San Fernando East crowned Victoria Games champs

SAN FERNANDO East Zone was crowned champions of the 2018 Ministry of Education Victoria Education District Sports Association (VEDSA); bmobile-sponsored Track and Field Championships, which took place at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella recently.

After over 30 action-packed events, San Fernando East concluded their competitive campaign with a golden tally of 422 points. They clinched a narrow six-point victory over two-time defending champions, San Fernando North (416pts), while Williamsville (323pts) held on to third place overall.

Rounding off the District were Claxton Bay/Tortuga (320pts), Gasparillo (297pts), La Romaine/Debe (214pts) and Lengua/Barrackpore (152pts) respectively. The triumphant zone will now represent the Victoria District at the National Primary School Championships on May 23.

“This is bmobile’s eighth year of sponsorship and we are once again pleased to be a major part of the Victoria District Games,” stated TSTT vice-president of Corporate Communications, Marsha Caballero. “It is one of the cornerstones on which TSTT invests in young boys and girls who will make up the nation’s future sportsmen and women. We believe that sport should be considered a vital aspect of youth development and our organisation is committed to supporting our youth. Congratulations to every school represented at the 2018 Games and good luck at the (forthcoming) National Championships.”

In his short address, Chairman of VEDSA and Games Co-ordinator, Azard Mohammed, paid a special tribute to departing Cunjal Government Primary School principal, Dayanan Ramsaran, for his stalwart contribution to education. He also recognised all participating schools for their heightened focus on physical education and external development outside of the classroom.

“Each athlete has trained and worked hard to represent their school at the meet,” he said. “They are competing at a very high level. This is the stage which serves as a stepping stone for kids who intend to further their prowess in athletics and sport as a whole. It would not have been possible however, without the sponsorship from bmobile; and for this we thank them.”

One such student-athlete, Sierra Joseph of Vistabella Presbyterian Primary School (San Fernando North), showed class on the track by copping gold in the Girls Under-13 100m, 200m and 400m. She also played a crucial role in carrying her zone to victory in the 4x100m with fellow sprinters Destiny Douglas, Kaira Baird and Tyler Howe. Having represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) Games in 2014, Joseph has been using competitions such as the VEDSA Championships for additional training towards achieving her goal of becoming a professional athlete.

“To prepare for today’s events, I did a lot of jumping jacks, drills and other exercises. I am working towards representing my country at other tournaments.

But, I must listen to my coach and continue to train hard. I love track and there’s a lot of work I have to put in to become successful,” stated the Simplex Athletics athlete.