The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH the 70-member team preparing to leave town on Thursday for Hamilton, Bermuda, the majority of the athletes got a good send-off to the Carifta Games on Saturday night. They attended a cocktail reception in honour of Demetrius Pinder and Chris 'Fireman' Brown for their historic silver and bronze medals respectively at the IAAF World Indoor Championships last month in Istanbul, Turkey. The duo advised the athletes of the importance of representing their country at the best of their ability and in the words of Julian Reid's son who sang 'I Believe," they were encouraged to believe that they can achieve anything that they set in their minds. At least four athletes, representing their team- mates, expressed how they felt about being a part of the team and what it meant to hear from the two elite quarter-milers. Jenae Ambrose, who heads the sprinting squad in the under-17 girls' division, said she's "excited" to be making her first Carifta team and she hopes to "do the best of my ability when I go to Bermuda. "I want to get the gold and turn in my personal best times in both the 100 and 200 metres." As for the team, she noted that it's a very "strong" one and she knows that they are all inspired by what they heard from Pinder and Brown. "They encouraged us to do our best and don't give up no matter what," Ambrose said. Hollie Rolle, the distance runner on the under-20 girls' team, said she too is making her debut and she couldn't be more happy because she's "looking forward to doing very well. "I think the team is a very strong one and we should do exceptionally well. We have a lot of qualifiers, so I think it's a very good team that they have put together. So I think we will do very well." Rolle said both Pinder and Brown motivated her because "they will push me to actually achieve my goals because they've been here before and look at where they are now." Xavier Coakley, a 110 and 400 metre hurdler in the under-17 boys' team, expressed thanks "to God because he's healthy and he's going to Bermuda to try and do some big things like winning a medal in either one or the two events. "What I like about this team, as the coaches have said, is that this is a big team and it's pretty strong," he said. "Just about all of the athletes made the qualifying standard, which means that it's a very strong team." Going into the games, Coakley said he's "speechless to be in the presence of two great Olympic and world-class athletes and to be a part of this great celebration that the BAAA put together to congratulate them and to thank them for preparing the way for us." And Ryan Ingraham, the talented high jumper in the under-20 boys' division, said he's very proud to be a part of the team and he's going to perform at his best. "This is a very strong team, one of the best that they have put together in a long time, so I know that we are going to do very well," he said. Having the opportunity to travel on a national team with Pinder and speaking directly with Brown on the phone via his coach James Rolle, a personal friend of Brown, Ingraham said they have motivated and helped him to stay focus. Bernard Rolle, the assistant coach on the team, said he's excited about making his first Carifta team and he is confident that they have a well- balanced team that will perform very well. Rolle said Pinder and Brown have provided a great motivational tool for the team. "We like success and they have definitely made these athletes feel good about themselves and they have something to look forward to," he said. "I think their presence is a great motivating factor for them." The team got a spiritual blessing yesterday when they worshipped at Commonwealth Baptist Church in Elizabeth Estates. Pastor Arnold Josey has been a great motivator for the athletes in the past.