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Francois Anderson takes up scholarship at Kent
PUTTING EDUCATION FIRST
PAUL A REID, Observer writer
Saturday, September 09, 2006ANDERSON ... education was always the first priority
MONTEGO BAY - Francois Anderson was supposed to be on the trip to Trelawny in late May in which his close friend and team mate at Cornwall College, Village United and the national Under-17 team, Omroy Wilson was killed.
Omroy, who was driving the car, had called to invite Anderson to travel with him and some others to a fair at Westwood High, but Anderson declined saying his mother would not allow him to travel so far during the exam period.
Both youngsters were supposed to be leaving the island two Sundays ago to take up a two-year scholarship to the prestigious Kent School in Connecticut, USA, but Anderson will be travelling alone.
Both were recruited by the century-old high school with a student population of just 550 and a student-to-teacher ratio of 7:1. They were recruited while they represented the national Under-17 team in 2004.
The 17-year-old Anderson has represented Cornwall College for the past three years and has two more years of eligibility remaining, and news of his departure did not sit well with a number of supporters of the team who thought he should complete his high school education here.
The articulate teenager who responds to almost every question with "sir", said sports was never the main priority in his household, but education.
Anderson, who is the younger brother of former Cornwall College middle distance runner and daCosta Cup player Kempes Chambers, told the Sporting World that while he has big dreams in football, his education "was always the first priority". Chambers went on to represent GC Foster and then Chicago State in track and field and earned a first degree in Sports Administration.
The decision to leave Cornwall was made, he said, by his parents and "I never asked why or challenged it", noting that whatever decision his parents made was good enough for him.
The left-sided player who has played almost every position on the field, earned four distinctions and four credits in the recent Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations, describing the results as "very surprising". His distinctions came in Mathematics, English, Accounts and Social Studies, while the credits were in Principles of Business, Religious Education, Geography and Integrated Sciences.
He said he was surprised he did so well as he was seriously affected by the accident which killed his friend in the middle of his preparations. He said a strong family structure had helped him cope with the tragedy.
He described the late Wilson as "a very good leader and friend, someone who is very easy to talk to and who is always there for you". He added that Wilson was always highly motivated and helped him in his development and always challenged him to be the best leader he could be.
Anderson who captained Catherine Hall Primary to the 2001 St James Football Association's VMBS Under-12 title before moving to Cornwall, where he played at every level, said his 2004 season was his best. In addition to making his first national team, he said that Cornwall College team was the best he had played on, describing the team as "cohesive and played well together as a unit". He said the team should have gone on to win the title that year, but for a 1-0 loss to Godfrey Stewart High in the Inter-Zone round that knocked them out.
Leaving Cornwall won't be easy and he said coach Dr Dean Weatherly had brought out the best in him as a player and taught him to be the multi-dimensional player he is today.
It was Dr Weatherly, he said, who moved him from his preferred central midfield role and plugged him in at left back where he has also excelled.
PUTTING EDUCATION FIRST
PAUL A REID, Observer writer
Saturday, September 09, 2006ANDERSON ... education was always the first priority
MONTEGO BAY - Francois Anderson was supposed to be on the trip to Trelawny in late May in which his close friend and team mate at Cornwall College, Village United and the national Under-17 team, Omroy Wilson was killed.
Omroy, who was driving the car, had called to invite Anderson to travel with him and some others to a fair at Westwood High, but Anderson declined saying his mother would not allow him to travel so far during the exam period.
Both youngsters were supposed to be leaving the island two Sundays ago to take up a two-year scholarship to the prestigious Kent School in Connecticut, USA, but Anderson will be travelling alone.
Both were recruited by the century-old high school with a student population of just 550 and a student-to-teacher ratio of 7:1. They were recruited while they represented the national Under-17 team in 2004.
The 17-year-old Anderson has represented Cornwall College for the past three years and has two more years of eligibility remaining, and news of his departure did not sit well with a number of supporters of the team who thought he should complete his high school education here.
The articulate teenager who responds to almost every question with "sir", said sports was never the main priority in his household, but education.
Anderson, who is the younger brother of former Cornwall College middle distance runner and daCosta Cup player Kempes Chambers, told the Sporting World that while he has big dreams in football, his education "was always the first priority". Chambers went on to represent GC Foster and then Chicago State in track and field and earned a first degree in Sports Administration.
The decision to leave Cornwall was made, he said, by his parents and "I never asked why or challenged it", noting that whatever decision his parents made was good enough for him.
The left-sided player who has played almost every position on the field, earned four distinctions and four credits in the recent Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations, describing the results as "very surprising". His distinctions came in Mathematics, English, Accounts and Social Studies, while the credits were in Principles of Business, Religious Education, Geography and Integrated Sciences.
He said he was surprised he did so well as he was seriously affected by the accident which killed his friend in the middle of his preparations. He said a strong family structure had helped him cope with the tragedy.
He described the late Wilson as "a very good leader and friend, someone who is very easy to talk to and who is always there for you". He added that Wilson was always highly motivated and helped him in his development and always challenged him to be the best leader he could be.
Anderson who captained Catherine Hall Primary to the 2001 St James Football Association's VMBS Under-12 title before moving to Cornwall, where he played at every level, said his 2004 season was his best. In addition to making his first national team, he said that Cornwall College team was the best he had played on, describing the team as "cohesive and played well together as a unit". He said the team should have gone on to win the title that year, but for a 1-0 loss to Godfrey Stewart High in the Inter-Zone round that knocked them out.
Leaving Cornwall won't be easy and he said coach Dr Dean Weatherly had brought out the best in him as a player and taught him to be the multi-dimensional player he is today.
It was Dr Weatherly, he said, who moved him from his preferred central midfield role and plugged him in at left back where he has also excelled.
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