The Saint Lucia Football Association commences its 2014 football season with the start of the Second Division championship.

The first match of the second division will be played at the Gros Islet playing field this Saturday the 11th January 2014.

Seven teams have qualified and have been placed into two groups to play after winning the promotional cup in their respective district leagues, these teams include; Group A Orion – G.Islet, No Fear – Canaries, Allez – Anse La Raye, Ciceron Seagulls – South Castries. Group B Togetherness Youth – Mabouya Valley, Young Generation – V. Fort North, Rising Stars -Desruisseaux.

The first and second place winners will be promoted to the First Division.

The Saint Lucia Football Association has asked that persons turn out in large numbers to support their respective teams and have extended good luck to the seven participating teams.

The first game takes place on Saturday, January 11, 2014 between Orion and No Fear on the Gros Islet Playing Field from 4 p.m. Rising Stars will also go against Young Generation at the same time at the Desruisseaux playing field.

Allez will play Ciceron at the Anse La Raye playing field on January 12 at 4 p.m.

World ARC participants off to a smooth start at Rodney Bay last Saturday. World ARC is expected to end in Saint Lucia in April next year.

On the heels of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) trans-Atlantic race which ended here in December, Saint Lucia has launched another yachting rally.

World ARC, which officially set sail from the Rodney Bay Marina on Saturday at noon, is not as competitive as the ARC, but the fun part is still there, according to race officials.

The event, which is being organized by World Cruising Club (WCC), brings to three, the number of yachting events taking place in Saint Lucia. The others are ARC Plus, which arrives just before ARC and the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).

Officials from the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) and WCC, and media personnel, witnessed the beginning of World Arc that will take participants around the world in just over a year.

Managing Director of WCC, Andrew Bishop, told reporters at Saturday’s start line that the 25,000-nautical mile route the yachts will take will be challenging but, nevertheless, rewarding.

Thirty-two yachts departed from the IGY Rodney Bay Marina with the remaining nine yachts expected to join the fleet on the Panama Canal.

World ARC, which starts and ends in Saint Lucia, is a 15-month endeavour and 17 nationalities from around the world are participating in the event.  The first stop will be the San Blas Islands where the fleet of yachts will await the smooth transition into the Panama Canal, then on to Las Palmas Islands, followed by the Galapagos Islands which promise to be the longest leg of the rally — 3200 miles to be exact.

Then crews will pass through French Polynesia and spend some time cruising the islands up to Australia, then even as far as South Africa then back into the south Atlantic where the fleet will be making their way towards Saint Lucia, calling into ports in Brazil and Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean along the way.

When asked how prestigious the around-the-world cruise is, Bishop said the event seems to have really caught on with ‘yachties’.

“It’s extremely well known and becoming better known as we have a larger entry this time than we’ve had before because the event is going annually from here on,” Bishop said.

Bishop also indicated that he has already received 20 entries for next year’s World ARC event. He believes that past and present ARC participants will subscribe to the now-annual event that aims at ensuring that the yachting calendar has enough exciting events year-round.

The World ARC event is being covered by world-renowned yachting magazines, including the editor from an American sailing magazine who will be joining the fleet in Panama as well as a writer from a German magazine who will be joining the fleet in Fiji.

Bishop said the grueling trans-Atlantic rally is a testing one. He said the three main challenges are weather, crew changes and equipment failure.

Being on the water for 15 months can take a toll on the boats and crew members, resulting in crew changes when the boats reach the various legs of the race.  However, he said such a lengthy period on the sea can often bring out the best in the crew amidst the challenges they face.

Bishop said the aim is to keep the crew happy and boats going.

Along the way, the yachties will soak up some sun, sea and fun, including the Rio Carnival on the way back to Saint Lucia.

The race is expected to end here on April 15, 2015 with a welcome party.

Jeannelle Scheper competes in the high jump at the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Indoor Championships college athletics meet in Fayetteville, Ark., Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Exactly one year ago today, Saint Lucia’s Jeannelle Scheper cleared 1.88m (6’2″) to set a University of South Carolina Saint Lucia national junior record for women’s high jump at the Auburn Indoor Invitational.

That kicked off a busy year for Scheper, who turned 19 in 2013. She set a new CARIFTA record, a Caribbean junior record, took Southeastern Conference (SEC) indoor gold and outdoor silver, captured a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) silver medal, a Central American and Caribbean silver, and qualified for the 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Moscow. The St Joseph’s Convent alumna also spent much of the season as the top-ranked junior female high jumper on the planet.

This past Saturday, Scheper opened her 2014 campaign with an even stronger effort at the Virginia Tech Invitational. After passing the first four bars, entering the competition at 1.70m and promptly recording six straight first-attempt clearances, the Gamecock senior cleared an NCAA-leading height of 1.90m (6′ 2.75″) for one of two South Carolina wins.

