TJB launches 25th year at Penn Relays
Warm welcome awaits Team Antigua Island Girls
By Nelson A. King
Antigua and Barbuda, with its strong
heritage of yacht racing and moniker as
the “Sailing Capital of the Caribbean,”
says it is always keen for a good nautical
adventure.
With history about to be made, the
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority
(ABTA) said on Wednesday that the
destination is “more than ready to roll
out the red carpet to welcome adventurous
Atlantic rowers ‘Team Antigua
Island Girls’, when they row into the
historic Nelson’s Dockyard and into
the record books as the first all-black
female team in the world to row across
the Atlantic Ocean.”
ABTA said the team is expected to
complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic
Challenge this or next month.
Dubbed the world’s toughest row,
the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge
is a premier ocean rowing experience
that begins in La Gomera in the Canary
Caribbean L 56 ife, Jan. 18–24, 2019
Islands.
On Dec. 12, ABTA said the teams, 28
in total, set off on their journey braving
the Atlantic Ocean, crossing 3000 miles
with over 1.5 million oar strokes and
little sleep, to get to their destination
in Antigua.
The first team to finish the Challenge,
Dutch Atlantic Four, was welcomed into
Antigua, with much fanfare on Tuesday,
having spent 34 days at sea, ABTA said.
It said Team Antigua Island Girls
rowers: Elvira Bell, Christal Clashing,
Samara Emanuel and Captain Kevinia
Francis are expected to arrive later this
month, “where family, friends and mammoth
crowds of well-wishers will gather
at the Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site to cheer them on as
they row in and celebrate the successful
end of their journey.”
Junella King, the alternate and fifth
member of Team Antigua Island Girls,
will meet her teammates in Antigua,
ABTA said.
“Antigua and Barbuda’s rich nautical
heritage, and the unrivalled setting that
competitors rowing into the Dockyard
will encounter, makes Antigua and Barbuda
the ideal location for this event,”
said Antigua and Barbuda Minister of
Tourism Charles Fernandez. “We are
excited to welcome all the rowers, their
families and friends to Antigua and Barbuda
for this experience.”
“While this is the third time a team
from Antigua and Barbuda has entered
the Challenge, we are truly proud that
the first all-black female team to row the
Atlantic is comprised of four courageous
Antiguan women,” he added. The entire
nation is rooting for our girls, and we
are really looking forward to welcoming
them home and celebrating the
strength of women.
“This is history in the making, and
it will truly be a momentous occasion
for Antigua and Barbuda,” Fernandez
continued.
Team Antigua Island Girls have identified
local charity, Cottage of Hope, as
one of the main reasons for their row.
By Nelson A. King
The Queens-based Team Jamaica
Bickle (TJB), the organization that feeds
and supports Jamaican and Caribbean
athletes at the prestigious Penn Relays
at the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia, on Jan. 8 launched its
25th anniversary at the Relays Carnival
.T
he ceremony took place at the Consulate
General of Jamaica in midtown
Manhattan.
In her welcoming remarks, Deputy
Consul General, Lisa Bryan-Smart, heralded
TJB as “a dynamic organization,”
lauding the brand for contributing “so
much” and for doing “a remarkable job”
through the years.
Bryan-Smart said sports in Jamaica
is “one of the country’s greatest assets,
of great cultural value and (is) renowned
worldwide.”
Speaking on behalf of chief executive
officer of Caribbean Food Delights
(CFD), Sabrina HoSang-Jordan and
the HoSang Family, Howard Hylton
said CFD and TJB “have built one of
the strongest partnerships outside of
Jamaica the over 25 years.” CFD donates
meals for Caribbean athletes, over three
days, during the last weekend in April.
Messages were also delivered by
Lesleyanne Samuels, president of the
Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations
(UJAA); Michelle Tulloch-Neil of the
Philadelphia Organizing Committee;
and Blane Stoddart, co-founder of TJB
and now president of the Young Caribbean
Professional Network.
Sandra McCarthy, of the Caribbean
Business Connections, presented a
check to TJB from proceeds from the
group’s annual fundraiser in December.
Reggae Girl Nicole McClure was special
guest for the evening. She was presented
with a citation from Jamaicanborn
Assemblyman Nick Perry and a
citation on behalf of New York State
Senator, Leroy Comrie, another Jamaican.
McClure said she was thankful for
the recognition bestowed on her and
spoke of “the place of honor and the
pride” she felt in serving her country.
She also expressed gratitude to her
family, soccer club and coaches for all
they contributed to her development.
TJB chief executive officer and
founder Irwine Clare, Snr. spoke of the
journey over the past 25 years, growing
from a small operation to where the
organization is now.
He expressed gratitude to several
entities and persons from the community
for contributing and supporting
TJB.
Clare highlighted significant
achievements and milestones over that
period, noting the flying of Jamaica’s
flag since 1999 at the Penn Relays, the
first foreign flag to be flown; and the
visit of Prime Minister Portia Simpson-
Miller in 2012, another first as she
was the first foreign Head of State to
do so.
In 2008, Clare recalled that TJB held
a fundraising concert to aid in Jamaica’s
Olympic effort, donating some
US$20,000.00 from the proceeds.
BET covered and promoted the concert.,
which featured Richie Stephens,
Etana and Coco Tea, among others.
Clare said clips from the concert
were played at the opening and closing
ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics, “a
remarkable achievement.”
The position of premier sponsor of
the Penn Relays being held by Grace
Foods, a Jamaican company, rounded
out the list, Clare said, stating that TJB
introduced Jamaican companies to the
Penn Relays 25 years ago.
Clare said this year is significant,
with a trifecta of events: the 125th year
anniversary of the Penn Relays, Jamaica
observing 55 years of participation
and TJB’s 25th year at the relays.
Some of the events planned to mark
TJBs 25th year include a black-tie gala
to be held at the Rochdale Village in
Queens and a reception to be held in
Jamaica, among others.
Clare thanked Dawn and Dennis
Warren, along with Stephen Drummond
and friends, who will be hosting
a fundraising gala to benefit the
organization in April.
“The initiative has grown by leaps
and bounds over the years, having
started with just about 200 student
athletes, coaches and other support
staff and officials,” said Clare of TJB
efforts at the Penn Relays.
“Contingents have surpassed over
600 in peak years, with groups now
coming from Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana
and St. Vincent & The Grenadines.,”
he added. “Many schools have come to
rely on the assistance provided, as it
helps to defray overall costs to prepare
and send students to the relays.”
A section of the audience at the Team Jamaica Bickle anniversary event.
Roland Hyde Photography
Team Antigua Island Girls will make
history when they become the fi rst
all-black female team in the world to
row across the Atlantic Ocean, completing
the Talisker Whisky Atlantic
Challenge. Ben Duff Photography Ltd.