Hilary Julien was unbeaten 75, Michael Monlouis scored 68 and Alvin Lafeiulle 63. Tommy Emmanuel had 5 for 67. Laborie in their second turn at the crease could manage only a paltry 82. Chris Arthur took five victims at the cost of 46 runs. Lewis added 3 for 26.
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Mabouya had a total of 281 runs against Micoud. Edmund Smith compiled 87 and Terry Gustave added 41. Micoud replied with 237 all out, most of those coming from Peter Francis, who had 149 runs, riding his luck after he was put down before he had troubled the scorers. Mabouya also gave away runs of their bowling, sending down 34 byes and 51 extras. Smith captured 6 for 70. Mabouya, leading on first innings, made 147 for 2 declared in their second innings. Cletus Alexander led all scorers with 58. Trevor Wells made 45. Needing 192 to win, Micoud were 54 for 2 at the close.
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Richard Peterkin Named to Regional Sports Post
(5 May 2000) - Richard Peterkin, President of the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, has been named treasurer of the Pan American Sports Association. This came about at PASO's XXXVIII General Assembly in San Jose, Costa Rica last week, when Peterkin was recommended for the post by President Mario Vazquez Rana a recommendation unanimously endorsed and ratified by the Executive Committee and General Assembly.
PASO is made up of the 42 NOC's from the Caribbean, North, South and Central America.
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Indifferent Weekend For Collegiate Lucians
(1 May 2000) - St. Lucian athletes were in action at two of the most prominent meets on the US college track and field calendar last weekend. At Drake University in Iowa, Olympians Dominic Johnson and Maxim Charlemagne competed for Complete Madness Sports and the University of Wyoming respectively. Johnson, St. Lucia's reigning Sportsman of hte Year, contested the men's invitational pole vault. With a vault of 17' 0.75" he ended sixth in the event, well short of his best, but not bad for his second serious vault since undergoing shoulder surgery last September.
Maxim ran two races as part of the Wyoming team. He was on the anchor leg for the 4x400m team that ran 3:10.77 to qualify for the final. He led off the 4x100m team that ran 41.23s and failed to make the championship round.
At the Penn Relays (University of Pennsylvania) Beryl Harris and Miguel Lambert ran for Coppin State and Georgetown, although neither met with a great deal of success. Beryl's Coppin State distance medley team (he ran the first leg, the 400m) was fourteenth in 9:56.92 in that event; his 4x800m team clocked 7:30.36 to end in tenth position. Lambert's Georgetwon team ran 7:19.87 to end fourth in that race.
Also at the Penn Relays was Dane Magloire, competing for St. Augustine's College of North Carolina. After finishing third in the long jump with a clearance of 7.5m, he tried his favourite event, the triple jump. His mark of 14.9m placed him seventh in the event for which he owns the national record.
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Charles-Fevrier Wins PFL's Lucian Showdown
(1 May 2000) - Stuart Charles-Fevrier and this W Connection Football Club got the better of a St. Lucian civil war in Trinidad's Professional Football League Sunday. The six St. Lucians on WCFC's roster shut out Caledonia, with three St. Lucians on their books, includng Emerson Jn Marie, 1999 Footballer of the Year. Alvin Xavier and Brazilian Jefferson Olat scored the goals for WCFC, and Charles-Fevrier devised a defensive game plan to bottle up Jn Marie and wingers Kendal Velox of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Sheldon Emmanuel of St. Lucia.
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SLRFU Side Spanks French
(30 April 2000) - A St. Lucia Rugby Football Union selection made easy work of Martinique club champions L'Eveil in a weekend encounter. The Trois Islet team were without several key players for the ten-a-side matchup; still, the 64-19 margin of victory refelcted the dominance of the SLRFU side.
Leading the scoring for St. Lucia was scrum half Colvis Samuels, who converted five tries and scored one. Lenny Yarde, Jerry Charles and Garfield Jules each ran two in for the victors. Those, and an Akim Herbert try, were sandwiched between an early score from Roger Butcher and a late one from Terry Guillaume.
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Going to Any Lengths for Olympic Glory
(12 May 2000) - St. Lucia's champion long jumper Dane Magloire is preparing to lead his school to a Division II track and field title in the United States. Dane, a 24-year-old sophomore at St. Augustine's College in North Carolina, is ranked as the fifth best long jumper in Division II with a leap of 7 .57m to his credit. He is also the fifth best triple jumper in his division. Last week he cleared 15.42m in that event. Both marks are short of Dane's personal bests, but the Dennery athlete says he has recovered from minor injuries earlier this season and this week he cleared what would be a national record 7.82m in practice. That's not far short of the 7.95m Dane needs to become St. Lucia's fourth automatic qualifier for the Sydney Olympics next September.
In two weeks Dane will contest the DII National Championships. They'll be held at St. Augustine's, which has won eight titles in the last two decades. Last year St. Augustine's was second, as Dane took the bronze medal in the triple jump.
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New York Volleyball Honours for Maxim Auguste
(11 May 2000) - Another St. Lucian scholar athlete is cleaning up the awards at college in the United States. Maxim Auguste, a sophomore at Queen's College New York, was recognized earlier this week as the school's outstanding freshman volleyball player, outstanding freshman athlete of the year and the top scholar athlete in volleyball. Though Maxim is currently in his second year at college, this is his first season on the volleyball team.
The 24-year-old had an outstanding year, attending every practice session and leading his team in kills with 487. Maxim says that this is just the beginning for him and he hopes to continue developing as a player, but he notes as well that his performance can pave the way for other St. Lucian players. "What's really important at Queen's is discipline and responsibility, and I think I won those awards because I showed these qualities. Here at Queen's they're excited about the possibility that more St. Lucians could be coming over here to play volleyball." At least two members of the national men's team are seeking to secure scholarships at Queen's.
Maxim also mentioned former St. Lucian volleyball player of the year Ayinde Kunta Williams, a freshman at New York's Concordia College. After suffering a recurrence of a medical complaint earlier this season Kunta was unable to play for some time, but he remains a staunch contributor to the team, acting as a sort of assistant coach.
Domestically, this weekend the men's national team will officially begin preparing for the Caribbean Championships, which will be held in Barbados next July. Auguste and Williams, who is also at college in the US, have been named to the national team for that tournament.
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Dauvergne, King, King and Queen of the Courts
(11 May 2000) - David D'Auvergne defeated Jonathan Jn Baptiste in the men's singles final of the Cable & Wireless Tennis Tournament this week to tighten his grip on the top spot in the local game. David beat second seed Jonathan 6-4, 6-3 and ended the tournament with 66 points for the year, sixteen better than Jonathan.
Amanda King is the undisputed queen of domestic tennis. King has twenty points, five clear of her nearest rival, Deidre Palmer. The two met in the C&W final, King winning both sets at love. She allowed just one game to get away for the entire tournament.
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Sonic Boom Prevents Phoenix Rebirth
(11 May 2000) - They won the tournament since last week, but the Lady Sonics basketball team continued to dominate the Iyanola Marathoners April Games against the Phoenix Women's basketball team. Thursday night at the Vigie Multipurpose Sports Complex, the Sonics polished off Phoenix 44-29 in the fifth and final game of this women's basketball tournament. Shermain Louis and Cynthia Velinore led the team as they've done throughout the competition. Louis had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals. Velinore recorded 10 points, 4 boards, 8 thefts and 7 assists. The John sisters of Laborie - daughters of Parliamentarian Velon - were among the leaders for Phoenix. Laura had 9 points, six steals, Makeda 8 points, 8 boards and 3 steals.
Morgan George, the organiser of this competition and the coach of the Lady Sonics, told St. Lucia Online that he is happy that the tournament went ahead even though it only involved these two teams. "If I'm putting this thing together, I'm going to be very strict in terms of deadlines and so on. These other teams need to get serious." He also commented that there is plenty of talent in St. Lucia, but he says that it needs grooming. "The coaches that are out there have to go and look for these girls - I've been doing it for years."
A sore point for George - a member of the national team in the 60's and one of St. Lucia's best ever basketball players - is the absence of women's basketball from the inter-scholastic sporting calendar. "Fifteen years I've been after them to get women's basketball in schools. If they had done that, we would have some really great tournaments and we would be able to put together a national team, which we don't have at the moment." Morgan is currently examining the possibility of creating a national youth development squad.
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