That height set a new facility and meet record, and eclipsed Kent State’s Dior Delophont’s previous NCAA-leading mark of 1.84m (6’0.5″). It’s Jeannelle’s best season-opener ever, in her first year as a senior athlete, and tellingly, her next three tries – although unsuccessful – were at 1.95m, which would have bettered her personal record of 1.92m and eclipsed her 1.91m school mark, both set last season.

BIRMINGHAM, Al. – Levern Spencer cleared 1.91m (6’3.25″) to win the women’s high jump at the Auburn Invitational this past weekend.

The 29-year-old Caribbean record holder is now fourth in the world list for 2014, just ahead of fellow Saint Lucian, Jeannelle Scheper.

The top collegiate finisher in the meet was freshman Leontia Kallenou, who is attempting to follow in Spencer’s footsteps at Georgia. Kallenou’s 1.88 clearance is the top mark for the Bulldogs since Spencer set the indoor school record at 1.90 in 2008.

The St. Lucian now travels to Czechoslovakia’s jubilee 10th Moravia High Jump Tour series, January29  in Trinec and February 1 in Hustopece.

She will be among the title favourites, along with long-time rival, Swedish number one and European indoor medalist Emma Green Tregaro, Turkish record holder Burcu Yuksel, Croatian number two Ana Simic, Ukrainain European junior medalist Tetyana Herashchenko and veteran Venelina Veneva of Bulgaria.

Jesse Corneil Lionel

The Iowa Western Community College Reivers competed at the Holiday Inn Invite, hosted by the University of Nebraska.

Saint Lucia’s 2013 national champion in the men’s 100m, Jesse Corneil Lionel provided one of three first place finishes for the Reivers. He set a personal-best mark of 6.80 in the men’s 60m dash at the Devaney Sports Center, holding off Isaiah Grady (Northern Colorado, 6.86) and DeMario Johnson (Kansas, 6.87) after easing into the finals by running 6.88 as the third-fastest qualifier.

His 6.80 replaces the 6.85 Lionel ran at the 2013 Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational last February.

But it was the event in which he had the poorer finish by position that yielded a milestone for the young man, who turns 23 this season. His 21.49 in the 200m gave him a second-place finish, the top mark by a collegian, behind 21.47 from Kyle Clemons.

The time represented a new personal-best mark, Lionel’s previous fastest performance having been 21.65 at the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships last March. Last week he opened the season with 21.86 at the Ward Haylett Invitational, hosted by Nebraska’s Doane College.

The new personal-best time of 21.49 for Lionel ties the Saint Lucia National Record set by Mandela Clifford in February 2011 at the Tyson Invitational. Coincidentally, his mark of 6.80 in the 60m also matches Mandela’s personal-best, which he recorded in the same month.

Three other Saint Lucian athletes were in action at the Holiday Inn meet, one representing IWCC and two others for Missouri State University.

For the MSU Bears, Pernell Joseph made the 60m finals and finished sixth. She ran the fifth-fastest qualifying time, 7.68, and then ran 7.73 in the final. Merica Moncherry, also from MSU, ran just 8.76 in the 60m preliminaries.

Joseph and Moncherry have seed times of 7.48 and 7.54 in the event, respectively.

In women’s high jump, Sharnique Leonce cleared 1.60m (5’3″) to finish second, missing out at 1.65m. Teammate Khadesha James beat the first-year Reiver and Saint Lucia national junior record holder for the heptathlon on count-back.

Other Saint Lucian athletes were in action elsewhere at the weekend. In New York, the University of Connecticut women’s track team won the Great Dane Invitational with a score of 117 on Friday, besting second-place Villanova by 34.5 points to win for the third consecutive year.

Nyanka Joseph added another noteworthy performance for the Huskies in the 400m dash, finishing in 56.82 seconds, demonstrating solid improvement among sprinters.

Jhorden Hunter

Meanwhile, at this weekend’s Auburn Invitational, where Levern Spencer was also in action, Jhorden Hunter shone for the University of Mississippi Rebels. She posted a solid 7.52, just .02 off her season best, in the 60m dash.

That time was first among collegians and fifth overall, after Hunter had run 7.54 in the preliminaries.

Hunter also led the Ole Miss ladies in the 200 with a time of 24.65 to finish eighth overall and fourth among collegians.

Kurt Frederick

DIRECTV W Connection extended their unbeaten form at the top of the Trinidad & Tobago Professional Football League with a 2-0 win over St. Ann’s Rangers.

The Round Two game came off last weekend at the Ato Boldon Stadium, and the winning goal was scored by one of the team’s Saint Lucia internationals, as WCFC beat Rangers for the second time this season.

Left-back Kurt Frederick, who has been capped 12 times since making his Saint Lucia international debut in 2010, opened the scoring in the 15th minute for the Savonetta Boys, as they are known.

Frederick, 22, has scored twice for Saint Lucia. This season, he has been on fire for WCFC, opening with a hat-trick in a 7-0 demolition of St Ann’s, and now sitting on five goals for the term.

