Two busloads of Belize’s best high school athletes are somewhere
in Guatemala tonight. The more than one hundred junior athletes are on their
way to Costa Rica for the Central American Council for Sports and Recreation’s
annual tournament. The Belize contingent will compete for medals in basketball,
volleyball, karate, football, and track and field. They left Belize City this
afternoon at 4 pm and 7News was at the City Center to wish them well. Keith
Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
17 year old Twila Castillo and 15 year old Jermaine Madrill are two of Belize’s
best prospects in the CODICADER games. Madrill does track and field and Twila
is an all around athlete.
Twila Castillo, 17 years old
“I am excited about getting there but not for the travelling part
because I don’t really like travelling on bus for long. I took it when
I went Guatemala and Honduras and Salvador but I want to reach to Costa Rica
and so I will take the bus and reach.”
Keith Swift,
“What sports do you play?”
Twila Castillo,
“I do basketball, track, and football.”
Jermaine Madrill, 14 years old
“I’ll be participating in track and field event, high jump and
jogging.”
Keith Swift,
“How do you feel about going to Costa Rica?”
Jermaine Madrill,
“Well I am very excited and kind of nervous because all the tension
that will be building up.”
We were there as Twila, Jermaine, and the contingent of Belize’s best
high school athletes boarded this bus for their three day journey to Costa Rica.
Dion Sutherland, President – NSSSA
“It is a large contingent and we only hope it will get larger because
there are sixteen disciplines in the CODICADER Games. Unfortunately Belize has
only participated in a maximum of eight. This year we are down to five because
we are missing chess and table tennis and judo. We hope to get them onboard
but what we have lost in the number of disciplines, we have gained in the actual
athletes because this year unlike last year we didn’t have a female basketball
or a male football and this year we have both so we have gained in numbers of
the athletes.”
This afternoon the team got an official send off from Sports Minister Elvin
Penner.
Anthony Michael, Director - National Sports Council
“We made a significant contribution to this cause because we realize
that these fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen year olds, both male and female,
these are the people we have to start to nature and prepare for the next Olympics.”
Dion Sutherland,
“We have a very good chance. I think this year more than all because
for the past year the team didn’t know what to expect. But they have been
gearing up ever since they won the national tournament. So they are hype and
not only in the fanfare or the excursion but they really know what it is to
go out there and compete.”
Keith Swift,
“Why should we be proud of these youths?”
Dion Sutherland,
“We should be proud of them because they’ve worked hard to be
here. You have to bear in mind that these same athletes are working from their
own divisional. They win divisionals and then they go to regionals and then
they go to nationals and then from there they continue working out. Some schools
have workouts six days a week. So they have really been putting in their fair
share.”
Twila Castillo,
“I am a Belizean and so I have to go there and try my best to make
Belize proud and also win and bring back medals if we can.”
Keith Swift,
“You ever thought you’d be representing your country internationally?”
Jermaine Madrill,
“Sometimes I think about taking part in the Olympics in 2012.”
Keith Swift,
“You done the look forward to that?”
Jermaine Madrill,
“Yes sir.”
Keith Swift,
“You have to bring back gold from Costa Rica first.”
Jermaine Madrill,
“I will try hard.”
The team will arrive in Costa Rica on Thursday and games begin on Friday.
And if the contingent of one hundred plus athletes sounds like a lot, it isn’t
when you compare it to last year. For the 2008 tournament Belize sent 141 athletes.
They brought home 6 medals – 3 bronze and 3 silver.
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