Street Hype Newspaper-Penn Relay 2013
Street Hype Newspaper-Penn Relay 2013
Street Hype Newspaper-Penn Relay 2013
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By Patrick Maitland Street Hype Editor he annual Penn Relay Carnival is now in its 119th year, making it the worlds first and most widely recognized relay meet. Each year more than 100,000 patrons attend the event that attracts 18,000 athlete-entries from more than 1,000 high schools from the United States and abroad. Plans are in high gear for the relay festival that is set for April 2527, at the Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and organizers are expecting another record attendance. With only a few weeks to go, Penn Relays meet director Dave Johnson confirmed entries from 1,070 high schools including 61 from overseas. As expected, the trackcrazy island of Jamaica leads the way among non-US participants; they are sending 30 of the 61 schools. Seven other Caribbean nations have submitted entries -Trinidad & Tobago (9), Bahamas (6), Barbados (2), U.S. Virginia Islands (2), Cayman Islands (1), Grenada (1) and St. Vincent (1). Three other countries will also be represented, including 10 schools coming from Zimbabwe (7) and South Africa (3). Pennsylvania leads the way with 280 schools entered, followed by the Garden State of New Jersey (267), New York (253), Maryland (136), Virginia (83), Delaware (35), and Connecticut (28). Teams from North Carolina, Massachusetts, California, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia will also be participating. The goal of the Penn Relays is a simple one, to provide the best track and field competition for the greatest number of participants of all levels, ages, and abilities, said Chairman of
the Friends of the Penn Relays C.K. Buddington of the event described as the premier track meet in the world. While acknowledging the participation from other countries, Buddington paid special tribute to Jamaican athletes for their contributions during the past five decades. Next year will be a very special year as Jamaica celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first time a Jamaican high school competed at the Relays. In 2012, the organizers took the decision to fly the countrys flag every year at the Games in recognition of Jamaicas 50th year of independence as well as the contributions of Jamaican athletes to relay festival. Jamaica first sent a high school team to the Relays in 1964, when Kingston College attended and won their sprint relay. Ever since the Jamaican presence, the Relays have grown. It is the Jamaican presence which now keeps the carnival spirit alive in the Penn Relays, Buddington observes. From the very beginning the Relays have played an important role in Philadelphias cultural life. It was one of few major events that accepted African-American competitors, and it was one of the high points on the African-American social calendar. Penn Relays participants have won gold medals in every modern (summer) Olympic Games except the 1980 Moscow games, which were boycotted by the United States. The Penn Relays is being staged at Franklin Field, 235 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Tickets are required for admission check the website (thepennrelays.com) for details. Public transportation is recommended as parking is limited.
BEST WISHES TO T E A M J A M A I C A
at the 119th staging of Penn Relays 2013
FROM
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PENN RELAYS FOCUS Jamaican Relay Team Among Penn Relays Wall Of Fame Class Of 2013
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Vincent Hosang, CEO, Caribbean Food Delights (l) presents a check of $10,000 to Erwin Clair, chairman of Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) to provide support services to Caribbean athletes who compete at the annual Penn Relays Carnival.
ince 1994, Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) has played an active role in the development and care of the athletes through its hospitality initiative, which has been a superb, necessary, and enriching program for the athletes. In fact, through our efforts more of them are able to travel to these relays, thanks to the sponsorship provided, which reduces the cost to both the families and schools. Through its partnership with the Caribbean Food Delights (CFD)/Royal Caribbean Bakery and the HoSang Family Foundation, TJB has been able to grow the program from catering to 200 student athletes and coaches in the first few years to now just over 650. Most of the athletes hail from Jamaica
(over 500) but in recent years the contingent has grown to include more Caribbean participants namely, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Grenada. In past years, TJB, has also welcomed and extended its services to delegations of students and coaches from the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), Guyana and Barbados. TJB operates through a strong corp. of volunteers, which has allowed for tremendous accomplishments over the years. The organization provides Meals and other refreshments, Physical therapy, chiropractic care, Mentorship and medical services, Ground transportation, Subsidized hotel rate,
PHILADELPHIA, PA: Jamaican 4100-meter relay is among this years Penn Relay Carnival Wall of Fame inductees. The 2004 Vere Tech girls 4100meter relay team holds a nine year record of 44.32. The team of Indira Spence, Maris Wisdom, Sharneter Stewart and Simone Facey broke a meet record that had lasted six years. An earlier Vere Tech team had held the record previously for three years. The Vere Tech girls team was selected this year along with three other teams and four individuals by a panel of Penn Relays experts. The sole restriction in the nomination process is that only retired athletes (or those now competing as masters) may be nominated, and inductees are honored solely for their accomplishments at the Penn Relays; achievements in any other meets are not considered. Any relay team may be nominated, and nominations of relay teams and individuals will be accepted by the Penn Relays office at any time and from any interested party. The Penn Relay Carnival Wall of Fame tradition begun in 1994 at the time of the 100th running and the class of 2013 is the 20th group of inductees. This brings the number of individuals selected to 95, with 85 relay teams having been chosen. This years other relay team honorees are the 1963 Fordham University 4-mile relay team, which is being honored on the
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KINGSTON, Jamaica: record-setting Vere Technical relay team will be honoured at the Penn Relay Carnival which begins on April 25. The Clarendon-based institutions 2004 4x100m team will be added to the Carnivals Wall-of-Fame for clocking 44.32 seconds to set a record which still stands.
