Horse racing in Vieux Fort captured most of the attention on National Day but there was another less publicized sporting event taking place that day, generating lots of excitement and, best of all, it was free! The National Day Street Vault on William Peter Boulevard gave Saint Lucians the opportunity to see our top pole vaulters in action, namely Shem Edward, Rick Valcin and Mickey Ferdinand. Also in attendance was three-time Olympic qualifier, Saint Lucian Dominic Johnson and daughter Isabella, plus Tyler Thornbrue from Washington State with his six-year-old son Daniel.
Local athletes, who had earlier competed at the first-ever Secondary Schools Pole Vault Competition on December 9-10, also displayed their skills. During this National Day event it rained on and off throughout the afternoon but, during the sunny intervals, everyone had the opportunity to compete, with the younger, less experienced pole vaulters, like six-year-old Thornbrue, and then students who had competed in the Secondary Schools Pole Vault Competition, and finally the cream of the crop which included Saint Lucia’s best.
Intermittent showers and the pull of the horse racing affected attendance. Nevertheless, this activity was a crowd-pleaser. Among the spectators were reigning Sportsman of the Year, Albert Reynolds, and Olympians Dr Vernetta Lesporis and Zepherinus Joseph. Commenting on the Pole Vault Summit and the National Day Street Vault, Johnson, who resides in the United States and is a businessman and coach, said: “My stay here was fantastic. We started out with a one-day clinic where we had about 40 kids and then we came back two days later and had an Inter-Sec Championship. The environment there was fantastic. At the championships all the kids supported each other and it certainly had a good vibe. Today [National Day] at this exhibition we had some rain which got us off to a slow start but things turned out really well. It is exciting to see the work of Andy Behl and that he’s getting full support from the schools, associations and the ministry. You can see this is going to be a real sustainable endeavour.”
Johnson feels Saint Lucia will be a hot spot for pole vaulting in the Caribbean. He pointed out there is a lot of raw talent here and predicted a bright future for the sport. Behl, who has taken pole vaulting to new heights since arriving here a few years ago, feels the sky is the limit for this sport. In an interview during a rain stoppage he said: “This year is all about establishing a platform in pole vault for next year and the years to come. If you look across the programmes, especially behind the scenes, the organisers and everybody have the same vision. Everyone agrees that we are on to a really good thing here with the 2019 Pole Vault Summit. This really is just a step for next year, when we have other athletes come in from around the region. I think we have the infrastructure developed to be able to start to really be a hub for pole vault within the region, which will expose our local athletes is to higher competition.”
Behl has high hopes for Saint Lucia. His dream is “for Saint Lucia to become a powerhouse, not only in the region, but the world in the coming years”. Behl was impressed with the athletes who competed recently at the first-ever Secondary Schools Competition. He couldn’t help but mention one particular athlete, Jeremiah Felix, who attends Jon Odlum Memorial School. Competing in the boys under-16 age group, Felix placed first with a height of 3.25 metres.
Following the two-day Pole Vault Summit held at the Jumps Centre at the Patricia D James Secondary School on December 9-10, the inaugural Schools Pole Vault competition took off at the same venue on December 11. By all indication, the event was well attended and generated a lot of interest and excitement.
A total of nine females participated in two age categories with the following results: Under-14 Girls:
(1) Michel Alphonse, Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School – 1.30 metres (m); (2) Angella Francis, Bocage Secondary School – 1.15 m.
Under-16 Girls: (1) Jenniel Jacobie, Corinth Secondary School – 1.50m; (2) Zellia Alexander, Clendon Mason Memorial – 1.25 m; (3) Kesi Rodney, Micoud Secondary School – 1.25m.
Results for the boys were:
Under-12 Boys: (1) Daniel Thornbrue – 1.20m; (2) Ferrel Valcin, La Croix Maingot Combined – 1.10m.
Under-14 Boys: (1) Lester Emmanuel, Choiseul Secondary – 2.00 meters; (2) Everton Symphorien, Vieux Fort Comprehensive – 1.85m.
Under-16: (1) Jeremiah Felix, Jon Odlum Memorial – 3.25m; (2) Ajani Louis, Choiseul Secondary – 2.60m; (3) Terry Bertin, Choiseul Secondary – 2.60m.
Under-18 (1) Jay Vitalis, Patricia D. James Secondary – 3.00m; (2) Alexander Jn Baptiste, St Mary’s College – 3.00m; (3) Geovannie Goslin, Bocage Secondary – 2.45m.
Eighteen plus: (1) Sherman George, Patricia D James Secondary – 1.70m.
At the Awards Ceremony, certificates of participation were presented to all those who attended throughout the two-day Coaching Summit and competition. In addition, medals were presented to the worthy winners.
