Talent Aplenty ...but don't let it go to waste.
By: Mervyn Stewart.
Jamil James.Kelly-Ann Kaylene Baptiste, born in Plymouth, Tobago, found herself the recent toast of the 2005 Carifta Games when she clinched the sprint double for Trinidad and Tobago, ahead of the mighty Jamaicans.
The 18-year-old Louisiana State University (LSU) freshwoman first clocked 11:39 seconds in winning the girls' under-20 100m dash and returned next day at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago to defy the odds in running back on Jamaica's Anneisha McLaughlin on the home stretch to get up in 23:25 seconds to add the 200m crown to her haul.
Baptiste currently has a personal best of 11:39 secs in the century event and 23:22 in the half-lap, which she set in Barbados in 2003.
Kelly-Ann, who believed that the 200m was her better event, felt that she has improved tremendously in the 100m due in part to her local coaches, Gerard and Wade Franklyn, and her coach at LSU, Dennis Shaver.
The Tobago youngster has her sights firmly set on the next Olympic Games in Beijing, China, by which time she hopes to get her times down to 10:7 in the 100 and 22:2 in the 200m.
Renny Quow.Britany Camille Maxim St. Louis, at the tender age of 16 years, has already brought glory to her land of birth by capturing double gold medals in T&T's record-breaking Carifta effort of 36 medals-including 13 golds-at this year's hosting of the Games.
The young Arima lass first captured gold in the under-17 400m event in 54.79 seconds before going on to anchor T&T's Under-17 4x400m squad to their gold medal run of three minutes, 44:05 seconds.
St. Louis has a personal best of 54:67 seconds in the one-lap event, which she established in Mexico last year, and with her being eligible for three more Carifta Games, she expects to bring further glory to T&T.
She lists obtaining an athletic scholarship as one of her goals within the next two years with the intention being to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games.
Rhonda Avion Watkins was another Carifta double gold medallist and one who seems to have a bright future ahead of her.
This quiet-spoken field athlete has always attracted attention because of her aggressive demeanour when it comes to sports. Whether it is the bar in the high jump or the pit in the long jump, she approaches it with a fierce determination with the will to not just to succeed, but to be the best.
The 17-year-old Bishop Anstey High School student, who resides in Diego Martin, showed exactly what stuff she's made off when she leapt 6:29 metres to take girls' under-20 gold in the long jump, before returning to establish a new national junior record of 1:82 metres in the high jump.
It was the second time in two months she was setting a new mark in the high jump as just last month at the Carifta trials she erased the 18-year- old mark of 1:80m when she cleared the bar at 1:81m.
Renny Nick Quow was born in Morvant and now resides in Scarborough, Tobago, where he's a student at Scarborough Secondary School.
Quow led a Trinidad and Tobago 1-2 in the boys' under-20 400 metres when he proved to be too strong for team-mate Jamil James in clocking 46:61 seconds to his compatriot's 46:81.
Renny is definitely one to keep on the right track and he intends to sharpen his skill abroad as he's due to migrate to the USA with his mother after completing his exams in June.
Kervin Joachim Morgan, 15, is another young bright athlete with immense potential.
He raised a lot of eyebrows when he annihilated his rivals in the boys' under-17 400m final in an impressive 48:15 seconds with his nearest rival returning 49:40.
At the tender age of 15, the Diego Martin lad seems to be heading in the right direction and is one to expect greater things from in the near future.
Seventeen-year old Annie Antoinette Alexander of San Juan, produced a big 14:62 metres effort enroute to gold in the girls' under-20 shot put event at the Games. What was impressive about Alexander's efforts was that she was the only thrower to go beyond 14 metres as she also had a 14.32m effort with her first throw.
With a personal best of 15.74 metres set in June last year at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Mexico, Alexander is eager to improve on her ability and she looks forward to picking up the hammer throw in the USA since Tobago at present does not have the necessary facilities to accommodate that event.
Garvin Nero slammed the field in the boys' under-17 3,000 metres event, coming home to loud cheers from his supporters.
Nero, who clocked nine minutes, 15:92 seconds in his gold medal romp, hit the finish a full 15:63 seconds ahead of the silver medallist, who clocked 9:33:55.
Young Garvin should continue to stretch his rivals and with the right handling can prove to be a strong contender for future honours in local distance running.
Natoya Baird produced Carifta gold in a discipline that has not gotten much exposure in Trinidad and Tobago. Baird, who emerged victorious in the girls' open pentathlon, accumulated 3, 286 points in the five events that comprise this discipline.
In taking top spot she was 160 points ahead of second-placed Sasha Joyce of the Bahamas, and with her intention to pursue an athletic schol, she intends bringing about a lot more exposure to this discipline to local field athletes.
Jamil Junior James is only 18-years-old and is currently on a scholarship at the University of South Carolina, USA. He has the ability to possibly be one of the best quarter-milers that this country has ever produced.
James looked all over a winner in the under-20 400 metres until Quow found another gear and denied him the gold medal. Not to be outdone, he anchored boys' under-20 4x100 metres relay squad to victory.
Trevor James, former 1976 Olympian and head coach of T&T at the Carifta Games, is also the father of Jamil and he believes his son definitely has what it takes to spring a surprise at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Jamil's resume speaks for itself since he had the distinction of bringing home bronze in the 200 metres at last year's World Junior Championships in Italy.
Cadajah Kemba Spencer, 14-year-old wonder and one of the most improved athletes in training, is a form three student at the Academy of the Seven day Adventist. She runs the 100, 200 and 400 metres events. She represented Trinidad at both the Under-11 and Under-13 Games in Martinique and Jamaica. And at the Carifta Games, Cadajah ran the third leg in the girls' under-17 4x400 relay. making up a lot of ground before handing over the baton in a good position to Britany St. Louis. She played a significant part in T&T's "4x400" gold medal run.
T&T's lone Olympic gold medallist, Hasely Crawford, was impressed with Cadajah's performance and said he believed she should be placed in a five-year programme since she had immense potential and natural ability, which once properly harnessed, could return rich dividends.
With such a wealth of talent at T&T's disposal it would be a crying shame if all these athletes who brought Carifta glory to the twin-islands are left to either fall by the wayside or ply their trade for a adopted country.
The time to invest in them is now. There's no better time than the present.
