Windward Islands to participate in School Games

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 25, the 2009 Canadian Bank Note (CBN)/Winlott Inc. Windward Islands School Games are set to officially begin from 10 am, with a ceremony carded for the Arnos Vale Playing Field.{{more}}

The ceremonial raising of the respective national flags and rendition of the four National Anthems will open the proceedings, with musical accompaniment by the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Band.

The Opening Ceremony will hear the welcoming address from Chief Education Officer Susan Dougan, with remarks from Murray Bullock, Chair of WINLOTT Inc., Stuart Gooding of CBN Inc. in St. Lucia, as well as representatives of the Ministries of Sports of Dominica, St. Lucia and Grenada.

Hon. Girlyn Miguel, Minister of Education, will be the keynote speaker. A cultural package is also in store, with songster Gerard “Rasum” Shallow rendering his hit “Perseverance”, along with the Arabesque Dancers.

Local administrators and Team St. Vincent and the Grenadines officials were for the past week fine-tuning and getting the bolts and nuts in place, ahead of the Games.

Deputy Chief Education Officer Luis de Shong, Chairman of the planning committee, told SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday: “A lot of work has gone into the Games and we are well poised to deliver.”

“We have moved away now from the pages and notes of our plans, and it is time to deliver,” de Shong said. He praised the staff of the Ministry of Education and the Department of Sports, the several sub-committees, and Bullock, Mc Gregor Sealey and Allison Thomas, all of the NLA, for their unwavering support, advice and recommendations.

“We have also had very good support from the associations, Football, Netball, Athletics, Basketball and Volleyball, and this has helped us a lot technically”, de Shong stated.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines will host 48 athletes and eight officials from each of the other three Windward Islands, Dominica, St. Lucia and Grenada, in the week long sporting extravaganza. The visitors will be housed at the St. Vincent Grammar School.

The planning committee Chairman added that the Ministry of Works has also been instrumental in getting the additional infrastructure in place at the camp site and added that catering will be done by the staff of the Kingstown Technical Institute.

Five disciplines will be contested in the multi -sport event: Track and Field, Athletics, Basketball, Football, Netball and Volleyball. Track and Field Athletics will be contested tomorrow at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, immediately following the Opening Ceremony.

That venue will also host Football. Basketball takes place at the New Montrose Basketball Facility, and Volleyball is set to spike off at the National Lotteries Authority Court at Richmond Hill, formerly, the Triangle.

Host St. Vincent and the Grenadines has occupied the cellar position for several years now, but de Shong believes that with the input from the coaches, there can be a change in fortunes.

“As I told the athletes, they cannot sit back and be comfortable. They have to be hungry for success,” de Shong stated.

But de Shong is calling for spectator support from the Vincentian public to scaffold the efforts of the organizing committee and the various coaches.

“We have done much to promote the Games and give it a lot of media hype, and I expect Vincentians to turn out to support the athletes,” the Deputy Chief Education Officer projected.

Placing much emphasis on discipline, de Shong revealed that a Disciplinary Committee, including Superintendent of Police Ellsworth Hackshaw and Education Officers Jasmine Creese and Beverley Neptune, has been set up to arbitrate any related matters that may arise.

The Vincentian contingent has Godfrey Harry as the Coach in charge of the Athletics component. Harry is also the deputy to Manager Doris Mc Intosh, with Thelma Foster serving in the capacity of Chaperone.

The other coaches are Football – Kendale Mercury, Male Basketball – Alrick Wright, Female Basketball – Vasha Adams, Netball – Joan Foster-Baynes and Volleyball- Marlon Williams and Vance Andrews.

The theme of the Games is “Perseverance: the key to success”.(RT)