All-Star Student Athletes (ASA) in full bloom

Six Vincentians teenagers have been granted the opportunity to be exposed to the rigours that student basket players endure in the United States{{more}}

They are Jemmile France, Bequia; Zanif Sandy, Canouan; Nemiah Alexander, Mayreau; Consolo Adams, Barrouallie; Leandru Edwards, Calliaqua; and Azizah Stowe, Union Island.

They were selected as part of the All-Star Student Athletes (ASA) initiative, mentored under the banner of the Kerosene Lamp Foundation, founded by Vincentian -born NBA player, Adonal Foyle,.

The six youngsters, five males and one female, left here on Thursday, July 15, 2010, for Orlando, USA, where they will participate in a two- week summer camp.

The athletes were selected by their coaches from previous Basketball camps called the Athletics and Academics Island Camps.

The six are accompanied by two chaperones Michael Penniston of Bequia and Owen Isaacs of Mayreau.

The programme’s main objectives are to turn promising young basketball players into successful student-athletes and provide future opportunities for scholarships to help pave the way to their individual success.

With the annual Islands camps shelved for St. Vincent and the Grenadines this year, Foyle further explained to SEARCHLIGHT the reasoning behind the starting the ASA.

Reflecting on his entry to United States educational and basketball systems, Foyle said categorically: “I was ill prepared. I was not exposed to a lot of things.

“So we wanted to get them aware of the work that goes into basketball,” said Foyle .

“The programme serves three folds: It is a cultural exchange, it is an academic assessment, and they are exposed to a higher level of Basketball,” Foyle stated.

“There they will be out of there comfort zones and we will be able to see them in different environments, and can instill in them the right things and assess their strengths and weaknesses,” Foyle, a free agent in the NBA added.

He said that on the tour the atheletes will be required to read daily and make journal entries.

But that is not all, Foyle said that on return to St.Vincent and the Grenadines, they will be tracked and other support systems will be put in place to ensure their continued success.

The first week of the tour is expected to focus on basketball and enrolling All-Star Student Athletes in the Youth Basketball of America’s international basketball camp. During the second week All-Star Student Athletes will be immersed in various educational, health and cultural experiences including academic assessments, etiquette lessons, and medical checkups.

Additionally, they will be taken on educational field trips to the University of Central Florida and the Kennedy Space Center. Other fun activities include trips to Universal Studios, Cirque du Soleil and Animal Kingdom.

And, Foyle too, will have hands on experience with the six, as he will be working with the student-athletes individually and in group settings in motivational sessions and goal setting.

The ASA follows last August’s launch of the Adonal All -Star Achievement (AAA) here, in collaboration with the Adult and Continuing Education in the Ministry of Education, aimed at motivating out of school persons, mainly aged 15 to 27, to take classes to improve their reading skills. (RT)