Let the Games begin for Team St Lucia

The wait is over! Two Saint Lucians will literally test the waters and then some while competing at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Sailors Stephanie Devaux-Lovell and Luc Chevrier compete in sailing today, Saturday, at Bahia De Paracas-Pisco. Chevrier, Saint Lucia’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, got a jump-start preparing for the competition, having been the first athlete to arrive in Lima prior to the ceremony. Devaux-Lovell arrived in Lima on July 28.

On Thursday, after watching a football game at the San Marcos Stadium-Cercado between Venezuela and Mexico, Chef de Mission of Team Saint Lucia, David “Shakes” Christopher, gave an update on Chevrier and Devaux-Lovell’s preparation for today’s competition. Firstly, though, he mentioned his own hectic schedule which includes attending meetings at 7:00 am every morning, going over logistics and problems encountered by various delegations.     

Transportation is among the concerns, considering the fact the various venues for competitions are not close in proximity. For example, the sailing competition is a five-hour drive from the capital. 

With that in mind, Chevrier and Devaux-Lovell spent a great deal of their time away from the Games Village and, instead, were stationed at Bahia De Paracas-Pisco, getting acquainted with the surroundings. Christopher was pleased with their progress, saying: “The two sailors have been going through their paces. They work out in the morning and midday so they can be well prepared when the competition starts.” 

Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Edmund Estephane, also attended the football game for reasons other than entertainment. He was impressed with the stadium and couldn’t help but notice some of the similarities (on a smaller scale, of course) with the current plans for the Soufriere Mini Stadium. 

“The stadium there will look somewhat like this,” he told me. “Our surface will be very similar to this one, with artificial turf with a track around the field.” Turning his attention to our athletes, in a previous interview Estephane had said: “My main purpose here is to support our athletes and to show them that we care about their achievements.”

 When asked about his hopes and expectations for Team Saint Lucia at the Pan American Games, Estephane replied. “We know we have a champion in Levern Spencer who is going to be competing here. We pray to God that all goes well and that the weather is very accommodating to her and the rest of our athletes. At these Games we can only hope that our athletes give their very best. A lot of things have to come into play for that to happen. Our support system has to be intact. Peru’s climate is not like Saint Lucia’s and some of our athletes may be experiencing this kind of weather for the very first time.” 

 Chevrier and Devaux-Lovell are Saint Lucia’s earliest arrivals at the Games. The rest of the team, which includes Spencer and Jeanelle Scheper (both high jumpers), Albert Reynolds (javelin), Sandisha Antoine (triple jump) and Jean Luc Zephir (swimming), all arrive in Lima early next week. Zephir competes on August 6 while Spencer, Scheper and Antoine compete in their various events when athletics takes place August 7-10.

 Let the Games begin for Team Saint Lucia? You bet!