Michael Carr hails training camp before world juniors

Head coach of Jamaica’s World Junior Athletics team, Michael Carr, is  hailing a five day camp being put on for the athletes as visionary and necessary.  

At the last two World Junior Championships, Jamaica garnered 8  medals combined, five in  2012 in Spain and three in 2010 in Canada. 

Both were seen as disappointing, with a lack of preparatory work including a camp for the athletes given as reason for the low medal counts.     

But coach Carr who was also with the team in 2012, says he requested a camp as soon as he learnt he was appointed.    

“It is something that is very important and is needed in preparation for these games because remember they are coming from all over Jamaica”, he said. “And to meet at the Games or a day before is sometimes not the best thing to do”, he said.

“It can be very challenging even for us coaches in terms of even putting the relay teams together”, the Wolmer’s High Girls’ coach stated.

With the camp also infusing unity within the team, coach Carr says as it was in the early 2000s, the camp should be made mandatory.

“The camp gives us an opportunity to know the athletes some more, (and) see what condition they are in. So if and when things happen at the Championships, we know who we can turn to, to do what”, Carr explained.

“So the camp is a wonderful thing and I think it is something that should be happening ahead of every championship meet”, he further expressed. 

The 40 member squad is being housed at Mico University in Kingston, as well as GC Foster College in St Catherine.

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Michael Carr hails training camp before world juniors

Smith cops U19 title as J"can juniors blaze at Carib Squash Champs

Jamaica’s Junior team captain Ashante Smith pulled off a spectacular come-from-behind win on Wednesday night to claim the Under-19 Boys’ title at the Caribbean Area Squash Association’s (CASA) Junior Championships currently under way in Trinidad and Tobago.

The in-form teenager grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat, rallying from a two-game deficit to stun local hero Mandela Patrick. Battling his opponent and a boisterous home crowd, Smith dug deep to beat Patrick 5/11, 8/11, 13/11, 11/7, 11/4. The victory allowed Smith to end his junior playing career on a high note, claiming his first regional title before officially moving to the senior ranks.“I couldn’t be more proud of Ashante,” said Rene Denis, national junior squash coach. “It took heart and guts to come back from two down and when he scored the winning point, if I hadn’t been screaming so loudly I would have been crying.”Buoyed by Smith’s win, the Jamaican boys delivered a series of blistering performances to trample regional kingpins Guyana in the first round of the team competition yesterday.All Jamaica Under-17 champion Jake Mahfood roared back from early elimination in the individual competition to defeat the newly crowned Under-17 Caribbean champion Nyron Joseph 11/5, 11/5, 7/11, 12/10.In a similar vein, All Jamaica Under-19 champion Julian Morrison beat Stephen Xavier 11/6, 11/8, 15/13 to avenge his defeat earlier this week in the individual competition at the hands of the Guyanese player.The victories continued with team captain Smith, who again showed his grit, battling through another gruelling five-setter to beat JC Jeffrey 17/15, 9/11, 8/11, 17/15, 11/9.All Jamaica Under-15 champion Tahjia Lumley lost 4/11, 5/11, 8/11 to Ben Mendecki, and Under-13 champion Adam Ardito went down to Shomari Wiltshire 11/9, 6/11, 5/11, 4/11.However, with wins from Smith, Mahfood and Morrison, Jamaica claimed top points and bragging rights over their age-old rivals.Another round of victories came in the Girls’ team competition where Jamaica easily beat the OECS. Reigning All Jamaica and Caribbean Under-15 champion Alyssa Mullings barely broke a sweat to dispatch Thani Myers 11/2, 11/3, 11/4, while Mira Handa trounced Giovanni Alexander 11/2, 11/3, 11/1.Ashley Lynch bulldozed Deiriar Myers 11/6, 11/1, 11/1 and team captain Jessica Perkins defeated Gianna Alexander 11/4, 11/7, 11/5.The team competition continues today when the Jamaican boys will face the OECS and the girls will take on Cayman and Trinidad & Tobago.

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Smith cops U19 title as J"can juniors blaze at Carib Squash Champs

Jamaicans depart for PanAm Juniors in Mexico

Sport

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Eight players accompanied by a manager and coach left the island Thursday morning for the Pan American Junior Badminton Championships, which start tomorrow in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.The team event runs from tomorrow through to next Tuesday, and the individual events will be contested from next Wednesday through to next Sunday.The players are: Jamari Rose, Samuel Ricketts, Tremar Barham, Sean Wilson, Shane Wilson, Katherine Wynter, Jade Clarke and Christina Petri. Manager of the team is Dr Kingsley Ford, while the coach is Howard Ranger. Three other players — Jonathan Smith, Rhys and Zane Reid — could possibly join the team later.Rose is the current Caribbean singles and mixed doubles champion with Wynter as his mixed partner. The other four boys have all previously medalled at these Championships with the Wilson brothers being the most prolific.

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Jamaicans depart for PanAm Juniors in Mexico