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St. Lucia Ready for OECS Boxers
 (October 7) -
The St. Lucia Amateur Boxing Association revealed this week that nearly everything is in place for the hosting of the 1999 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Boxing Championships. In an interview Thursday, Association president Dr. Kenneth Louisy said that SLABA has held numerous meetings with major sponsors Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd. and with the OECS Sports Desk over the past six to eight weeks. SLABA is currently in the process of confirming the participation of various OECS territories.
Ascertaining the venue for the Championships had been the major sticking point for the local Association, which had hoped to stage the event at the National Cultural Centre. The Championships will, instead, be staged at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School auditorium 26-27 November.
Noted regional netball administrator Kathy Harper-Hall of Jamaica is set to assist SLABA with managerial tasks related to the Championships. A press conference will be held next week at which the Association will announce details of the Championships.
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St. Lucia Comes Up Empty at Pan Am Karate
(October 5) - Three karatekas represented St. Lucia to the Pan American Karate Championships in Barbados at the weekend. Tiberchous Eristhee, Dean Avril and Patrick Edward - all from the St. Lucia Shotokan Karate Association - returned home Monday evening, not having brought back any medals. Kim Newton, Ivelaw Jones and Alex Morgan had been down to travel to Barbados, but the three were unable to make the journey.
Edward said that although the team did not meet with any considerable success in Barbados, the tournament - won by Canada - was a valuable learning experience. "It gives us an idea as to where we're at with our karate, and we now know what we need to aim for in the future," said Edward. Overall, Edward said that he was impressed with the performances from the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean. Barbados won the team kumite for the first time in the history of the tournament.
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Roots Alley Ballers Top Performers Again in FA Cup Football
(October 5) - Striker Emerson "Ti Loy" Jn Marie and Vieux Fort's Roots Alley Ballers dominated again in the first leg of the Heineken FA Cup quarterfinals. Playing Saturday afternoon at Friendship Park, the home team demolished the Ghetto Stars Youth Organisation (GSYO) of Soufriere, scoring seven goals and allowing just one. Jn Marie, profiled last week on St. Lucia Online, had a hat trick, as did teammate Sheldon Mark. GSYO face a virtually impossible task in the return leg on October 9.
In other games played on Saturday, two Mabouya Valley teams gained first leg advantages. Rovers United, playing away to Northern United, got two goals from Anthony Matthew in a 3-2 win. At La Ressource, NCB Mashtown handed Dennery's White House a 2-0 setback. In the Anse la Raye derby between Foundation and Young Stars, a close game finally ended with a slim advantage for Young Stars. Of course, the return game is set for Anse la Raye, and both teams are in with a chance of advancing.
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Individual OECS Volleyball Honors for Dujon, Reynolds
(October 5) - St. Lucia won the 1999 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Women's Volleyball Tournament at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St. Vincent and the Grenadines by crushing the host team in straight sets on Sunday evening, completing the tournament unbeaten, having dropped only four sets from four games throughout. This was the Tenth OECS Women's Tournament, and St. Lucia's eighth title.
Outstanding players for St. Lucia included teenager Shana Aubrey and veterans Marcia Vite, Gifta Dujon and Joana Reynolds. Dujon was named the tournament's Best Blocker, and Reynolds claimed the title of Best Attacker. Reynolds also came away with hardware as the Most Valuable Player on the St. Lucian team and the tournament's Most Valuable Player overall.
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Lots of Hiccups, but St. Lucia Lifts Championship #8
(October 4) - The Tenth Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Women's Volleyball Tournament looked as though it might be open to any of the top three teams. Defending champions, St. Lucia – who had won the trophy on seven previous occasions – came out of the gate stumbling, dropping the first set in their opening game against St. Kitts. Coach Terry Verdant and captain Sabina Gaston rallied the troops, though, and St. Lucia held on for the 3-2 victory.
The second day's play was lost to rain, and the St. Lucian team which stepped onto the court on Saturday evening against Antigua appeared to be devoid of spirit and energy. The first two sets were split, with St. Lucia taking the first. Joana Reynolds and Gifta Dujon, tentative though they were at times, carried the side until Shana Aubrey was put in. The teenage hitter energised her team, eventually providing the game-winning kill.
