It took seven years and much prodding, but the St. Vincent Grammar School, the island nation’s oldest, and, arguably, most elite boys’ secondary school, has finally entered a team to compete in the internationally-renowned Penn Relays Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Rawlson Morgan along with the principal-headmaster, Curtis King, and athletic department head Suzanna-Marie Leigertwood-Olliviere, will be among the school’s 13-member contingent at the Penn Relays, the oldest and largest collegiate athletic meet in the United States.
Morgan in an interview with Caribbean Life said, “For most of the guys, this will be their first international competition; and, for others, it’s their first time out, so you can understand the level of excitement being exhibited by all,” Morgan said.
He noted that St. Vincent Grammar School, despite its prestige and influence, will follow the footsteps of Thomas Saunders Secondary School, which made history seven years ago by being the first and only secondary school in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to participate in the Relays, held annually at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field.
Morgan lamented that greater and competing interests, primarily financial, prevented the grammar school from not venturing out to the games before.
“We did not think that it was a priority,” he said, adding that “the amount of money it costs to send a team to Penn could have been better spent on more urgent needs. I also felt that you must have a team that is just not going to be there but be competitive enough to be there.”
Nevertheless, Morgan said the eight athletes, who will compete in the large school category — Thomas Saunders will compete in the smaller school category because of the size of its student body — “have worked really hard and have shown that they deserve to be there.”
He said his athletes have been in training since last August.
The St.Vincent Grammer school traveling contingent for the Penn Relays includes: athletes – Zwicka Charles, GianLuca Da Silva, Javon Rawlins, Jevonie Lavia, Sage Primus, Ethan Myers, Rasheed Fontenelle and Randolph Richards; head of delegation King; Morgan; manager Leigertwood-Ollivierre; and parent/chaperones Maureen Lavia and Susan Samuel.
Extract from Caribbean Life News Original Story By Nelson King