W Connection are dominating competition in the Land of the Hummingbird under the guidance of Saint Lucian coach, Stuart Charles-Fevrier.

With eight wins and 26 points, the Couva club are comfortably ahead of the nine-team league, yet to record a loss after 10 games.

On the weekend, the second goal for runaway WCFC was scored by midfielder Jomal Williams in the 56th minute.

Glacia seated at the Chelsea table in the media room at Stamford Bridge Stadium

Glacia Evans, a Digicel prepaid customer and resident of the Dennery village, received a once in a lifetime experience in the UK, after winning the Digicel promotion “Trip to see Chelsea verses Manchester United live.”

The promotion which started in September 2013 came to an end on November 4, 2013 with Evans emerging as the successful winner of an all-expense paid trip to Stamford Bridge in London to see the football match between Chelsea Football Club and Manchester United.

The eight-week promotion gave all Digicel customers an opportunity to participate by texting their names and email addresses to 4748.

Evan’s number was randomly selected from the thousands of participants to represent St. Lucia at the prestigious football match in Stamford Bridge, London.

Evans boarded her flight at the George FL Charles Airport last week Wednesday, January 15, 2014 where she landed in Barbados to join up with the other nine Digicel winners from across the Caribbean islands. Their journey as a group continued to London where they all landed on Thursday, January 16, 2014. Whilst in London, Evans toured the Stamford Bridge Stadium, the Brixton Caribbean Market Digicel Diaspora Stores, the famous Portobello Market in Notting Hill and the Westfield Shopping Center as well as a range of historic museums.

“This was an unforgettable experience for me. Being part of an international football match surrounded by Chelsea fans was amazing”, explained Evans.

“I have always longed to visit the United Kingdom and being the winner of this prize from Digicel has just made my dream come true.”

The nine Digicel winners boarding the plane in Barbados

The highly anticipated Chelsea Football Club verses Manchester United match took place on Sunday January 19, 2014 at Stamford Bridge with a 3-1 win, in favour of Chelsea FC.

“Digicel is always delighted to provide customers with extraordinary opportunities which they would otherwise not have received. Evans was very excited throughout the promotion and messaged Digicel’s facebook page daily checking to see whether a winner had been selected. At the end of the promotion she was overjoyed to find out, that she was in fact the lucky winner of the trip to London” commented Sergin John Baptiste Public Relations & Communications Executive.

“Glacia’s prize included airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodation, spending money and football tickets to the match.”

Digicel is committed to changing the lives of customers in St Lucia and it was indeed a pleasure to have collaborated with the Chelsea Football Club on such a remarkable promotion. Unforgettable, life time memories were made in London for Evans and Digicel was happy to have made this dream possible for this loyal customer.

Jhorden Hunter

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jhorden Hunter’s mother, Guinia Annel, is from Saint Lucia, and the talented University of Mississippi junior has declared her intention to get citizenship as soon as possible, in hopes of representing the nation in international competition. With her most recent performances, the 21-year-old speedster may have to speed up her plans.

Over the weekend, at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational, Jhorden ran personal-best times in the 60m dash (7.42) and 200m (24.53), placing first in her section of the 60 and fourth overall in the 200. She now ranks sixth in school history in the 60 and 14th in the 200 after just four indoor meets as a Rebel. The Saint Lucia record for 60 is 7.48, set by Pernell Joseph in 2013.

Rebel head coach Brian O’Neal said of Jhorden, who transferred from UT-San Antonio this academic year, that she if fulfilling his expectations. “I think these were breakthrough races for Jhorden,” O’Neal said. “Today was the first time she was able to hit those positions we’ve been talking about in practice. That will give her confidence as the season continues.”

One of Jhorden’s goals this season is to go under 7.4, another is to finish in the top 8 in the Southeastern Conference. At the SEC Championships, she should meet up with Jeannelle Scheper, who had another winning performance this weekend. The South Carolina senior cleared 1.88m to win the High Jump at the Cherry & Silver Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

Two other Saint Lucian athletes had personal-best marks this weekend. Nyanka Joseph (junior, Connecticut) ended 13th in the 400m in a time of 56.28 at Boston University’s John Thomas Terrier Classic. Rick Valcin (junior, Dubuque) won the men’s Pole Vault at the Prairie Wolf Indoor Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a height of 4.95m on a first-time clearance.

Over in Bloomington, Indiana, Missouri State senior Pernell Joseph earned entry into the 200m dash invitational and did not disappoint. She finished in a tie for sixth in 25.78. At the Jayhawk Classic at the Anschutz Pavilion in Kansas, Sharnique Leonce contested High Jump for Iowa Western Community College. She cleared 1.62m and finished in a tie for fourth place.

Kids 4 Coral – most of the Canaries participants

Almost 20 Canaries children who were on an extended Christmas vacation due to late the reopening of their schools, which were damaged by floods from the Christmas Eve trough, participated in a two-week snorkeling course.

