Sports Korner

1st Time Winners of ISSA/KFC under 19 Basketball Championship

Coach Clifford Brown pulled off a first when he led St. George's College to the ISSA/KFC Under-19 basketball championship on March 26, 2009.

StGC defeated a tough Herbert Morrison team in the finals, 67-49. There was much celebration at the school as this came after the football team's victory in the Manning Cup and Olivier Shield competitions.

Many Georgians in Toronto will remember Coach Brown from his Toronto tour in December 2004 with the Jamaica basketball team. More than six members of the StGC team made that Jamaica squad.

Basketball is coming into its own in Jamaica and at StGC, thanks largely to Coach Brown and his tremendous efforts with limited resources. Many of his protégées have gone on to scholarships in the United States including Michael Rogers and Tigana Cain.  

Kudos to him and the team:  Number(N) 4 - Valdean Watson, N5-Nickoy O'Gilvie, N6-Dane Griffiths, N 7-Stephano Leslie, N 8-Eric Douglas, N 9-Dimitri Schloss, N 10- Huntley Cameron, N11-Odane Cranston ( Captain), N12- Patrick Dillion, N14-Jabbar James, N15- Kemar Cummings, N 20 Odain Gabay, N21- Khaleel Smith (Vice Captain).

StGC on the National and International Sports Stage

On April 25, 2009, Kemarki Absalom wrote his name in the history books of St. George's College Track and Field by becoming its first student to win a Championship of America title at the prestigious Penn Relays. 

In putting the finishing touches on what must be considered a remarkably successful Track and Field season for St. George's College, Kemarki Absalom cleared a personal best 2.06 metres to win the high jump in the 115th renewal of the world renowned Penn Relays.

Penn Relays is considered the most fiercely contested relay event in the world, hence 17-year-old Absalom's feat should be viewed as monumental. More athletes have run at the Penn Relays than at any single meet in the world.  More spectators have watched the meet than any in the world except the Olympics and World Championships.  Furthermore, the Penn Relay Carnival remains the same whirlwind of activity that has always excited fans young and old.  Attendance has averaged 45,000 for the last six years, and makes the meet the best attended track event in the United States each year, and one of the best attended in the world.

As a matter of fact, the time ranks 4th overall in the history of the Carifta Games for the event and is just slightly slower that the time set by extraordinary sprinter Usain Bolt.

The CARIFTA Games is an annual junior athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games were first held in 1972 and consist of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track events, jumping and throwing events, and relays. The Games have two age categories: under-17 and under-20. Only countries associated with CARIFTA may compete in the multi-sport event.

During the 2009 edition of Jamaica's most celebrated track and field championships, our well-coached class III 4 X 100 relay team locked horns with some of the best teams in the country. Among those teams was the highly touted Kingston College team that many thought would win the North Street battle and eventually become national champions.

It appeared that the StGC team did not read that memo and were having none of the pre-season predictions. When the dust settled, the StGC team came away with the fastest time ever run by a Class III relay team.  The four Georgians added that record to the 4 X 200 metre record they had set earlier in the year at Gibson Relays.

Milton Hart

April 18, 2009 Ordination - Our Lady of Lourdes: Jamaican Jesuits Michael Davidson and Rohan Tulloch were ordained as deacons.

What a moving ceremony and what a turnout of Georgians to celebrate with these young Jesuits.

Fr. Jim Webb was there, Fr. Peter McIsaac, Fr. Michael Lewis, Fr. Burchell McPherson and about forty other priests and deacons plus numerous friends and relatives of Michael and Rohan from Jamaica and elsewhere.

Jamaica Consul General, Ann Marie Bonner, attended as well as our President Chris Chin and from our executive Danny HoLung, Robbie Vernon, Richard Saunders, and Fred Kennedy, former Principal StGC and numerous other chapter members who heeded Fr. Jim's exhortation at our Family Brunch to come out and support..

