Sea Operations Starlift, GHS steal show in Junior Pan Meet

Sea Operations Starlift have retained their title as the top community-based junior steel pan side in St Vincent and the Grenadines, while the Girls’ High School had their first taste of success since 2011, in the VINLEC Junior Pan Fest over the weekend.

The intermittent downpours did not dampen the spirits of the hundreds of young pannists, as well as their supporters,{{more}} who turned out in their numbers on Sunday afternoon at the Victoria Park to take in pan music from six school bands and five community teams.

The 37-member strong Girls’ High School scored 246 points with their rendition of “Kangaroo” originally performed by the band Touch, to wrest the coveted title of top school side from last year’s winners the C.W. Prescod Primary School.

GHS stopped C.W. Prescod from recording a hat-trick this year, getting sweet revenge on the primary school orchestra, which in 2012, had prevented the all-girl band from taking the schools’ title for a third consecutive year.

C.W. Prescod, with their cover of another Touch hit “Tamika,” had to settle for 242 points and second place, while the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown scored 214 points and earned third place with their cover of “Disco Ivy” by the band Astericks.

Other schools in the competition were the South Rivers Methodist Primary School, the Bethel High School and the Troumaca Government School, all of whom were competing for the first time.

In the keenly contested Community Groups section, Sea Operations Starlift were able to hold on to their title, despite a strong challenge from the Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra and three other groups.

Starlift’s rendition of Poorsah’s “Mouth in me Mooma” earned them 265 and gave them the judges’ nods over Sion Hill, enabling them to hold on to the title.

Sion Hill scored 253 points with their interpretation of X-A-Dus’ “Watch de Ride,” while “Carnival Fever” by Blaksand earned the Symphonix Steel Orchestra 242 points and third place.

The Canadian Bank Note All Stars and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority Genesis were the other two teams in the community category.