Caribbean SEA recently completed a Kids 4 Coral program in Canaries with the financial support of the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF), a press release states.

When the 2013 Christmas Eve trough flooded Canaries village, the infant and primary schools were damaged. This resulted in a two-week delay in the reopening of school for the second term in January.

Caribbean SEA said it decided to use the unexpected extended vacation to teach a group of 8-12 year olds how to snorkel and develop an appreciation of the marine environment.

Kids 4 Coral, according to the release, included four lessons where the participants learned about coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves and associated fish and other marine animals.

“They get to see much of what they learn during four snorkel sessions at different sites,” the release said.

The introductory snorkel session taught the proper use of snorkel and safety gear – mask, snorkel, life vest – and was followed by a practice session in shallow water. This was conducted on Wednesday January 15 at the north end of Canaries Bay.

An observation made during the course was that debris from the flood was found on the beach and sea floor.

“After walking along the beach, the children saw that the entire beach was littered with debris from the flood. They also saw quite a few pieces of clothing on the sea floor whilst snorkeling and removed some,” the release said.

The second session was conducted at Anse La Verdue.

Snorkeling at Anse la Verdue

The final two snorkel sessions were held at Anse Cochon on Saturday January 18, 2014. A powerpoint lesson was conducted on the beach on fish identification. It included information about the invasive lionfish.

The Caribbean SEA Program Director for Saint Lucia, Nadia Cazaubon said, “It is amazing to watch the children’s progress during the four snorkel sessions. At the beginning they have to get used to breathing through their mouths only because once you breathe through your nose, water enters the mask. So during the first two sessions, they keep stopping to clear their masks. By the final session, we have surface snorkel pros who would stop just to get my attention to identify something or call their buddies over to see something.”

Caribbean SEA expressed gratitude to the SRDF “for helping put smiles on the faces of these vibrant children after the trauma of the flood. They have learnt a life skill and now have a greater appreciation for the plants and animals that live in the sea. We would also like to thank Island Divers, Captain Isidore of Feel Good Tours, lifeguard Germain and our volunteers from Canaries (Shannon, Devin and Solange) for their assistance.”

18 children participated in the course.

Ethan Dyke Elliot start up swim

The Saint Lucia Amateur Swimming Association had the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre abuzz with excitement as the 2014 Long Axis Swim Meet came off on Sunday, January 26.

Run over three hours from 1:30pm, the meet – confined to the backstroke and freestyle – was contested in front of stands filled with parents and supporters encouraging the swimmers in the first meet of the calendar year.

The developmental meet was a showcase for over 175 club swimmers and national selectees to flash their talent.

Ethan Dyke Elliott of Sea Jays Swim Club, probably became the youngest swimmer to establish a national record, when he set the new national standard of 10:39.25 in the 800m free. It was an incredible performance by the 11-year-old St Mary’s College student, and he continues his record-breaking trek.

Obviously, Ethan’s latest mark is also an age-group record. Two other swimmers also set national age group records, those being Jorja Mederick (Racers) with 7:30.09 in the girls’ 8 & under 400m freestyle, and Vanessa Eugene (Cobras) stopping the clock at 14:47.67 in the women’s 18 & over 800m freestyle.

Rick Valcin

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) this week announced University of Dubuque pole vaulter Rick Valcin (Gros Islet/Castries, Saint Lucia) as its Men’s Indoor Track and Field Performer of the Week.

Valcin vaulted himself into the number one spot on the Division-III performance list in the pole vault by clearing 4.95m (16′ 2.75″) at the Prairie Wolf Indoor Invitational at Nebraska Wesleyan. The junior vaulter broke his own school record by 9.75″ at Nebraska Wesleyan, home of the 2014 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.

Valcin won his first pole vault competition in the Blue and White to start the season at the Wartburg Relays on January 10. With his win at Nebraska Wesleyan he has won two of three pole vault competitions this season.

He picked up victories at Wartburg in the 60m dash and ran the third leg of the Spartans first place 1,600m sprint medley relay team. He also finished third in the Men’s 60m dash at NWU with a time of 7.05 seconds, the 40th best time in Division-III and tied for fifth all-time at UD.

His 60m dash time is also the fastest 60m time in the Iowa Conference.

At long last the dates and host countries for the third round of the qualification tournaments towards the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World Championships to be held in Poland and Italy next September and October have been announced.

Saint Lucia’s senior women’s team will face Costa Rica, Barbados and host Puerto Rico in the fifth Pool R which will takes place May 20-26, 2014. The winner of this pool earns a ticket to the finals in Italy. Last year the ladies competed in the second round of qualification May in Curacao, placing second and qualifying for the third round.

The women’s third round features 20 teams divided into five pools of four teams where the winners of each pool will be granted a direct ticket to the finals in Italy, September 23 to October 12. The final qualification round will be played between the second placed teams of the third round events in Trinidad & Tobago, June 2-9.