The St. George's school song and cheers rang out among the gathering of many young and older alumni around the new servants of Christ.  

Michael Davidson was a former Dean of Discipline at St. Georges; Rohan Tulloch is himself an old boy of StGC; both have been at the Jesuit Regis College at the University of Toronto and Michael has been very instrumental in introducing younger Georgians to our Ontario chapter.

We look forward to them both going back at some stage to nurture the Jesuit tradition in St. George's College.

President Chris Chin presided over the AGM which was held at St.Aidan’s Catholic Church on Sunday, March 1st.

This was not an election year, which shortened the business section.

President Chris gave an overview of the chapter's activities and involvements for the year 2008: the successful Family Dinner, which had the head boy Brian McCalla as guest speaker, sharing his views on the school from a student's point of view.

The Summer Ball, our main fundraiser, which despite a fall off in ticket sales, still allowed us to net over C$20,000  for the school. This was due largely to the success of the silent auction and the raffle. Special thanks given to Ball Chair Danny Ho Lung, and Pat Haddad, who ran the Silent Auction.

 He highlighted the continued success of the Picnic with Alpha and ICHS and congratulated Richard Saunders here. The new  joint venture, a New Year’s Eve Ball with Jamaica College also netted us C$2,500. President Chris noted the significant Georgian losses for the year with the demise of Fr. Leo Quinlan, Mrs. Phyllis Alexander and Byron Lee. He commended Past President Robbie Vernon on his induction in the school’s Hall of Fame and commented on the tremendous work being done by our Liaison Director, Carl Chang, who continues to be our point man on location in Jamaica, taking on many projects personally including Emmett Park renovations, proper garbage disposal and now, The O'Hare restoration and Lawrence Burke S.J Building projects.

Treasurer Ray Chang's financial report followed. See Written Year over Year Summary statement below.

Membership: 575 comprising Canada 375, USA 132, Jamaica 56, other 12 -includes China, UK, Honduras, Barbados, Cayman Islands.
 

The scholarship is not necessarily granted to the person with the highest grades. Community involvement and potential contribution to society are also factors. 

This year the proud winner of the C$1500 scholarship award was Alisha Garel, who will, I am sure, join the list of children of Georgians who will make worthwhile contributions to the Canadian community. 

* Alliance of Educators for Black Students Award in Academics June 2004
* Markham Arts Council Photo-graphy Award: 1St Place student photographer July 2006
* Most valuable player award grade 12 strings June 2007
* Outstanding excellence award in grade 12 Calculus June 2007
*  Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award July 2007
* Ontario Scholar Award July 2007.

Alisha has been the principal cellist in the Central Park Symphony orchestra, the Markville Concert String Orchestra, the Markville Symphony String Orchestra, the Markville Senior String Ensemble and the Markville String Quintet. She has been a volunteer teaching assistant and has been in administrative roles in her music department and involved in the organization of music department concerts, recitals, fundraising and social activities. 

As Alisha put it so well herself "I aspire to become a children's specialist. By fixing their physical disabilities, I can help to give them more confidence to go out into the world and change it for the better without judgment from others." 

Alisha, congratulations and go for it- the world needs youth with your dreams and ambition.

An impressive effort by the executives of the Toronto Chapter was met by an equally impressive turnout of families and friends. The pictures tell the story.  

Father Jim Webb, Senior Jesuit, was also in attendance. Father Webb is the new Provincial Superior for the Jesuits in English Canada and has spent the last 22 years working in Jamaica. He was called on to make a presentation to Carl Chang. 

Orville Green, on behalf of the Green family was presented with the Knights of St. George medallion and StGC ties. The Greene family recently made a donation to the Schools Endowment Fund in memory of their father Herbert Leonard Green and were also sponsoring a scholarship for a student at the school. 

Donette Chin-Loy was awarded a certificate of Appreciation for outstanding support and service to StGC.  

Milton Hart