Children Home’s Sports Championships a Big Success

Joy Carter Powers Team to Victory
By Michael Schurton

Kingston, Jamaica, April 26, 2003

Seventeen year-old track sensation Joy Carter, student of Dunoon Technical High, brought much joy to her friends from the Musgrave Girls Home and gave Team Love sweet peace as she dominated the events at the 3rd Annual Sports Championships for Children’s Homes. The Championships, which was held last year at the St. Andrew High School for Girls in St. Andrew, on Saturday, April 26, 2003, witnessed a number of great performances from the teams from various homes in the corporate area.

Joy Carter gave a truly inspirational performance as she set a fast pace for all other athletes, powered Love to victory, and secured the Courts Jamaica Limited Trophies for Champion Girl and Champion Athlete of the championships. Joy showed bravery in competing in the meet as she had suffered from liver and kidney problems months before the championships. Carter recovery was only a week before the meet. However, with much fortitude, zeal and persistence she became the star of the event and motivated others to believe in themselves.

Team ‘Love’ beaming with great confidence and with a talented team of motivated athletes gave a supreme all-round performance and won the championships with an unprecedented 2215 points. Team Love was able to contain a strong challenge from the purple power to triumph over team ‘Hope’ who copped second place with 1910. Both Teams pulled away from ‘Team Faith’ who had signaled their intent to capture the title, who managed to place a respectable third with 1445 points.

Carter won impressively in the Class 2, 100m, 200m open and 400m open, making a triple gold streak. It was even more shouts for ‘joy’ for Team Love when Carter anchored her team to victory in the exciting 4x100m relay open. With a relaxed and determined expression, Carter showed true class as she gave her best and defeated main rival Trudi-Anne Christie who anchored for Team Hope. Joy Carter’s superb efforts of mining four gold medals were instrumental in securing a third victory for the Team Love in the Annual Sports Championships. Carter’s total individual points for her team were 280 points. Carter’s overall dominance on the track was an inspiration to the many young people, especially from Musgrave Girls Home.

However, Team Love did not pin all their fortunes on the talent and determination of champion athlete Joy Carter. Coach Conrad Martin had another powerful athlete in the person of Sean Brown of Jamaica Christian Boys’ Home and student of Excelsior Community College, who proved to be a strong competitor
in the Love aggregation. Sean Brown entered four events; two field events where he struck gold in the sack race, Boys open, and earned silver with his teammates in the volleyball match.

Sean Brown who was defending champion athlete, also earned two gold medals in the 100m boys, Class 1, and anchored his team to victory in the 4x100m relays. Brown’s outstanding performance gave him the title of Champion Boy for 2003. Other key members of Team Love were: Tanel Panton, Wade Brown, Deron Miles, Jerome Johnson, Kevan DaCosta, Shareen Williamson and Shakera DaSilva. Team Love first tasted victory when Ricardo Grant and Demar Cole made gold and silver respectively in the 50m Class 4. Nico Thompson of Hope, took the bronze. Team Love repeated the one, two victory in the 100m boys, class 1, with Oneil Knight, gold and Wade Brown silver. Nicholas Reid got bronze.

Field Events

It was sweet celebration for the defending champion Team Love, who had an early setback in the field events when Team Hope, the purple power struck hard and defeated Team Love, with a 4–2 victory in the knockout football match. Love first played Team Faith in the preliminaries and won with 3-1 score line. However, Team Hope proved too strong and gave Team Love their first defeat of the championships. Hope lifted for team Hope when they gave the defending champion a second blow and won the Volleyball match in a keenly contested competition. Hope, lead by Team Captain Tomoy Segree won gold by one point and with 25 points to Team Love 24 points, for the silver. Horace Longman of Team Love, earned the title for leading goal scorer with a total of four goals. Team Faith lead by a determined and hard working Captain Roxanne Schurton who took the bronze medal with 15 points.



The Faith eagles soared in the basketball finals winning gold on 12 points. The win was a big upset over favourites Team Hope who held on for silver with 8 points and Team Love taking the bronze. Faith led by Roxanne Schurton ensured an emphatic victory in the keenly contested finals.

Children of the Jamaica Christian Boys’ Home, Musgrave Girls’ Home, Gordon’s Home for Children and Alpha Boys’ home were among the large number of athletes who participated in the Annual Sports Championship staged by members of Word Time Ministries of Jamaica in Association with Courts Jamaica Limited and VMBS. The children from the homes were combined with other young people of various schools, churches and communities to create the teams who gave outstanding performances.

Highest individual points for the respective children homes placed Musgrave Girls Home as home of the champs ahead of Christian Boys second place, Alpha Boys third and Gordon’s Home fourth position.