Saint Lucia’s senior men have advanced to the third round having hosted and won the second round of qualification in April 2013. Sixteen teams will compete in the men’s competition, divided into four pools, also with a final qualification event for the runner-ups in Mexico or Puerto Rico come July. The pool winners earn a berth in Poland from September 3-18.

The Saint Lucian men will compete in Pool O against Guatemala, Haiti and host USA in Colorado Springs in May. Saint Lucia matched up against Haiti in the second round of competition, defeating them in the finals, and lost to the USA in straights set at the September 2013 NORCECA Senior Men’s Continental Championship.

This is the first time Saint Lucia has progressed so deep into qualification. The teams will resume their intense preparation for these high level competitions in the first week of February.

Jessica Jean

There are many urban legends about the sport of weightlifting, especially as it pertains to young athletes and women. Jessica Jean, petite, pretty, very feminine and seemingly always smiling – well, except when she’s lifting – probably belies just about every one of those myths.

Moving to Canada from Saint Lucia in 2008, the 17-year-old quickly got involved in weightlifting, and is now one of the rising stars of that sport. Her track and field background still come in useful, as speed is essential in standard Olympic lifts, the clean and snatch.

“My sport increases the power in runners and football players and so on,” explained Jean. “Weightlifting is amazing; I would love to come to Saint Lucia and teach people all about what it is that I do. But for now I am trying to become the top Canadian junior and go even further.”

“So far, I am ranked third in Canada, but that’s just a starting point,” she said. “I hope to qualify for Youth Olympics and Junior World Championships in 2014 and I am definitely aiming to go to the Olympics, maybe as early as Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Earlier this month, at the Junior Canadian Championships in Toronto, Jean took a big step towards her goals. Representing the Kanama HP/Toronto Weightlifting Club in the 53kg class, the young Saint Lucian took bronze and set three Ontario records.

With the bronze medal, Jean has qualified to represent Canada in June at Junior Worlds in Kanan, Russia. Her youth records included snatch – 62kg, clean & jerk – 92kg and total lift -154kg as she lifted nearly three times her weight on the day.

Naturally, Jean is excited about what she has achieved so far, but she knows she has a lot of hard work ahead of her if she wants to excel at the next level. And the tiny powerhouse from Saint Lucia will keep performing with that trademark smile on her face.

Leslie Collymore

The St. Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF) held its annual general meeting on Saturday February 2, 2014 at the Olympic House with a quorum of 11 affiliates and a Ministry and Youth Development and Sports official.

The proceedings began with an opening prayer by former second vice president Glen Guiste.

Following this, the President Leslie Collymore gave brief welcome remarks and a review of the initiatives which the SLBF conducted in 2013 based on its calendar of events. He also gave insight as to what is still left to be done.

In his remarks, he listed of a number of upcoming 2014 initiatives. Some are as follows: 2014 National League Tournament, 3×3 Basketball, 2014 Commercial Basketball League, Mini Basketball Program, 3×3 FIBA Workshop, OECS Championships, Creole Basketball Championships, Women’s Basketball and more.

The General Secretary Velica Augustin provided a brief summary of the CBC (Caribbean Basketball Confederation) Congress, held on January 18, 2014 in Puerto Rico. She attended that forum on behalf of the federation.

Subsequent to Augustin’s summary, Emmanus, the out-going Treasurer of the SLBF presented the organization’s 2013 Financial Report. Upon completion of this, the registration of new affiliates and re-affiliation of teams/clubs was undertaken.

General elections were held since the initial two-year term had come to an end. That process was conducted by Ligorius Marquis of the Ministry of Youth, Development and Sports and saw the election of a new executive of the SLBF for 2014 -2018 term as follows:

Leslie Collymore – President
Jonathan Cox – 1st Vice President
Benise Joseph – 2nd Vice President
Wendell Scheek – Treasurer
Velica Augustin – General Secretary
Laurah John – Assistant Secretary
Neil Joseph – PRO

The president then welcomed the new executive members and the meeting was concluded. A vote of thanks came from General Secretary Augustin.

Rosen Daniel

BALTIMORE – Rosen Daniel is an accomplished artist off the track and a budding performer on it.

The Coppin State freshman has painted a portrait for his friends’ wedding and drawn sketches of his friends. On the track, Daniel is still in the process of creating his ultimate masterpiece. Each stride around the banked oval leads Daniel and the Eagles one step closer to perfection.

With two weeks remaining before the Eagles compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship meet, Coppin State still have a couple of meets to tinker with a few things beginning this weekend at Penn State. The Eagles will compete Friday and Saturday.

Daniel will run the 400-meter dash and look to build upon his best effort of the season. He swooshed to victory at the University of Maryland Terrapin Invitational in 49.04 seconds, an effort good enough to meet conference championship qualifying standards.

Daniel has bigger goals though.

“It felt good to qualify for the MEAC championships because it was second time that I ran on a flat track,” Daniel said. “I am getting used to running indoor track. I am beginning to change up a few things like making sure my turns are as wide as possible and not get too close to lane one.”