Sunday morning the champions were just getting loose, and Dominica hung with them for quite a while, before going down 25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 25-7. Lydia Ann Harris, another talented teenager, was used as a libero against Dominica, but lack of experience in that position deprived her of the chance to have a greater influence on the game. Aubrey, Dujon and Reynolds were outstanding, but Gaston was clearly suffering from an injury picked up against Antigua.
Host territory St. Vincent and the Grenadines were unbeaten as they prepared to meet St. Lucia Sunday evening at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex. Having struggled throughout the tournament against lesser opponents, Coach Verdant was eager to demonstrate that St. Lucia was cut from a different cloth. Gill and Aubrey were well utilised, and vice-captain Marcia Vite may have had her best game of the tournament, as St. Lucia won its eighth OECS title.
Gaston was happy with the championship, but she says that this year's tournament was especially difficult. "I must say that the other teams have improved tremendously over the years, but St. Lucia is getting stagnant; we stay at the same level." Gaston went on to add that St. Lucia needs to play stronger opposition in order to develop its game. "We need a lot more exposure," she said, "in traveling or in bringing down some teams to play some games with us."
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St. Lucia Wins Opening OECS Game in Five Sets
(October 1) - Seven times champions and current defending champions, the St. Lucian team made heavy work of their first match at the 10th Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Women's Volleyball Tournament Thursday evening. Playing at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Sabina Gaston-led team defeated St. Kitts, but only after they had been taken to five sets.
Following a brief opening ceremony which was addressed by OECS Sports Coordinator Michael Ollivierre, the St. Lucian women got their title defense off on the wrong foot, deservedly losing the first set 13-25. Coach Terry Verdant rallied his troops, however, and they took the next two sets 25-23 and 25-15. St. Kitts evened the score by taking the fourth set 15-25, but St. Lucia prevailed 15-12 in the final set.
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Last Lap Motocross Activity Set for October 4
 (September 29) - Last week we reported that as of October 5 the St. Lucia Motocross Club would be unable to use the Pigeon Island Causeway for practice and shows, due to the construction of the Hyatt Regency St. Lucia on the Causeway. Official notice of that development came from National Conservation Authority (NCA) Chairman Senator Perry Thomas.
For nearly a decade, the Causeway has been the home of St. Lucian motocross, and the Club will be sticking close to the deadline for leaving. "Last Lap: a Farewell to the Pigeon Island Causeway" will be staged on Monday October 4, the final motocross event ever slated for that venue. Meanwhile the search is on for a new motocross venue.
The executive of the Club is hoping to meet shortly with Minister of Sports Hon. Mario Michel and Permanent Secretary responsible for Sports Ernest Hilaire, in a bid to identify a location where a track and other facilities can be established. A Committee set up by the recently installed executive sat down last week to prepare for that meeting with the Minister.
Monday's event will not be exceedingly showy; the Club has had little time to set up the logistical parameters. Most of the island's top riders, including 1999 Havoline Supercross champ Gary Devaux, will turn out on Monday. Whereas the Club has said that there will be no racing, a thrilling show featuring tricks and a jumping exhibition will be in store.
Some good news for the Club: an event which had been scheduled for November in Ocho Rios, Jamaica has been pushed back to January 2000, allowing the Club and the riders on the St. Lucian team more time to get ready for participation in that activity
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Clifton Sealy Karatekas Come Up Big in Caribbean Tournament
 (September 28) - A group of eight karatekas from the Millet dojo of the Clifton Sealy College of Martial Arts returned Monday from the Caribbean Martial Arts Olympics Tournament in Barbados. Five of the St. Lucian martial artists contested the two-day event, which included competitors from Europe, Canada, the USA, South America and the Caribbean. St. Lucia's karatekas did exceptionally well at the tournament, winning two events and placing second or third in six others.
Leading the pack was chief instructor Joseph Henry, a first-degree black belt who competed in the advanced kata against a field including masters from Barbados and Trinidad. Performing a pattern designed by Sensei Clifton Sealy - entitled Lucian Fists, First Form - Henry took first place in kata competition. He also placed second in senior men's kumite. Upon his return to St. Lucia, Henry said "the tournament was very well organised, but [the St. Lucians] were among the most disciplined teams."
Orange belt Wayne Toussaint was one of the revelations of the competition, along with purple belt Ferdinand Henry and yellow belt Afra Augustin. Toussaint was second in kata in his division, and third in kumite. In the 15-18 age group, Ferdinand was third in both kata and kumite. Augustin, though, had the biggest impact. She won the women's kumite, after defeating several more advanced karatekas. Lorraine Augustin, Afra's sister and another yellow belt, came third in women's kumite.