50th anniversary of setting a Carnival record; the 1969 Villanova 2-mile relay team of Andy OReilly, Chris Mason, Marty Liquori and Frank Murphy set a Relays record of 7:20.1, a mark which was not bettered on conversion until 1977, and the 2003 South Carolina shuttle hurdles team of Corey Taylor, Fred Townsend, Charles Ryan and Kenneth Ferguson ran 53.94 for the 4120-yard distance, setting a collegiate record while still stands. The individual inductees are: Michelle Bennett of Cardinal Spellman (Bronx) High School 87 and Villanova 91, one of the few women to have won seven relay Championship of America watches and who was an important cog on several Villanova relay teams; DeHart Hubbard of Michigan 25 who as a sophomore in 1923, won a long jumptriple jump double; Alberto Salazar of Wayland (Mass.) High School 76, who was the runner-up in the high school 2-mile run in 1975 and came back as a senior and blazed an 8:53.7, nearly seven seconds faster than the former record and the first Carnival time under nine minutes and Brian Sternberg of Washington 63 who was one of the greats during the transition to fiberglass poles, Sternberg came to Penn in 1963 and set a pair of meet records. This years 119th running of the Penn Relays is set for April 25-27 at the Ben Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
The record breaking team comprised Indira Spence, Maris Wisdom, Sharneter Stewart and Simone Facey. Three other relay teams and four individuals who have competed at the US meet were selected to be honoured at this years staging.
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Colleges G.C. Foster (St. Catherine) Knox CC (Clarendon) UTech (Kingston) West Indies (Kingston) High Schools Alpha Academy (Kingston) Ardenne (Kingston) Bellefield (Mandeville) Calabar (Kingston) Edwin Allen (Clarendon) Excelsior (Kingston) Garvey Maceo (Clarendon) Green Island (Hanover) Herbert Morrison (Montego Bay) Holmwood Tech (Christiana) Hydel (St. Catherine) Jamaica College (Kingston) Kingston College (East Kingston) Manchester (Manchester) Mannings (Westmoreland) Munro College (St. Elizabeth) Old Harbour (St. Catherine) St. Andrew Girls (Kingston) St. Andrew Technical (Kingston 13) St. Elizabeth Tech (Santa Cruz) St. Hugh's (Kingston) St. Jago (St. Catherine) Tacius Golding (St. Catherine) The Queens School (Kingston) Vere Technical (Clarendon) Wolmer's Boys (Kingston) High Schools Bethel (Nassau) Jack Hayward (Freeport) Moores Island (Hard Bargain) Queens College (Nassau) St. Augustines (Nassau) Tabernacle (Freeport)
JAMAICA
BAHAMAS
Friends of Penn Relays Chair Ken Buddington (1st l) raps with (l-r) Geneive Brown Metzger, Friends of the Penn Relays Board member and former Jamaican Consul General, Amy Guttmann, University of Pennsylvania, president, Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaican Prime Minister.
ZIMBABWE High Schools Allan Wilson (Harare) Arundel Girls (Harare) Gateway (Harare) Kyle College (Masvingo) Lomagundi (Chinhoyi) Peterhouse Boys (Marondera) Plum Tree (Bulawayo)
TRINIDAD High Schools Bishop Anstey (Port of Spain) Bishops (Scarborough) Fatima (Port-of-Spain) Queen's Royal College (Port of Spain) St. Anthonys College (Diego Martin) St. Benedicts (San Fernando) St. Francois Girls (Belmont) St. Joseph Convent (Port of Spain) Toco Secondary (Sangre Grands)
BARBADOS High Schools Queens College (St. James) St. Michael (St. Michael)
By C. K. Buddington Chairman, Friends of the Penn Relays understand just how important the Penn Relays are to so many people. I have been blessed to be a part of the Friends of the Penn Relays since their inception in 1991. In my role as Chairman it is my privilege to work with many talented and driven individuals whose prime focus is to preserve, enhance and leverage the Penn Relays and its legacy as the worlds first, largest and BEST Relay Carnival. Of the four key legs to our strategic plans I am most proud of the efforts we have made and the successes we have achieved in the area of community relations. This has been represented by the strong relationship we enjoy with the University of Technology, Jamaica and last years Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Jamaican Independence at the Penn Relays. Next year will be a very special year as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first time a Jamaican high school ran at the Relays.
The Penn Relays are much more than a grand athletic event. It is an event of historical, cultural and social significance for the past 119 years. Each year when we gather with old friends and make new friends, when we recall the stories of our exploits and those of our competitors, we build on a proud tradition, a tradition we all have a part in. I ask you to consider joining the Friends of the Penn Relays to help us grow this tradition for the next generation.
WASHINGTON DC (JIS): he Jamaican flag will be flown annually at the Penn Relays in the United States as of this year. In 2012 the organisers took the decision to fly the countrys flag every year at the Games, held on the University of Pennsylvanias Franklin Field, in recognition of Jamaicas 50th independence anniversary, and the contribution made to the relay festival by Jamaican athletes for nearly five decades. Jamaican high school athletes first competed in 1964 at the Penn Relays, which since then regularly attract over 15,000 high school, college, and track club athletes from the USA and abroad, notably Jamaica.
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