Running the 400 is a new experience for Daniel, who ran mostly the 200-meter dash during last outdoor season. He is also a key member of the Eagles’ 4 x 400-meter relay squad along with Kester Chase, Rohan Stewart and Donnell Taylor that ran its best time of the season (3:15.52) at the Navy Invitational.

“Honestly, the 400 is not my favourite race,” Daniel said. “I prefer the 200, but indoor I don’t run that as much. There is a lot of strategy involved in the 400. It’s like math, so it has a positive side. Qualifying for the conference championships in this event is a big achievement for me. I am running faster now than when I did last year during outdoor season.”

Running fast has never been an issue for Daniel, who was always active growing up with his twin brother, Ross. You name it, they did growing up: climbed trees, caught bugs, played football, dabbled in soccer, danced, and performed gymnastics. The one oddity was that despite his 6 foot, 5 inch-frame, basketball was never an option for him. Daniel has enjoyed the places that track has taken him during his life. He has travelled the globe competing for his native St. Lucia in Singapore, Italy, and in the Cayman Islands.

Daniel has been winning championships since he was 15 when he participated in his first Caribbean game competition. As a 16-year-old, Daniel turned plenty of heads in his home country by running the 400m dash in 48 seconds.

Coppin State coach Carl Hicks had a relationship with Daniel’s high school coach, which is how he ended up in Baltimore.

“I never thought I would go so far with running,” Daniel said. “My high school coach also helped me fine-tune my talents. The most fun part of running track is getting to travel. Before track I’ve never travelled. It’s taking me a while to get used to the weather here, but other than that I am fairly used to track life and training. I’ve adjusted quite nicely here.”

One thing that he has also reluctantly grown used to is people mixing up his name. Sometimes, people think Rosen is his last name, when it is indeed his first name. He says he gets that a lot and he’s gotten used to that. While he’s not quite familiar with the Penn State track, he has heard good things about the oval and is looking forward to competing this weekend.

While, Daniel continues to strive for perfection on the track and lift the Eagles to great heights, he is continuing to enhance his creative skills off the track. Daniel enjoys the serenity that painting brings.

“It’s a good thing to do to help get your mind off school and track,” Daniel said. “I love the idea of bringing inanimate objects to life. To see your product come to life gives the artist fulfillment.”

CONCACAF held a well-received three-day grassroots development course in the south of Saint Lucia this week, combining intensive classroom education sessions with practical work on the field.

The programme concluded on Saturday with a vibrant grassroots festival attended by over 100 local children.

The grassroots course focused on coaching techniques for those instructing children aged 6-12 and was centered on creating engaging exercises that will encourage greater participation in the game, while also introducing fundamental technical skills.

The course was attended by 21 Saint Lucian coach-educators, who are already involved in youth coaching at a grassroots level, and was carried out by CONCACAF instructors Lenny Lake from St. Kitts & Nevis and Jefferson George from Trinidad & Tobago.

In keeping with CONCACAF’s philosophy of assisting social change through football, participants came from a wide-range of organisations, including local clubs and Saint Lucia Football Association (SFLA) bodies, but also from community organisations, voluntary groups, schools and churches.

The sessions were highly interactive with the coach-educators taking full advantage of their opportunity to learn from the expertise of their instructors.

“This has been extremely useful and informative,” said volunteer coach Gilroy Lamontagne, who runs a community-based academy for young players in Soufriere, a town on Saint Lucia’s west coast. “I’ve learnt what things I am doing right, some things I need to correct and plenty of new ideas.

“The key thing now is for us to take what we have learnt and put into practice with the youngsters we work with.”

That is a process with which SFLA President Lyndon Cooper said his organisation is keen to help.

“It will happen,” expressed Cooper. “The follow-up for us is that as part of the SLFA’s 2014 programme of activities we will have national festivals every quarter just to assure that the kids have the opportunity to play at least four times at the national level.”

Cooper encouraged other affiliated member associations to take full advantage of CONCACAF’s grassroots programme by saying, “The hope is that this is the beginning of a new generation of football in the region and my advice is to sign up to the programme.”

A lively festival with the course youth players attendees concluded the event, utilizing the methods gained during the sessions on Thursday and Friday.

As well as practicing their control and passing skills, the children were each provided with full playing uniforms from CONCACAF and 100 balls were distributed.

Reproduced from CONCACAF.

Alcide

The Saint Lucia Sports Awards are held way too late in the year. Sure, they’re in line with Independence celebrations, but the fourth week in February means 16 percent of the calendar year is already gone, and yet you’re still celebrating the achievements of the previous calendar year? Come on, now.

I would suggest that the Sports Awards ought to at least be brought in line with Nobel Laureate Week in the third week of January. Expressions of physical excellence would therefore be recognised alongside demonstrations of intellectual prowess. I won’t even get into the actual format that’s used to decide the Sports Personalities of the Year here. Suffice it to say I think it’s inadequate. And antiquated.

