Keep an eye on Spann!
Trevor Burnett
Thursday, September 20th 2007
Kernesha Spann is a Morvant athlete destined to go places. At the tender age of 13, Spann has already acquired two silver medals, competing in the under-17 girls' category at this year's Carifta Junior Championships. Spann ran one of the relay splits for Trinidad and Tobago in the 4x100 metres and 4x 400 metres events in the Turks and Caicos Islands battle.
"My career as an athlete," she recalls, "began from going to watch my little brother Kendall run with Morvant Jets at Morvant Recreation Ground.
"In 2004, at the St George West Community Sports at Angostura Grounds, Laventille, I was encouraged by my mother (Lisa Brazer) to run the 400 metres event, which I did, and won.
"My mom, an active sportsperson who played cricket, realised I had the potential to run and decided to finance my athletic gears and training.
"In 2005, my mother and my coach, Frankie Francis, pleaded with my teachers at Nelson Street Girls' RC to let me represent the school in the Port of Spain Primary School Sports.
"The teachers eventually agreed and I won the under-13 100, 200 and 400 metres and qualified to run at the Inter-territorial Primary Schools Sports.
"As there was one athlete from each zone for each event, Chantelle Joseph of Picaddilly Girls RC asked me to allow her to run the 100 metres, which she won....and I went on to win the 200 and 400 metres races.
"And I teamed up with Joseph to help win the 4x100 metres relay for Port of Spain Primary Schools," Spann says with a smile.
Spann copped the titles for Most Outstanding Primary School Female and Primary Schools Sportswoman of the Year 2005.
She also went on to win the National Amateur Athletics Association (NAAA) title for Most Outstanding Under-13 Girl for 2005-2006.
"It was at Hampton Games," she continues, "where I won the 100, but got some competition from Nerphema Callender of Memphis Pioneers, who took the 200 metres, and I placed second to an Antiguan athlete in my rare attempt going 800 metres.
"In 2006, I ruled the under-13 roost again at the Primary Schools Games and Hampton Games.
"And at the Caribbean Union Teachers Games in St Lucia, I was beaten by a girl from the Cayman Islands in the 100, and went on to win the 200 metres. However, in my pet event, I broke the 400 metres meet record, returning 57-seconds flat.
"I continued to run unbeaten in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events at the National Juvenile Championships, Falcon Athletic Games in Tobago, Southern Games and Palo Seco Games," she says.
Spann, now a 13-year-old student at Morvant/Laventille Secondary School, was promoted to the under-15 girls' category this year..
Here her competition was a lot tougher as she competed against Chelsea Campbell and Nerphema Callender.
"In the 100 metres I had to contend with Callender and in the 200 and 400 metres the competition was against Campbell.
"However, at the National Secondary School Games I ran in the under-14 girls' division and captured my three events and with this the trophy for the Most Outstanding Female Athlete.
"In the under-17 Carifta trials I placed third and won a place on the 4x400 metres relay team and was selected to run the 4x100 metres as well.
"I continued to win my three events at Palo Seco Games, Southern Games, Eastern Games and Point Fortin Games, bringing to an end another wonderful season on the track.
"As I am into my off-season preparation for 2008 I workout very hard with my track coach Frankie Francis and academic coach Terrence Skinner, as it is important to mix my sports with my studies.
"At the Caribbean Union Teachers Games I intend running my three events, hoping to break some more records, while at the Junior Carifta and Junior Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games my aim is to win gold in the 400 metres event."
