BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
VASHON McCarthy’s fate will be known on February 6 when his mother Dianna Lennon meets with Ascot High School’s principal Cedric Murray.
The outcome of that meeting will determine whether or not the student/athlete will be allowed to represent his school in the throwing events at the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships set for March 25-29.
“Well, Vashon brought home a letter (Monday) and they said a February 6 meeting with them,” Lennon told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.
That meeting will be 14 days before the ISSA deadline of entries for the prestigious five-day championship, and she is not amused.
The concerned mother is wary of that date, citing it’s too close to the deadline. However, she is waiting with bated breath, as she claims she only wants the best for her son, and that is for him to participate at Champs.
McCarthy, 16, last season’s Class Two shot put champion and Caribbean Under-17 discus champion, who also copped silver in the shot put at the same Carifta Games, was told that he would not be entered for Champs.
Murray, the principal of the Portmore-based Ascot, confirmed to the Jamaica Observer that he had no intention of sending the youngster to Champs because he wasn’t a part of the school’s sports programme, having been trained by another coach at another school.
Ironically, Ascot’s head coach Errol Messiahs, also coaches at Calabar High and McCarthy’s mother believes he is not getting the attention he deserves, hence, the assistance from renowned field events coach Michael Vassell, who is at Excelsior High School.
She cried foul saying that her son is only getting “extra lessons” from an outside coach, a move she believes is only good for McCarthy’s development.
But since the Observer broke the story, the issue took on national interest and last Friday the directors mandated the principal to hold dialogue with Lennon and facilitate another meeting.
However, young McCarthy continues to throw at various development meets in the school’s colours and on Saturday last at the Queens Grace Jackson meet, he threw under the name of Throwers R US, a club formed by his coach Vassell.
The talented youngster, in his first year at Class One, won the shot put with a heave of 15.84m, ahead of Derrick Pitt of Kingston College with 15.44m, and Jamaica College’s Jason Stephenson with 14.57m.
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McCarthy"s mom, principal to meet Feb 6