But having said all that, let’s take some time out to examine the likely destination of the Sportswoman of the Year 2013 title. Most of the nominees have relatively modest records, confined mainly to local and regional mastery.

Dawn Charles won four titles at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Championships. Maria David played for Saint Lucia in the West Indies cricket competition.

Natalie Edward is captain of Saint Lucia’s volleyball team, though she’s not been a tournament MVP in recent times. Megesh Savory represents football. Bailey Spiegelberg from swimming was 14th at the Central American & Caribbean Championships. Shem Maxwell has a decent case, as the best goal shoot in local netball, and with two Player of the Tournament titles – USA Netball Festival and Northern Ireland Netball Series – under her belt.

But I think the destination of the trophy will be a bit more familiar. Levern Spencer has been Female Athlete of the Year from 2004 to 2012, unbroken. Prior to that, she was Athlete of the Year 2000-2002. She won Sportswoman of the Year every time but 2004, when she was beaten out by Nadine George, a cricketer who had set a West Indies record during the previous 12 months.

In 2003, Erma Gene Evans took Pan Am Junior gold in the javelin throw and was named Saint Lucia’s outstanding female sports performer. And in 1999, Verneta Lesforis got her second Sportswoman of the Year title (she also won in 1993). In 1999, Verneta had won the Central American & Caribbean 400m, setting a new Saint Lucia national record in the process. She had also set Missouri State school records and was named the school’s Athlete of the Year.

So, basically, athletics / track and field has owned this title since 1999. And with another strong candidate this year, it looks as though a repeat is on the cards. Only this time, it’s not Spencer, but Makeba Alcide.

The emerging combined events star is set to be officially announced at the Saint Lucia Athletics Association Gala Awards this weekend, but the real story is how she managed to unseat Saint Lucia and the Caribbean’s top high jumper. Now, Levern had another great year, mind you. Better than 2012. Her usual strong showing on the professional circuit, World Championships qualification, Central American & Caribbean Championships gold, and her best performances since 2010.

At the age of 23, Makeba had a year for the ages. She set records for her school (University of Arkansas), Saint Lucia and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and for the National Collegiate Athletics Association, something Levern never managed.

She won the pentathlon and heptathlon in probably the toughest conference in collegiate track and field, the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, and went on to get bronze and silver at the National Championships. She was the first SEC Field Events Athlete of the Year, was the first OECS woman to qualify for World Championships in Heptathlon, and finished 28th. She also set multiple records for 60m and 100m Hurdles.

I think the records is where the separation really takes place. Saint Lucia had six new women’s records in 2013. One was Jeannelle Scheper breaking Levern’s national junior record for the high jump. FOUR were set by Makeba, hurdles and combined events, indoors and out.

Whereas Levern approached her best in 2013, Makeba was at her absolute peak, even if one senses that this could be just the beginning of things to come for her. She set 15 individual personal-best marks for the year. That she did not compete at the CAC Championships was a shame, as she could have medalled in high jump, won heptathlon, or both. And she ended the year world ranked in high jump, heptathlon and pentathlon.

In a year with no global outdoor championship meets, it should be interesting to see how Makeba, Jeannelle and Levern perform. Their seasons are already underway, and all three are out to strong starts. So even though the official announcements for last year are yet to be made, work has already begun on earning next year’s title.

Back in 1999, Saint Lucian coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier took his talents to the nascent Trinidad & Tobago Professional Football League, building an all-conquering VIBE CT 105 W Connection team around a spine comprising as many as seven of his compatriots.

Diminutive midfield general Elijah Joseph was the key player, with centre-forwards Earl “Ball Hog” Jean (the 2001 MVP) and freewheeling Titus “Titi” Elva, also major contributors to multiple title-winning teams.

Francis “Baba” Lastic, George Issac, Sheldon Mark, Jonathan “Borgia” McVane, Benner Walter and Alvin Xavier also passed through the doors at Couva.

In more recent years, Shayn Paul, Zaine Pierre, Vernus Abbott, Kurt Frederick and Pernal Williams have also played for WCFC, now sponsored by DIRECTV. Jean is now a member of the coaching staff, and orchestrating it all is still the man known as Stuartie, approaching his 55th birthday this month.

Today, W Connection are unbeaten after 12 rounds of play in the 2013/14 Pro League. With only two drawn games in the league, they have amassed a total of 32 points, and are 15 points ahead of their nearest challengers. Already this season, the “Savonnetta Boys” have celebrated the Digicel Charity Shield, the Toyota Classic, and the FA Trophy. Fevrier’s men have lost just once domestically, in a penalty shootout in the First Citizens Cup semi-final.

Saint Lucian defender Fredericks has been a big part of this season’s success to date, and with the luxury of a big cushion, Fevrier has looked to the Helen Of The West for more players.