Team ‘Love’ took the lead after four events with some 435 points and never looked back. Highlight of the meet was a keen contest between Team Love and Team Hope. Hope showed much determination and had a team of talented athletes to support their bid to up-seat the champs. The point standings between both teams were close in the spirits. However, Team Love pulled away into an unbeatable position by winning convincingly in the girls 100 meters, boys 100 meters and the girls 200 meters open.

Team Love further extended their points by winning all the quality and character awards which is part of the points system used to determine the over all champion team. Team Love won Most Disciplined Team, Most Co-operative and Best Team Spirit and Best Cheers. The large ban of enthusiastic members of Team Love celebrated even further when they score in a big way by dancing their way to gold with a golden performance in the Team Parade. The Team Parade competition which was filled with colour, moment and excitement, proved to be a close call between Team Hope and Team Love, but Team Captain Martin along with Sabrina Watson, Shareen Williamson, and Shauna-Kaye James, pulled out all the stops, claiming victory and earned solid gold for Team Love. Team Love scored high marks in costume, coordination and movement. Hope took a shinny silver, while Faith settled for the bronze medal.

The over all efforts of the entire team lead by a most enthusiastic team leader, Conrad Martin, showed the power of Team Love during the championships. The team really lived up to their motto “Love Conquers, Love Never Fails” by conquering main rivals Team Hope and not failing to win the events which matters most to make them champions. Fans of Team Love were overjoyed and delighted with the performances of the team known as the “quite storm”.

Undoubtedly there was nothing quite about their excellent performances and the voices of the fans who cheered loudly in appreciation of their team. The team’s main disappointment came in the 4x100 female, relay when the team was disqualified due to an infringement and incorrect baton change. Team Love lost a valuable gold, despite winning the race and Hope was promoted to the gold and Faith silver. Additionally, the team’s class 3 team suffered due to the absence of Savin Reid. Reid could not compete, as he was recuperating from an operation on his toe.

Team Hope fortified by the motto “Rising to the Task”, was a keen rival and gave the defending champions much cause for concern throughout the championships. Team Hope dominated the field events and lead in the point standings up to the sprints. Team Hope showed their worth and won gold in the 100m girls, class 1, 2 and 4.

Team Hope ‘The Purple Power” pined their hopes and dream of lifting the title in the likes of star athletes, Trudi-Anne Christie, Carlene McFarlane, Orette Cobourne and Nicholas Reid. However, Christie made the most impression for her team and won convincingly in the 100m female, class 2 ahead of Roxanne Schurton of Team Faith who took silver medal.

In 400m female open Christie demolished the field and claimed gold by defeating fellow team mate Neisha Breakenridge, silver, and Shareen Williamson of Team Love who took bronze. Christie also was a valuable player on the winning volleyball team, which won gold.

The faithful team showed depth by fielding a young and eager band of young people. Team Faith who suffered from lack of early preparations dug deep and amassed the championship benchmark of over one thousand points.

Team Faith buoyed with their motto “Believing the Unbelievable” gave a good account of themselves and held their spirit high with performances from Elvis Bamberry, Phillip Jones and Ackal Williams of Alpha, Roxanne Schurton of Ardenne High School, Chavon Panton of Tarrant High, and Chad Eccleston of Christian Boys.

Team Faith the “sunshine crew” brought much excitement to the meet with a one-two victory with Carlton Thomas, gold and Elvis Bamberry, silver in the 100m boys, class 2. Team Faith broke their silence and celebrated the victory of Elvis Bamberry, who took silver in the 200m boys open, by defeating champion boy Sean Brown of Love who took bronze. Rayon Thompson of Hope barely held on by a nod for the gold, but Bamberry ‘s upset victory over Sean Brown was a memorable one for Team Faith and the championships.

Excitement peaked for many spectators during the Leaders 4x100 relay and the 100m invitational Media race. Team Hope anchored by Richard Lawrence won gold ahead of Love, silver and Faith bronze. Leighton Levy of The Gleaner Company won gold, easily taking the Media race ahead of silver medalist Anthony Minott of The Love Herald and Arnold Kelly, bronze of LOVE FM.

The 3rd Annual Championships was truly another huge success and was a great experience for the children of the various homes. The Championships witness a large attendance of person from various schools, churches and communities.

Among these were Custos of St. Andrew and Patron of Word Time Ministries of Jamaica, Bishop Carmen Lois Stewart, Chaplain and Chairman, Bishop Paul Gallimore, President, Michael Schurton, Dennis Harris, Deputy Managing Director of Courts Jamaica Limited, Evette Hendricks, Assistant Communications Manager, VMBS, and Audie Grant, 2003 Champion Athlete for UTECH.

The championship was officially opened by Custos of St. Andrew and Patron of Word Time Ministries, Bishop Carmen Lois Stewart. The games were preceded by a colourful opening ceremony, lead by the Eagle marching Band.