Leslie McLean, Freelance Writer
ST. ANN:
ELEVEN SCHOOLS will participate in the Windalco/Swallenburgh Mines/Agriculture 2006 cricket and netball competitions for primary and all-age schools in St. Ann.
The schools are Village, Walkers Wood, Camperdown, Turnberry, Mount Waddy, Alderton, Clapham and Bensonton All-Age; Watsonville and Jefferville Primary and Moneague Primary and Junior High.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The competition is in its seventh year and guest speaker Glendon Johnson, manager of employee and community relations of Windalco, urged players at a launching ceremony at the Jamaica Bauxite Mining Sports Complex at Lydford, St. Ann, recently to strive for academic excellence.
This he said will make them productive individuals in later years, while at the same time participating in sports.
He implored the players to adhere to the rules of the game and keep the competition at a high level as "winning at all cost is not the goal of the competition".
To participate in the competition, players need to achieve attendance levels of at least 75 per cent and for the seven years, Windalco will spend over J$3 million on the programme.
This includes the provision
of gear, meals, transportation expenses, stipend for coaches and trophies.
Among the coaches who have participated in the programme are national cricket coach, Junior Bennett and former national representative, Renford Pinnock Sr. in cricket, and former national netball coach, Barbara Sinclair, Elaine Walker-Brown and Tiffany Wolfe in netball.
Windalco has also provided educational assistance to 16 students as a direct result of their participation in the competition. This has included payment of tuition and other fees to schools such as Marcus Garvey High, Ferncourt High, Westwood High, St. Hilda's and York Castle High.
