Grit and pride

Despite setbacks, the manager of the St. Vincent Grammar School team — the only Vincentian high school competing at the Penn Relays Carnival last weekend — emphasized her pride in the boys’ performance.

“I am proud of the boys as this is the first experience on an international stage for many of the team,” Justine Douglas, who is also a teacher at the all-boys secondary school, told Caribbean Life. “However, due to the need to adjust to both the weather and the new level of competition, our team was unable to reach its fullest potential.

“Our athletes will use these lessons to improve and are determined to apply them in the future,” Douglas said.
At a reception held Saturday night, April 25, at the Calabash Restaurant and Lounge in Philadelphia, Rawlson Morgan, the Grammar School head coach, reflected on the team’s experience after the Penn Relays Carnival, noting it was a “tough year for us – one of the toughest years.”

He said the team placed second in the 4x100m heat (on Friday, April 24) and fifth in the 4X400m (the next day), competing against 13 other high schools from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, and Jamaica.

The Grammar School boys ran in the following order in the 4x100m, clocking 43.53: Kmani Arthur, Serani Roban, Tylon DaCosta, and Nasari Nash.
In the 4x400m, they clocked 3: 36.93, running in this order: Kobe Ollivierre, Denrique Davis, Kmali Arthur, and Serani Roban.
“It’s the lowest for the team in the 4×400,” said Morgan, referring to the team’s performance in that heat for the third successive year competing in the Penn Relays.

“We have a team that’s half-whole, half-wounded,” he told the reception, alluding to injuries sustained prior to and during competition. “We’re still thankful for the outcome.”

Nonetheless, Morgan later told Caribbean Life that he, clearly, expected greater performances overall, stating that the team could have won the 4x100m.
He said DaCosta, running the third leg, “didn’t run as well (as he could).
“He’s the baby of the team,” Morgan said.

In the 4x400m, he said the team had “several problems,” noting that the first handover was “the biggest problem.”
“The pass wasn’t clean; the turnover, he (Arthur) had to be grabbing,” said Morgan, disclosing that Roban was injured while running the last leg.

Roban told Caribbean Life that, when he started the anchor leg, he hit the divider on the track, which “shocked my lower back and both legs.”
Despite the challenges, Vincentian supporters in New York and Philadelphia praised the Grammar School’s persistence and commitment.

“You’ve been given an opportunity through sports; winning is not the only thing,” Sandra Millington, president of the Brooklyn-based Club St. Vincent, Inc., organizer of the annual walkathon that raises funds for Vincentian athletes competing in the Penn Relays Carnival, told the athletes during Saturday night’s reception.

“As long as you do your best, things will  work out,” she added. “Stay the course.”

James Cordice, coordinator of the SVG Penn Relays initiative, far right, with Grammar School athletes, Team Manager Justine Douglas, second from right, and Rawlson Morgan, left. Photo by Nelson A. King

Ancilla Friday, Club St. Vincent, Inc.’s vice president and walkathon coordinator, also praised the Grammar School’s efforts, stating that she was “just pleased and happy to be among you.

“I hope the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, regardless of who is in power, will continue to support our athletes,” she said.
In his maiden address to Vincentian athletes competing in the Penn Relays, new St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States, Roland “Patel”

Matthews, heaped praise on the Grammar School athletes.
“You guys did excellent, and we want you to keep it up,” he told the reception. “I have seen potential. I want to encourage you to do what you do. Penn Relays is just the start.”

Hazel Matthias, president of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organization of Pennsylvania (SVGOP), said her group stood “ready to support” the Vincentian athletes.

“I say to the young people, don’t stop,” she said. “There’s a village standing behind you.”

Crispin Friday, president of the Brooklyn-based Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, U.S.A. Inc. (COSAGO), the umbrella Vincentian group in the United States, said he was “quite happy that COSAGO was able to send an excursion to the Penn Relays to support the Grammar School.

“Even though they (Grammar School) didn’t win, it’s important to note that they participated on the international stage,” Friday, a former student at the Grammar School, told Caribbean Life.

“It is also very pertinent for them to stay positive and be determined to forge ahead,” he added.

James Cordice, the Philadelphia-based president of Team SVG International, the group that coordinates the Vincentian Penn Relays initiative, said that, while “the Grammar School’s performance was not at their best, I was happy that they were present and that they had an opportunity to present themselves.

“I was proud that the Grammar School was able to place second in the 4x100m,” he said, adding, “As long as there are children with talent from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, I will continue to help them.

“I want to applaud Club St. Vincent, Inc. for their efforts in raising funds for the schools to come to the Penn Relays,” Cordice continued. “I want to thank them for their calculated efforts for the walkathon. It’s very important to highlight them.”

Some former students of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS) expressed disappointment that the school did not participate this year, for the first time since the initiative began 15 years ago, in the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival.

As this year concludes with reflections on both achievements and absences, the determination and unity displayed by the St. Vincent Grammar School team inspire future participants. Support from alumni, organizations, and community leaders underlines a shared commitment to nurturing Vincentian athletes’ growth and international presence. With lessons learned and encouragement received, there is optimism that more schools will return and excel at the Penn Relays in the years ahead.