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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>BY PAUL A REID Observer writer
Sunday, June 25, 2006
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<P class=StoryText align=justify>MANDEVILLE, Manchester - There will be no exemption to the academic eligibility for students taking part in any competition run by the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), at least not anytime soon.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The minimum requirements of four subjects at 45 per cent between April and July of the year the student is taking part will not be changed, says ISSA's competitions officer George Forbes.<P class=StoryText align=justify>While there might be some considerations given to some students dropping below the attendance requirements of 80 per cent, Forbes, who was addressing the annual planning meeting of the daCosta Cup and rural area netball competitions at Manchester High School on Friday, said the academic requirements would not be changed.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Forbes said if a student fell below the attendance requirements for any good reason, the school could appeal to ISSA and the matter would be dealt with on an individual basis and a decision made.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was also announced that Forbes had been given the right to make snap inspections of any school's attendance records at any time without first calling to make appointments.
According to Forbes, if ISSA has reasons to make inspections, he could turn up at the school and ask to check the books himself.<P class=StoryText align=justify>ISSA, he said, would not accept any excuses that a teacher or head of department was out and the attendance register was not available.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, the 2006 schoolboys' football season will get underway on September 9 at Jarrett Park with daCosta Cup champions Godfrey Stewart and Manning Cup winners Calabar High in action against respective opponents.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The closing date for entries to be sent to ISSA was September 1, but playing gear to be provided by Locker Room Sports should be available as of August 14.
Locker Room Sports, an eight-year-old entity with the Caribbean distribution rights to Spanish brand Kelme, won the right to outfit all the teams in the Manning and daCosta Cup, beating out seven other companies and replacing Sports Plus, who were the previous outfitters up to 2004.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Two schools - Paul Bogle High and Montpellier College - will make their debuts in the daCosta Cup, while Maude McLeod High, Bellefield High and Glengoffe will return after short absences.<P class=StoryText align=justify>A number of schools have also switched zones. Black River will return to Zone E as a number of the St Elizabeth schools have not entered this year, while Old Harbour will play in Zone I after playing in Zone J for a number of years.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was also announced that due to the number of teams taking part in Zone L, the zone would be a split into two parts for a second straight year, with five teams taking part in La and four in Lb.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Following complaints from Andrew Edwards - the coach of Titchfield High - that they should look at maybe putting one of the nine teams in Zone K where they are only six teams so they could have more games and more gate receipts, Forbes promised to meet with the principals in Zone L to make a ruling on the matter.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Titchfield was one of the teams that was expected to advance to the quarter-finals last season, but dropped out in the first round after a slow start in a group of just four schools.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, the seeded groups for the Ben Francis KO will be L, I, E and A. Forbes explained that these groups had one team in the semi-finals last season.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The seeding became necessary last season when the
Sunday, June 25, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=StoryText align=justify>MANDEVILLE, Manchester - There will be no exemption to the academic eligibility for students taking part in any competition run by the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), at least not anytime soon.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The minimum requirements of four subjects at 45 per cent between April and July of the year the student is taking part will not be changed, says ISSA's competitions officer George Forbes.<P class=StoryText align=justify>While there might be some considerations given to some students dropping below the attendance requirements of 80 per cent, Forbes, who was addressing the annual planning meeting of the daCosta Cup and rural area netball competitions at Manchester High School on Friday, said the academic requirements would not be changed.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Forbes said if a student fell below the attendance requirements for any good reason, the school could appeal to ISSA and the matter would be dealt with on an individual basis and a decision made.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was also announced that Forbes had been given the right to make snap inspections of any school's attendance records at any time without first calling to make appointments.
According to Forbes, if ISSA has reasons to make inspections, he could turn up at the school and ask to check the books himself.<P class=StoryText align=justify>ISSA, he said, would not accept any excuses that a teacher or head of department was out and the attendance register was not available.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, the 2006 schoolboys' football season will get underway on September 9 at Jarrett Park with daCosta Cup champions Godfrey Stewart and Manning Cup winners Calabar High in action against respective opponents.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The closing date for entries to be sent to ISSA was September 1, but playing gear to be provided by Locker Room Sports should be available as of August 14.
Locker Room Sports, an eight-year-old entity with the Caribbean distribution rights to Spanish brand Kelme, won the right to outfit all the teams in the Manning and daCosta Cup, beating out seven other companies and replacing Sports Plus, who were the previous outfitters up to 2004.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Two schools - Paul Bogle High and Montpellier College - will make their debuts in the daCosta Cup, while Maude McLeod High, Bellefield High and Glengoffe will return after short absences.<P class=StoryText align=justify>A number of schools have also switched zones. Black River will return to Zone E as a number of the St Elizabeth schools have not entered this year, while Old Harbour will play in Zone I after playing in Zone J for a number of years.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was also announced that due to the number of teams taking part in Zone L, the zone would be a split into two parts for a second straight year, with five teams taking part in La and four in Lb.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Following complaints from Andrew Edwards - the coach of Titchfield High - that they should look at maybe putting one of the nine teams in Zone K where they are only six teams so they could have more games and more gate receipts, Forbes promised to meet with the principals in Zone L to make a ruling on the matter.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Titchfield was one of the teams that was expected to advance to the quarter-finals last season, but dropped out in the first round after a slow start in a group of just four schools.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, the seeded groups for the Ben Francis KO will be L, I, E and A. Forbes explained that these groups had one team in the semi-finals last season.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The seeding became necessary last season when the