The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Education continues to celebrate the 13th Annual “Pre-School Week” and the athletic segment of the festivities will again pay homage to one of the country’s iconic educators at the pre-school level.

The 3rd Andrea D Wisdom Sports Day is all set to take place 10am today at the University of the Bahamas campus, featuring 22 schools and hundreds of student athletes.

Both defending champions will be back this year to defend their titles – Garvin Tynes among four-year-olds and Coconut Grove in the three-year-old division.

Pool A includes Claridge, Gambier, Palmdale, Ridgeland, Stephen Dillet and Sybil Strachan. Pool B comprises Carlton Francis, Columbus, Sadie Curtis, Garvin Tynes, Gerald Cash and Thelma Gibson. Pool C includes Andy Gar, Buttonwood, CW Sawyer, Naomi Blatch and TG Glover. The three-year-old division in Pool D includes Coconut Grove, Sister Annie Thompson, Tiny Tot and Willard Patton.

Shandra Cleare, unit head at Garvin Tynes and chairperson of the Pre-School Week Sports Day Committee, said she expects another year of keen competition.

“This is the 13th year of celebrating Pre School Week and the 3rd year of honouring Andrea Wisdom at our sports day. Last year Garvin Tynes won the four-year-old division and Coconut Grove won among the three-year-olds.

“This year is expected to be very competitive. We are trying to win our fourth consecutive year in that division. The three-year-old division is usually very hotly contested between Willard Patton and Coconut Grove,” she said,.

“This is very important because the committee sees it as important for the young students to become familiar with the various events that they will participate in as they grow older. I think it’s the start of an avenue they can use to get into university. The children enjoy participating and it’s very exciting to see them participate in the various events. We always get a large amount of parents and teachers that compete so it’s very exciting and an interactive experience for all involved.”

Events include the 50m, 100m, sack race, egg and spoon race, 4x75m relay, tennis ball throw, teachers’ 100m and parents’ 100m.

Sedricka Rolle, the meet director, said the events lay the foundation for the future of athletics in the country.

“I encourage all parents and family members to cheer on our youngest athletes as they compete for these grand trophies,” she said.

“Even though they are pre schoolers we are looking at them compete at this developmental stage. An event like the sack race speaks to their strength and balance which could develop into jumping events. The tennis ball throw leads to throwing events like the discus, shot put and javelin later on. We have some pre-schoolers that are skilled in these events and we want to develop this from one stage to the next.”

Andrea Wisdom is often regarded as the modern architect of the pre-school system in the Bahamas.

Representing the family, Neville Wisdom, former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, said the meet is a fitting way to honour her memory.

On behalf of the family of the late Andrea Wisdom, I just want to thank the Ministry of Education and all persons involved with this meet. As many Bahamians would be aware, Andrea was a pioneer in pre-school education here in the Bahamas and we the members of her family feel so proud that her legacy is being continued,” he said.

“We want to ensure that this event continues and it grows from strength to strength. This even has proven to be a tremendous success when you see the little ones demonstrating their athletic prowess and we know that’s exactly what Andrea would have wanted to see.”