Rising sprint sensation Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls is among this year’s Pocket Rocket Foundation Scholarship recipients, who will receive a significant financial boost towards their academic and sporting pursuits.
Through donations and fundraisings, the foundation, which is the brainchild of Jamaica’s sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, offers financial assistance to high school student athletes, between second form and sixth form, who represent their school in any sporting discipline.
This year, East, who won the Class three 200m title at ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships earlier this year, and is also a national representative, is among 11 recipients from various high schools.
Tshani Armstrong of St Catherine; Tyrone Lawson of Jamaica College, Lysander Taylor of Papine; Karissa Kelly of Wolmer’s Girls; Nickayla Russell of Holmwood Technical; Kenrick McFarlane of Excelsior; Jaheim Jackson of Knox College; Joel Lamm of Wolmer’s Boys; Jordyne Grant, also of Wolmer’s Boys, and Streme Cha of Campion College, are the other recipients.
Each recipient will receive $100,000 towards their high school expenses to include, tuition, books, uniform, lunch and travel, which is to be redeemed annually, provided their exemplary academic standards and disciplined behaviour remain intact.
This brings the number to over 66 student athletes across more than 22 different high schools competing in 11 different sporting disciplines that have benefited from Academic Scholarship, since the foundation's inception in 2013.
Scholarships are awarded based on exemplary performance in both academics and athletics.
Real City, Basement advance to final of SFP Pocket Rocket Foundation Six-A-Side competition
Real City and Basement will contest the final of the 2023 SFP Pocket Rocket Foundation Six-A-Side competition after semi-final wins at the FESCO Field in Waterhouse over the weekend.
Sunday saw Real City secure their spot in the final with a 2-0 win over Lion Den thanks to goals from Nico McLeish and Hakeem Green.
Their opponents in the final will be Basement who beat Black Strikers 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a strike from Taywane Lynch.
The final takes place on Sunday, December 3 at 3:30pm.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce honoured to receive prestigious Alumni Exemplar Sports Award at UWI's 75th Anniversary Celebration
In a heartwarming celebration of athletic excellence and academic dedication, three-time Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was awarded the Alumni Exemplar Sports Award at the University of the West Indies' 75th-anniversary event on Friday night.
The Jamaican sprinting sensation, a five-time world 100m champion, expressed deep gratitude for the recognition from the university that she attended for just one month several years ago.
In a statement shared on her Instagram page on Sunday, Fraser-Pryce expressed her honour, saying, "I am honoured to receive the 2023 Alumni Exemplar Sports Award from the University of the West Indies at their 75th Anniversary Celebration."
She went on to emphasize the dual pillars of her career, stating, "My career has always been rooted in sports and education, and as I go into another year, I’m committed to continue my work with @sfppocketrocketfoundation to ensure students are ready to rise."
Fraser-Pryce, who had previously been honored with an honorary doctorate of laws degree from the University of the West Indies in 2016, as well as a similar honor from the University of Technology, seized the spotlight once again.
Her remarkable achievements extend beyond the track, as she graduated from the University of Technology in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Child and Adolescent Development with honors.
The star sprinter, known for her incredible speed on the track, has also proven to be a force for positive change off the field. As the founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, Fraser-Pryce has dedicated herself to providing crucial financial support to deserving student-athletes. Her foundation is a testament to her commitment to the intersection of sports and education.
This recognition comes as Fraser-Pryce sets her sights on another historic milestone – a third Olympic 100m gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Bennett excited at prospects as Jamaica uses golf's potential to drive sports tourism product
Much has been said about Jamaica’s sports tourism product, especially as those in the tourism industry continues to tap into the potential of golf to attract visitors to the island.
This, as according to the International Association of Golfing Tour Operators (IAGTO), the global golf tourism market, where people take trips with the main purpose of playing the sport, is valued over US$17 billion.
Additionally, it is said that an estimated 56 million people play golf worldwide, most of whom are in the United States and Canada alone, making North America the leading market in terms of the sport contribution to that economy.
It is with that in mind that Angela Bennett, Jamaica Tourist Board’s Regional Director for Canada is of the view that the recently-concluded Baxter Media-sponsored Sandals Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, is testament to what can be achieved through the sport.
The 27th edition of the two-day tournament attracted 61 travel advisors, who beyond basking in the fun, frolic and excitement, will ensure that Jamaica’s golfing and, by extension, sports tourism stock in North America continues to rise.
“This is a major achievement for us because golf is a big volume driver for earnings for Jamaica. It also targets a specific sport because we have so many golf courses in Jamaica, in Montego Bay alone, we have almost six golf courses and then there is the picturesque Sandals Golf and Country club among others in this region. From the tournament, we had our top producing tour operators like Air Canada, WestJet, Red Tag, they're all focused on selling sports tourism like golf,” Bennett said.
“So, to have them here for a week, there's a lot of networking going on, a lot of business and new airline partners coming in. This is another focus area for us to drive that sort of niche market to Jamaica and it's really a sport that encourages a long stay because these travellers usually like to golf around,” she added.
Bennett pointed out that the longstanding partnership between Sandals and Baxter Media in hosting the travel advisors tournament, serves as a springboard on which the JTB is aiming to launch strategies to drive more growth in Jamaica’s sports tourism product.
“We are known for sports in Jamaica, of course, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and all the other wonderful athletes, so it encourages us to build packages around golfing and promoting the sport, not only golf but all the other sports in Jamaica and this is a significant part of our strategy,” she shared.
“So, we have basketball that we do every year in Montego Bay, and we bring down some of our international stars to engage with the local talent. We also have Reggae Marathon in Negril where we're bringing down runners from Canada and across the world and while here, they experience the different offerings that Jamaica has in the sports field,” Bennett noted.
To that end, she pointed to the importance of capitalizing on the country’s sporting brand, particularly where the likes of Bolt, Fraser-Pryce and other sporting stalwarts are concerned.
“We always go where our athletes are, and sometimes we build a whole strategy around our athletes because just the way we know Bob Marley and everywhere in the world you go, they know Bob Marley, they know Usain Bolt and they know all our other track star because we shine, and we are at a superior level in this field. So, we're always looking to build a strategy around them to create a lot of awareness for Jamaica through them and through the work they're doing internationally,” Bennett ended.
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