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I mentioned in another thread this morning that returning college athletes who are within the Carifta Games’ age eligibility can -- and indeed sometimes do -- assist their respective countries in achieving really outstanding performances at the Carifta Games level. One visible exception to this practice is Jamaica.
One can easily and logically argue, of course, that in Jamaica’s case this is inconsequential because despite the notable absence of our college-based athletes who are still eligible but choose not to represent us, Jamaica continues to dominate this regional meet with an ever-increasing stranglehold, as it has been doing each year since the mid-1980s.
This post, therefore, is NOT about the effects on Jamaica’s performance should our eligible college athletes return, because aside from maybe a couple more records, there would be very little effects, if any, on our medal total. Put simply, Jamaica’s high schools are a “track and field factory” in the truest sense of the phrase, and the facts prove this at the Carifta Games level.
Rather, I’m starting this thread in the hope that it will stimulate fact-based discussion on the whole matter of college-based athletes’ contribution and potential contribution to the Carifta Games and Junior CAC Championships. I have no intention of dominating this discussion, so I’ll simple start it off by presenting a couple of statistics on how USA college-based athletes from Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada and the Bahamas have helped their country in memorable Carifta performances in specific events.
Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Trinidad & Tobago): At the 2005 Carifta Games Louisiana State University freshman Kelly-Ann Baptiste returned to represent Trinidad & Tobago. She won BOTH the 100 and 200-meter races at that Carifta Games, in the process beating race favorite Anneisha Mclaughlin in a memorable 200-meter race. (In my opinion, it took Anneisha several years to psychologically recover from that surprising upset.)
Note also that freshman Kelly-Ann also represented LSU’s Lady Tigers in the NCAA’s that same year.
Sherry Fletcher (Grenada): Sherry was in 2005 a student at Central Arizona Junior College (she competed in the 2005 NJAA Championships) before moving to LSU’s Lady Tigers in 2006. At the 2005 Carifta Games, Sherry returned to represent Grenada, and won the silver medal in the 100-meter dash behind Trinidad’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste. Sherry also won the bronze medal in the 200-meter race (behind Kelly-Ann and silver medalist Anneisha McLaughlin).
Note: In the past I’ve written in some detail on Grenada’s talented NCAA Champion Sherry Fletcher over on the Caribbean Track and Field Forum.
Sheniqua Ferguson (Bahamas): Sheniqua returned from Southwest Mississippi Community College to represent the Bahamas at the 2008 Carifta Games. And did the Bahamas benefit that year from its college athletes!
At that 2008 Carifta Games, held in St Kitts, the Bahamas Under-20 4x100-meter relay trio of USA college students Sheniqua Ferguson, Krystal Bodie, and Cache Ambrister, with high school student Nivea Smith on anchor, set a new Carifta Games record of 44.36 seconds (the previous record, set by Jamaica in 2003 with a team anchored by Sherone Simpson, was 44.42 seconds). Interestingly, two months later Sheniqua won both the NJCAA 100 and 200-meter titles.
One can easily and logically argue, of course, that in Jamaica’s case this is inconsequential because despite the notable absence of our college-based athletes who are still eligible but choose not to represent us, Jamaica continues to dominate this regional meet with an ever-increasing stranglehold, as it has been doing each year since the mid-1980s.
This post, therefore, is NOT about the effects on Jamaica’s performance should our eligible college athletes return, because aside from maybe a couple more records, there would be very little effects, if any, on our medal total. Put simply, Jamaica’s high schools are a “track and field factory” in the truest sense of the phrase, and the facts prove this at the Carifta Games level.
Rather, I’m starting this thread in the hope that it will stimulate fact-based discussion on the whole matter of college-based athletes’ contribution and potential contribution to the Carifta Games and Junior CAC Championships. I have no intention of dominating this discussion, so I’ll simple start it off by presenting a couple of statistics on how USA college-based athletes from Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada and the Bahamas have helped their country in memorable Carifta performances in specific events.
Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Trinidad & Tobago): At the 2005 Carifta Games Louisiana State University freshman Kelly-Ann Baptiste returned to represent Trinidad & Tobago. She won BOTH the 100 and 200-meter races at that Carifta Games, in the process beating race favorite Anneisha Mclaughlin in a memorable 200-meter race. (In my opinion, it took Anneisha several years to psychologically recover from that surprising upset.)
Note also that freshman Kelly-Ann also represented LSU’s Lady Tigers in the NCAA’s that same year.
Sherry Fletcher (Grenada): Sherry was in 2005 a student at Central Arizona Junior College (she competed in the 2005 NJAA Championships) before moving to LSU’s Lady Tigers in 2006. At the 2005 Carifta Games, Sherry returned to represent Grenada, and won the silver medal in the 100-meter dash behind Trinidad’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste. Sherry also won the bronze medal in the 200-meter race (behind Kelly-Ann and silver medalist Anneisha McLaughlin).
Note: In the past I’ve written in some detail on Grenada’s talented NCAA Champion Sherry Fletcher over on the Caribbean Track and Field Forum.
Sheniqua Ferguson (Bahamas): Sheniqua returned from Southwest Mississippi Community College to represent the Bahamas at the 2008 Carifta Games. And did the Bahamas benefit that year from its college athletes!
At that 2008 Carifta Games, held in St Kitts, the Bahamas Under-20 4x100-meter relay trio of USA college students Sheniqua Ferguson, Krystal Bodie, and Cache Ambrister, with high school student Nivea Smith on anchor, set a new Carifta Games record of 44.36 seconds (the previous record, set by Jamaica in 2003 with a team anchored by Sherone Simpson, was 44.42 seconds). Interestingly, two months later Sheniqua won both the NJCAA 100 and 200-meter titles.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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