This week, W Connection signed four Saint Lucians between the ages of 19 and 22, along with a pair of teenagers of Surinamese and Cameroonian extraction.

According to W Connection president David John Williams, they are signings for the future.

The new Saint Lucian contingent includes three attacking players, Eden “Eve” Charles, Jamil Joseph and Levi Francis.

Eden, 20 years old, has played eight times for Saint Lucia, netting three times. A member of the Northern United All Stars, he helped lead Gros Islet to the 2013 Blackheart title.

Jamil, 22, has 11 national caps and four goals. He played in Saint Lucia for Vieux Fort South and Root Alley Ballers, and in England for Thackley.

The other two players are probably rawer talents. Shanoi Shawn Evans is 19 years old. The young defender has played four times for Saint Lucia. Levi Francis Altidore is a 20-year-old attacker from Micoud. Shayn Paul’s cousin, he is a highly rated midfielder.

Obviously, there’s a lot of precedent for Saint Lucians at W Connection, but there’s also a lot to live up to. Time will tell if this quartet can be the next big Saint Lucian invasion at Couva.

Seth Dantzie helping the children roller-skate. The Lucian Rollerz Rollerskating Club held its open day on Sunday. * More photos available on our Facebook page.

Rollerskating as a way to keeping Saint Lucia’s youth out of trouble was the idea Lucian Rollerz Rollerskating Club had in mind when they held their open day on Sunday afternoon at the Johnson’s Hardware car pack to showcase the skills club members have acquired.

Founder of Lucian Rollerz Rollerskating Club, Simon Octave, started the club a little over a year ago with the aim of keeping kids out of trouble and giving them something fun to do. The rollerskating club meets every Sunday from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Castries stand of the Beausejour Cricket Ground, which was donated by Sports St. Lucia Inc to be used by the club.

At present, the rollerskating club has between 15 to 20 members, ranging from ages 15 to 63 years old.

“On a good day at Beausejour Stadium, we can have about 25 people skating, and some days we get five to ten people,” Octave said. “Rollerskating is not only for fun but it’s a great way of keeping in shape, and meeting new people and staying out of trouble.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS

Founder Simon Octave

It is Octave’s hope that the club, which was recognised by the Olympics Committee as a sporting group, gets a venue of its own where members can go to learn how to skate and learn new tricks, and also a place where the public can come to view the skating activities.

Octave said the benefits derived from skating can be mainly physical. Instead of the kids remaining indoors playing video games, this is a great avenue for the young people to get fresh air, learn new tricks and keep fit.

Seth Dantzie, an avid skater from the United Kingdom who has been rollerskating for 36 years, having learned about the rollerskating club, has decided to donate his time and efforts in helping the club members learn some new techniques to improve their skills and to become a well-known club.

As an official rollerskating club, Lucian Rollerz have kept in contact with clubs in the UK and USA, and many of the clubs have expressed interest in visiting the island when there is an official staking facility to skate in.

Octave indicated that as the founder of the rollerskating club, he orders the roller skates for interested persons and sells them at a cost they can afford without them having to pay shipping duties. His plea is that someone in authority will see this as a good initiative to keep kids off the streets and will donate the use of an empty warehouse or indoor facility.

Members from the skateboarding club joined forces on Sunday to advertise their skills and encourage young people to become part of the club.

In an interview with James Decaires, he said their aim is to acquire some land from the government in order to build a skating rink where all the skateboarding enthusiasts can come to skate. With a skating rink, roller skaters, skateboarders and people with scooters can use the facility to practice and hold competitions.

With the interest the club is already receiving from outside skating clubs, the Lucian Rollerz members see the possibility of this becoming a tourism product.

“The beauty about skate parks is that they are aesthetically pleasing. There are plants and benches; the benches can serve two purposes: it will have flowers palm trees and be a place for family gathering,” Decaires said.

The club is open to anyone interested in learning how to skate or just being a spectator.

Lucian Rollerz Roller Skating Club is also on Facebook and interested persons can look them up.

Jamilla Lansiquot (standing) Indira Laurencin (diving)

Saint Lucia’s senior beach volleyball teams have qualified for the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico next November.

The names of the countries that qualified were announced at the recently held North and Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) Volleyball Commission meeting in the Dominican Republic. A total of 16 countries will be represented in both genders at the tournament.

Saint Lucia qualified in both men’s and women’s divisions due to the ranking of their respective teams (9th and 13th) at the end of 2013. This is the second time Saint Lucia’s volleyball pairs have made the CAC Games.

The other countries that have qualified for the women’s division of the tournament this year include hosts Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba, Nicaragua, Cayman Islands, El Salvador, St Kitts & Nevis, Honduras, U.S. Virgin Islands, Colombia and Venezuela.

In the men’s division, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Aruba, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Colombia and Venezuela join hosts Mexico and Saint Lucia.

A test event on October 7-13 in preparation for the Central American Games will be held in Vera Cruz. The competition will form part of the NORCECA circuit.