Calabar sweep relays at Reebok Grand Prix
Calabar High made it three wins in a row over St Jago High in the high school boys 4×100m at yesterday’s fourth staging of the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, New York. Calabar also won the 4×400m relays to sweep the high school boys events.
Calabar’s anchor-leg runner, Oshane Bailey, made up at least eight metres on St Jago’s anchor-leg runner, Adolphus Nevers, as they added to their win at the Penn Relays a month ago in Philadelphia and in Class 1 at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Champs. Read more
Calabar, Jago and Manchester claim crowns at 114th Penn Relays
Calabar, St Jago and Manchester high sizzled to claim Championship of America titles on yesterday’s final day of the 114th Penn Relays at Franklin Field stadium. After two disasters in the morning session, where Calabar lost Ramone McKenzie, who was seen on crutches, and Kingston College’s (KC) Andre Peart, who got hurt in the 4×400m heats, Jamaica schools did well by taking all three relays contested on the day.
It started in the Championship of America’s boys’ 4×100m when Calabar, running without regular second-leg man McKenzie, upset St Jago, who failed to finish. The quartet of Andrew Riley, Earl Lee, Warren Weir and Oshane Bailey stopped the clock in 40.74. Riley, the team’s captain, said the victory was great.
Clarke, Wilson predict more successes for Champs 2009
Michael Clarke and Maurice Wilson, coaches of 2008 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Champion teams Calabar and Holmwood Technical, respectively, think that with their current cadre of athletes, their teams should be hard to be beat within the next few years at the annual high school athletics event.
Both men said that while a few key persons will leave school this year, the core of their teams will remain at least for another year, giving them a good shot at winning in 2009.
Calabar will lose current team captain Andrew Riley, who won the Class One boys’ high jump and heptathlon Open, finished third in the 110m hurdles, was part of the winning 4×100m relay team, and was named the Champion Boy and Champion Class One boy for the 2008 championships.
Cable and Wireless to continue support for Penn Relay teams
Telecommunications giant Cable and Wireless Jamaica extended its annual link with high schools and one tertiary institution by contributing money to offset expenses associated with their participation in the Penn Relays. The prestigious event will run from Thursday, April 24 through to Saturday, April 26, at the Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia.
From a $550,000 package, 18 institutions, including non-traditional high schools such as Mona and Clan Carthy, received donations of $30,000 each, plus a $1,000 ‘Jus Talk’ calling card, that will give each school 200 minutes of talk time to facilitate communication with their people here in Jamaica.
Remembering Dr Gordon and Funeral Information

There was a tree planting ceremony in memory of Dr. Jennifer Gordon on the 19th of March on the Calabar High School grounds. The president of the Calabar Old Boys Association - Lance Cowan was present. The funeral and thanks giving service for Dr Gordon will be on March 29 starting at 1pm at the Boulevard Baptist Church then to Meadowrest, all friends and family of Calabar are invited to attend.
Clement Radcliffe and Organizers Satisfied with Champs 2008
Though police who had to contend with violent clashes among students and spectators and other incidents on the outside said it was the worst they had to deal with, inside the National Stadium, the 2008 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships Organising Committee chairman Clement Radcliffe said organisers were satisfied that the event went off virtually incident free.

“For the first time in my memory they had no incidents inside the National Stadium over the four days, the officials were as professional as ever, the meet was run in excellent fashion, we were on time on the last day and the excitement was no less as expected,” Radcliffe, who is in his first year as Organising Committee chairman, having taken over the job from former Wolmer’s Boys principal Dave Myrie, said.
There were no reported incidents inside the National Stadium, field invasions, or overcrowding and after the Championships the winning schools entered the competition area in an orderly fashion.
Pictures from Boys Champs 2008 - Congratulations Calabar!
Calabar are the 2008 Boys champs winners amassing a whopping 277.5 points. Here are some pictures of the days festivities and celebrations emailed to us by friends and family of the Calabar High School fraternity!

Calabar Lions Victory Lap

Calabar High School 2008 Track Team

There was a sea of Calabar supporters in the stands

Congratulating the Coach

Calabar High School 2008 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Athletics Champions
At the end of the meet at the National Stadium, defending champions Calabar High retained the Boys’ title with 277.5 points, while Holmwood secured their sixth straight lien of the Girls’ crown with 352 points. Kingston College were second in the boys’ standings with 233, followed by St Jago on 155.5, Jamaica College 153, and Wolmer’s on 128 rounding out the top five on the boys’ side.
Andrew Riley of Calabar and Salcia Slack of Holmwood were the overall champion boy and girl, respectively, of the meet. World Youth 100m and 200m silver medallist, Ashmeade, produced a scorching last 20 metres sprint to catch and nip Calabar’s Ramone McKenzie on the finish-line in 21.04 seconds into a strong head wind (-2.1 p/s).
McKenzie, who had posted 46.32secs to win the 400 metres three hours earlier, was beaten by 0.01 second in his favoured half-lap race. Blake, who led the race for the most part, faded badly and had to settle for bronze in 21.31secs. Incidentally, for the first time in the history of the meet, the top seven finalists went below 22secs. Jason Young of William Knibb was fourth in 21.70, Dexter Lee of Herbert Morrison fifth (21.76), Jamaica College’s Winston Barnes sixth (21.84) and Oshane Bailey of Calabar seventh (21.97). Darrion Bent of Mannings High did not finish the race.

The Class Two equivalent went to Calabar’s Travis Drummond - the Class Three champion and record holder (22.17secs) from last season - in 22.40secs. Teivaskie Lewin of Herbert Morrison was second in 22.45secs ahead of Munro College’s Rolando Reid in 22.65secs.
Jazeel Murphy returned 22.62 to win the Class Three event ahead Odean Skeen of Wolmer’s (23.02) and 100-metre gold medallist Adam Cummings of Munro College (23.28secs). Yesterday’s victory was Calabar’s 21st lien on the Mortimor Geddes trophy in the 97-year history of the meet, which was first staged in 1910. Their first win came in 1930. No competition was held in 1944.
Boys Champs 2008 Day 3 Results and Highlights
Adam Cummings of Munro College produced an unbelievable 10.91 seconds (wind +0.2 p/s) to win the Class Three 100 metres in a new record on yesterday’s penultimate day of competition of the 2008 GraceKennedy/ISSA Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Cummings, who had finished sixth in last year’s final, exploded from the blocks and had the race won from the 60-metre mark as he opened up a five-metre lead on pre-race favourite Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport (10.97secs).
Young Cummings, the son of Observer Photo Editor Bryan, bettered the old record of 10.99 done by Jamaica College’s Winston Barnes in 2003. Andre Robinson of St Jago was third in 11.37secs.
The script went according to plan in the Class One equivalent as World Junior bronze medallist and national record holder Yohan Blake of St Jago clocked 10.27secs to retain his title. Nickel Ashmead completed the quinella for the Danny Hawthorne-coached St Jago team with a fast finish to post 10.34. World Youth 100 metres gold medallist Dexter Lee of Herbert Morrison took bronze in 10.43secs, while Winston Barnes was fourth with 10.50. Earl Lee, who recently won the Under-17 sprint double at the Carifta trials, produced an impressive late finish to catch and beat Rolando Reid of Munro College in the Class Two equivalent. Lee was timed at 10.82secs, 0.01 ahead of Reid, while Kemar Bailey-Cole of Old Harbour High took bronze with 10.85.
At press time, Calabar led the standings with 109 points, after the Triple Jump Open. Kingston College was in second position on 101, followed by Jamaica College 70, St Jago 55 and Wolmer’s 46 to round out the top five.
Boys Champs 2008 Day 2 Results and Highlights
Propelled by Andrew Riley’s victory in the heptathlon, defending champions Calabar High rushed into the lead with 39 points on the second day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Athletics Championship at the National Stadium yesterday. Meanwhile, Girls champions, Holmwood Technical, also assumed the lead on a day of two records while one was equalled as the champs opened up a 19-point lead over Vere Technical, 48 to 29, with St Hugh’s third on 27.
Among the boys, the Michael Clarke-coached school from Red Hills Road brushed off their failure to score on Wednesday to take the lead entering into today’s third day.
With 32 finals to go, Jamaica College (JC) are second with 35 points, followed by Kingston College (KC) 34, Wolmer’s 30 and Morant Bay 15. Riley, who scored 4,897 points to win the seven-discipline event last season, produced 5,064 to retain the title yesterday.

