Wisynco

The training camps will be held in the three Jamaican counties – Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey - over the next three weekends to ensure accessibility and comprehensive coverage of schools in Jamaica.

The first of the camps will be held at GC Foster College in St Catherine on Saturday, October 15, 2022, which will be followed by another at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James on Saturday, October 22. The last of the camps is set to be staged at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday, October 29.

The MVP Track & Field Club Grassroots Training Programme targets secondary school student-athletes and coaches from all 14 parishes.

The camps provide access to best-in-class training methods in sprinting, relays, jumps, throws, distance running and hurdling.

The coaches, led by the head coach of MVP Track & Field Club Paul Francis, will guide the over 100 student-athletes per camp through the intricacies of each of the aforementioned athletic skill sets.

President of the MVP Track & Field Club, Bruce James said he was pleased to see the return of the island-wide training camps after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These MVP training camps took place uninterrupted on an annual basis for seven years starting in 2013. Of course, we did not continue the programme during the height of the pandemic. The health and welfare of the student-athletes will always be our priority,” he said.

International sports apparel company Puma is providing each student-athlete who participates in the MVP training camps with gear that includes shirts, caps and bags. Puma has also supplied over 100 pairs of Puma running shoes to be allocated to the student-athletes.

Wisynco is the official hydration sponsor through its brands WATA, Powerade, Tru-Juice and Tru-Shake.

Also providing support is National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited as the official financial partner of the programme and among other things will share financial literacy strategies with all participants.

The Sports Development Foundation is also on board as it affirms that the programme aligns with its mandate to develop Jamaica through sports.

The MVP Track Club was founded in 1999 and over the next two decades produced some of Jamaica’s most successful track and field athletes.

Former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, world champion hurdlers Melaine Walker and Brigitte Foster-Hylton and five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah all came through MVP Track Club.

She began by expressing her deep gratitude to the sponsors, partners, and friends who had supported the foundation over the past decade. "It's because of your generosity why we're here this evening that we're able to celebrate 10 years of the Pocket Rocket Foundation. The impact and the legacy that we have had throughout the 10 years is all because of you," she emphasized.

Turning her attention to the foundation's origin, Fraser-Pryce shared the motivation behind its creation. "Now, the reason I have the Pocket Rocket Foundation is because for all of my life, there are so many persons that poured into who I was and who I was going to become. They saw vision, they saw hope, they saw so much more, and it's because of that why we have the Pocket Rocket Foundation."

The five-time World 100m champion recognized the importance of balancing education and sports to transform lives, a lesson she learned early in her life. "When I was in Waterhouse, I always knew; like my mom would say to me that sports was going to be my way out. We have to learn to strike the balance between education and sport to transform your life, and I learned that early that that was going to be the case."

She stressed the significance of service, explaining, "Service is our greatest strength. I've always believed that. For those who serve, you are powerful. It's your strength that's where you lead from. I crossed the line and I wanted to give back."

The three-time Olympic gold medalist praised her then manager, Bruce James, who helped her set up the foundation. "I said to Mr. (Bruce) James I needed to start my foundation, and I wanted to have impact. I don't want to start a foundation because it looks good on paper or it sounds good. I want to start a foundation because I want to have impact. I want to give student athletes the same privilege, the same chance to dream, to plant a seed, to have hope."

She thanked the foundation's initial supporters, including GraceKennedy, Digicel, and Nike, for providing the initial funding. Sagicor's contribution, providing a rent-free home for the foundation for almost two years, was especially noteworthy. Shelly-Ann recognized the importance of transparency and integrity in her foundation's operations.

Throughout her speech, Shelly-Ann expressed her gratitude to her sponsors for their unwavering support. "There's never a time that I've called on any of my sponsors to say, I need your support, I need to donate food, I need toys for the kids, I need bags, and they're always there. I've never heard I can't. It's always yes."

Shelly-Ann then highlighted the impact the Pocket Rocket Foundation had on student athletes. "73 student athletes over the 10 years. It's just remarkable for me to have seen a lot of you transcend so many different things."

She mentioned examples like Tahj Lumley, one of the foundation's first recipients, who became the national squash coach, and Jovaine (Atkinson), who became a pilot. "When you talk about them, it is hope and that is the seed that we have planted in their lives because of you. I want to be able to fuel those dreams and help them surpass their own expectations."

The foundation's initiatives, including the breakfast program with GraceKennedy, aimed to make a difference in the Waterhouse community. Shelly-Ann emphasized the importance of providing every child with access to nutritious meals, regardless of their family's circumstances.

Discussing the foundation's football program, she said, "When you talk about peace through sports, that's what our football program does. It's bringing young men from different communities who are otherwise pre-occupied or not speaking. We're able to bridge that gap because of that football competition."

Shelly-Ann hoped for a better, more united Waterhouse through her foundation's efforts. "That's the Waterhouse that I want. That's the Waterhouse that I'm dreaming of. We want to have impact, we want to have legacy."

In closing, Shelly-Ann emphasized that her own journey was a blueprint for the student athletes. "You can have balance. Having that balance and striking that balance is difficult, but it's possible. I did it. I am the blueprint. I am showing them the way.”

Several sponsors received awards on the night for their contributions to the Pocket Rocket Foundation (PRF) over the past decade.  GraceKennedy Ltd received the Pocket Rocket Foundation Pinnacle Award, Nike received the PRF Trailblazer Award, the PRF Standout Performer went to Wisynco, the PRF Start Award went to Sagicor, the PRF Change Award went to Digicel and the PRF Trendsetter Award was received by American Friends of Jamaica.