SPORTS, TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE & CULTURE

The Ministry of Sports hosted its Mini Tennis Presentation Sponsored by Cool and Smooth and Subway on March 22nd, 2013. This memorable event took place at the Y.M.C.A Sports Complex Volley Ball Building.

The schools which were present for the ceremony were: St. Andrews Primary and Golden Grove Primary. St. John’s Lutheran Primary and the Mary E. Piggott Primary Schools were absent.

The Awards Ceremony was held to recognise students who competed in two tournaments which took place in 2011 and 2012.The sponsors have decided that it is easier to have several tournaments throughout the year and then have one presentation of awards at the end.

The Ministry of Sports fully supports the Mini Tennis Program and provides technical assistance to the same. Officers from the Ministry of Sports were present at the award ceremony and included:  Candine Roberts Head of the National Institute of Sports and Head of the Communications Unit in the Special Projects Department, William Richards, Senior Administrator- Sports Medical Services Unit, Rachael  Steele E.M.T. Special Projects, P.E. Teachers from St. Andrews Primary, Golden Grove Primary and Aida Lisa Sandy P.E. Teacher Mary E. Piggott Primary and Master of Ceremonies. As it related to representation from the sponsors, Ross Roberts represented Subway, and Larry Michael filled in for Cool and Smooth.

In 2011 the Ministry of Sports, Cool and Smooth and Subway Singles Mini Tennis tournament awards were given to Girls twelve and under runner up Jinique White Golden Grove Primary with Zina Joseph of St. John’s Lutheran Primary taking home the title. In the boys twelve an under category the runner up was Jahkari Jeanville of St. Andrews Primary and the winner Jermaine Severino of the Golden Grove Primary. In the girls ten and under category runner up Jolie Mc. Donald of St. Andrews Primary and the winner I – Love Lee Golden Grove Primary. Boys ten and under category runner up Isaiah Jarvis St. John’s Lutheran Primary and the winner Feliz Santana Golden Grove Primary.

The second Competition took place in Easter of 2012. This was called the Ministry of Sports Cool and Smooth Mixed Doubles round Robin League. Participating schools were St. Andrews Primary, Golden Grove Primary and Mary E. Piggott Primary. This was a team event.

The Results are as follows: second runner up Mary E. Piggott Primary, first runner up St. Andrews Primary and the winning school Golden Grove Primary. The MVP’s in the Ten and Under Category were Feliz Santana and Shanice Richards of Golden Grove Primary. In the Twelve and Under Category, the top players were: Coby Tittle and I – Love Lee of Golden Grove Primary

Special mention was given to Ms. Aida Lisa Sandy former P.E. Teacher of the Golden Grove Primary School who moved to the Mary E. Piggott School in 2011. Special mention was also given to Ms. Charles the P.E. Teacher and Mrs. Walters the Principal of the St. Andrews Primary. This school had the longest involvement in the Mini Tennis program and is the School with the most Victories in the Mini Tennis Competition to date.

Cool and Smooth provided the prizes for this event and Subway provided refreshments.

Mini Tennis, as it is called, is a program adopted from the International Tennis Federation (I.T.F.) which is implemented through the Schools Tennis initiative (STI) and Tennis 10’s programs by the Ministry of Sports.

The objective of these programs is to introduce Tennis to Primary School students and to identify talent for future development.


(Kiran Hurani: Mini Tennis sponsor with Coach larry Michael on the left)

Thanks to the sponsors for supporting the Schools Mini Tennis Program, the Students who took part, the P.E. Teachers, The Principals, the Media, all the Schools who took part and Stanfield ‘Shipwreck’ Joseph, for organizing the transportation. Larry Michael, Senior Administrator /Project Implementation was the coach and organizer for this programme.