The duo enjoyed an unexpectedly comfortable victory over favourites Cherie Thompson and Tana-Marie McMarrow 21-4, 21-5 in the finals.  Up to that point Thompson and McMarrow had looked very impressive, defeating their opponents with a balanced display of finesse and aggression.  In the third place decider Denise Brown and Dija Spence defeated Keisha Miller and Latoya Headley 15-11.

The male action was highly competitive and saw veteran Gatasheu (Ga-TAH-show), Bonner teaming up with RJR Sports Foundation’s Volleyballer of the year, 17 year old Ryck (Rick) Webb, to win the male category.  They defeated Oral Channer and Kevin Williams in the finals 21-13, 21-15.

Channer and Williams gave a very good account of themselves on route to the finals scoring several upset victories, the most telling of which was their victory over Beach Volleyball favourites and national representatives Dellan Brown and Namarie Gordon.  The third place decider was won by Romell Carter and Richard Lindo 15-12 over Kirby Smallhorne and Michael Thompson.

The top teams shared a cash purse of approximately US$800.00 provided by Supreme Ventures Lotteries through their subsidiary brand Just Bet.  Additional prizes of weekends for 2 were sponsored by Superclubs through their hotel chains Hedonism II, Breezes Grand and Breezes Run-Away Bay. Also in the prize package were passes by Mystic Mountain Jamaica Tours.

JaVA is currently negotiating sponsorship deals with a view to staging a Beach Volleyball League as well as hosting legs of the International NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour on an ongoing basis.

In other matches, Anchovy defeated Catherine Hall Primary, 12-15, 15-2, 15-2 and Chetwood 15-6 and 15-9. Chetwood then defeated Cartherine Hall 15-12 and 15-8.

Leading into their final game, Irwin came up against Chetwood scoring 15-3 and 15-11 while  Catherine Hall in a game ending 15-8 and 16-14 defeated Irwin Primary.

The North West Zone Competition which began on Thursday February 16 at the Sam Sharpe Teachers College will move into the third round next Tuesday.

The top two teams in this competition advance to the National Finals at the JaVA Volleyball facility at the National Stadium, where they will face off against teams from the East, East Central, West and North Central Zones.  Zone and National Champions will win trophies and medals.  An MVP trophy will also be awarded in each zone and at the National Final.

Director of Sports at the Mona Campus, Dalton Myers explained that with such a successful start, the institution is already anticipating the next staging of the event.

“Congratulations to the competing teams for the high level of play and camaraderie shown during the tournament, he said.  “This augurs well for the development of Hockey in Jamaica and inspires the UWI to continue on this path to assist in whatever way possible. I am thrilled that this has surpassed all our expectations and it represent the results that can be garnered from a well organized and executed event”.

The Circus Circle Hockey Team showcased their talent and determination, copping the Male Championship Title 2-1, with the UWI Mona team earning the silver medal.

Tropics Hockey Club also graced the awards platform after having defeated Sharpes, for the female Championship Title in a game that also ended 2-1.

President and Coach of Tropics, Carla Hewitt, says her team was delighted to have been a part of the games. “We knew we had to work very hard to get to the finals and we did so getting our title in the finals. The nature of play was outstanding. It was also good to see the blend in age groups that participated, especially the youngsters, combined with the experienced”.

Ms Hewitt was among the category awardees as Most Valuable Player. Other awardees include:

Top Scorer Male: Kemar Mitchell-Circus Circle Hockey Club

Top Scorer Female: Sherika Elliott- Tropics Hockey Club

Patrice Clarke- UWI Pelicans

Top Goal Keeper Male: Ajani Burton- Munroe Old Boys

Top Goal Keeper Female: Michelle Thompson- Sharpes Hockey Club

Most Disciplined Team Male: UWI Pelicans

Most Disciplined Team Female: St.Andrew Hockey Club

MVP Male: Kemar Mitchell- Circus Circle Hockey Club

Winning Coach Male: Roderick Lashing – Circus Circle Hockey Club

Winning Coach Female: Carla Hewitt- Tropics Hockey Club

A sixth form student of the Mandeville High, Mitchell was acknowledged as one the most talented athletes along with former Glenmuir High School student, Clovel Dinall at Thursday’s final all-star Manning and Dacosta Cup Match.

“This is my first time here and I thought it was an excellent three-day activity”, said Mitchell. “I am very excited because there are lots of opportunities open for me. I was approached by several universities, almost all so far but I have not made any decisions yet. My plan however is to attend a university where I can focus on academics as well as sport so that I always have a second option”.

Tom Carlin, Head Coach from the Villanova University, is one of the many other coaches who expressed interest in Mitchell. “There is extreme potential in all the students that I have seen over the past three days, he says”. “We are looking for vision and creativity from players.”

At the end of the matches, the scouts lauded the athletes for excellent performance. Many expressed their heightened interest in Jamaican athletes due to achievements from the likes of Darren Mattocks, former Bridgeport High School and Waterhouse FC player who is expected to be the number one pick in the 2012 Major League Soccer draft.

Clovel Dillan is one of the athletes who now has a better chance of accessing such opportunities with offers from institution such as Temple University.

“I just played simple like my coaches said,” says Dinall. I was approached by several universities… which open an opportunity for me to play Major League Soccer. However, no decisions are yet made as I still have some meetings pending with some of the coaches.”

Tertiary institution including the Ohio Dominican University, the University of Central Florida, Villanova University, Temple University from Philadelphia and West Virginia University were among several local and international entities perusing the athletes.

More than thirty students have received scholarships over the last three years under the programme. Eighteen of those students have been awarded UWI Mona scholarships including Teo Campbell, Rashane Garcia, Kemar Douglas and Andrae Bernal. Other scholarships recipients included Omar Tape to UTech, Clovell Dinal to GC Foster, Necas Collins, University of Hartford and Chris Waugh, University of Tampa.

Other prospective scholarship awardees coming out of Thursday’s game include Jovanni Simms, Carlie Smith, Gregory Kogg, Taval Whittaker, Ricardo Oldham, Andrew Allen and Charlie Smith.

The event brings together universities each year as they attempt to add to their cadre of top class athletes, which provide scholarship opportunities for a broad range of Jamaican youth.

First time festival attendee, Mauricio Ruiz, Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator of the University of Central Florida, was invited to the festival this year as a result of the intimate relationships he has developed with Jamaican coaches during previous visits to the island. “We came here to Jamaica to find something we don’t usually find in the United States. There are a lot of players in America but we are looking for players with the speed, strength and the creativity, something that Jamaica is known for.”

The University of Central Florida, the second largest university in the country is one of the most popular sporting institutions in the US with many of their athletes participating in pro rank games. The institution is looking for students with the discipline, desire and attitude that can complement its programmes and international achievements.

The institution also boasts of its extensive resources that allow its athletes to participate in global events and broaden their competitive scope. “When we come to Jamaica, we are not looking for mediocre players,” says Ruiz. “We are looking for players who can make an immediate impact on our programme and so we know such players are going to be full scholarship awardees.”

Full scholarships include full tuition, books, meals and housing and miscellaneous expenses. The University is also open to referring less talented athletes to junior universities in the US to ensure that such talent is appropriately utilized.

More than thirty students have received scholarships over the last three years under the programme. Eighteen of those students have been awarded UWI Mona scholarships including Teo Campbell, Rashane Garcia, Kemar Douglas and Andrae Bernal among others. Other scholarships recipients included Omar Tape to UTech, