By Nelson A. King
James Cordice, the Philadelphia
based pioneer and
coordinator of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines’ participation
in the illustrious Penn Relays
Carnival at the University of
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia,
says athletes from two secondary
schools in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines are eager
to compete in the games this
weekend.
When the three-day meet
begins at the Franklin Field
Stadium on Thursday, Cordice
said it will be the ninth time
that a Vincentian high school
participates in the oldest collegiate
track and field event in
the United States.
The Thomas Saunders Secondary
School (TSSS) will vie
for the ninth time, while the
St. Vincent Grammar School
will compete for the third time,
Cordice said.
He said TSSS’s boys and girl
teams arrived in the US Sunday
night, and the St. Vincent
Grammar School all-boys team
arrived on Friday.
Cordice said both schools
will compete in the 4x100m and
4x400m events.
TSSS’s girls will compete
in both events on Thursday;
the boys from TSSS and the
Grammar School will vie in the
4x100m on Friday; and all boys
from both schools will compete
in the 4 x400m on Saturday,
usually the biggest attendance
day.
Cordice was also instrumental
in getting a Belizean high
school, Ecumenical High, to
participate in the games, for the
first time, last year.
He said Ecumenical High is
back this year, but with boys
and girls’ teams — instead of
only boys, as was the case in the
school’s inaugural year.
Ecumenical High School’s
boys and girls follow the same
schedule as the Vincentian
schools: the girls compete in
4x100m on Thursday, and the
boys participate in the 4x100m
on Friday and the 4x400m on
Saturday.
Zwicka Charles of SVG Grammar School poses after a race
at Penn Relays last year. Photo by Nelson A. King
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“It continues to be one of the
most wonderful journeys to be a
part of,” Cordice told Caribbean
Life on Monday about pioneering
and coordinating the Vincentian
effort. “I’m really appreciative of
the overwhelming support of
some Vincentians out here and
other persons who’ve been really
supporting this program.
“As long as St. Vincent and
the Grenadines continues to
produce vibrant athletes who
want to use sports as an academic
vehicle, my support is
indefinite as the Father continues
to bless me,” he added.
Cordice said the Vincentian
athletes and nationals at
the stadium will get a special
treat, when the Vincentian flag
is raised at the popular event
for the very first time over the
weekend.
“I know we’re not garnering
the respect in track and field as
Jamaica; but, every time I saw
the Jamaican flag at the Penn
Relays, it made me extremely
proud to see a Caribbean flag,
and I always wanted it for St.
Vincent and the Grenadines,”
said Cordice, an official with
Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB), the
Queens-based non-profit group
that has been providing meals
and hotel accommodation,
among other things, over the
years, for Jamaican and other
Caribbean athletes participating
in the Penn Relays. TJB is celebrating
25 years at the Penn
Relays this year.
Vincentian athletes ready
for Penn Relays 2019
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