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Glen Simon, Kim Newton Dominate Resurrected MAC Tournament
(September 28) - The St. Lucia Martial Arts Commission can be well pleased with itself, following the successful staging of the MAC Tournament at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School Auditorium. The substantial media coverage given the tournament may have helped account for the fact that more than a hundred and twenty karatekas registered for last Sunday's event. All dojos on the island supported the tournament.
On the floor, Glen Simon of Hatsuru Temple was the dominant force, taking the senior men's kumite and kata for brown and black belts. Tall and muscular, Simon was crisp in kumite, while he exhibited flawless technique in kata. Anthony Leon, also from Hatsuru, was second in both events. Arnold Sonson (Xavier's Karate Association) placed third in kumite and Alex Morgan was the third place finisher in the kata competition.
St. Lucia Shotokan Karate Association (SLSKA) black belt Kim Newton also did the double in the senior women's kumite and kata for brown and black belts. In both events Newton beat out Sancha Adjodha and Leandra Xavier. This weekend Newton and four other karatekas will represent St. Lucia at the Eighth Pan-American Karate Championships in Barbados. All five belong to the SLSKA; they will travel under the MAC banner.
Young Tiberchous Eristhee is one of the five St. Lucian karatekas who will be traveling to Barbados at the weekend, along with fellow black belts Morgan Edward, Ivelaw Jones and Patrick Edward. Last Sunday at the CCSS auditorium Tiberchous had to settle for second place in the junior kumite, where he was outpointed and outfought by Dean Avril, with Andre Charles trailing those two competitors for third place.
The MAC spent several weeks in preparation for last weekend's event, the first MAC Tournament since 1991, when the event was seen as a national championship of the martial arts. Whilst karatekas got ready for the 1999 Tournament, the Commission held a series of workshops for black belts, brown belts and chief instructors, in order to reacquaint those individuals with tournament etiquette, judging, scoring and refereeing.
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Brown and Blondell Win AAA Race Walk Series
(September 28) - Paul Brown and Lucy Blondell were the overall winners when the St. Lucia Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) completed its race-walk series on the Castries city circuit last Sunday. Brown and Blondell were the first man and woman respectively to cross the finish line in the third and final race in the series, clinching their overall victories.
Brown was the only person to finish the course in less than one hour. His time of 59:13 was close to a minute better than that of Dave Dubois, who completed the course in 1 hour 12.42 seconds, good for second place in the series. Dennison St. Luce finished out of the medals this time, but he still managed to end up in third place in the series.
Blondell dominated the women's field, clocking 1:11:42 to beat Aldora Laborde by more than two minutes. Laborde came in at 1:13:42, and she also finished second overall. Hermina Dubois finished the series in third.
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St. Lucia's "Shortman" Joseph is the Top Man at CAC Bodybuilding
Only days after the St. Lucian team had been announced to contest last weekend's Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships, Coach Alleyne Duncan said of Alphonsus "Shortman" Joseph that "he's probably in the best shape of his life. He looks good, and he looks ready." Joseph himself was confident that he would do well, having placed second in his division at the 1998 Championships.
Joseph was not seen as the top man on St. Lucia's three-member team. After all, St. Lucia's most successful contemporary athlete Julian Felix was going for a third consecutive victory in the middleweight division. At the last minute, though, Julian opted to enter CAC as a light heavyweight, a division in which he would eventually place second, proclaiming that he was "happy with the result, although I could have done better."
It was the veteran Joseph who proved to be the cream of the crop this time, replicating his success of 1996, when he won the CAC bantamweight crown. "I was very confident when I went in, and I think it really came through in my routine," said Joseph. This time, he wowed the St. Maarten crowd with his extraordinary mass and a brilliant exhibition of posing, outshining the competition and making it look easy in the process.
St. Lucia's third competitor at these Championships, and the sole woman on the team, Monica Dudley had just missed out on a podium finish at the 1998 CAC Championships. That was not to be the case in St. Maarten, as the experienced lightweight competitor flexed her way to a third place finish. It was her best outing ever at the CAC level, and it capped a very strong showing from a talented trio of St. Lucian athletes.
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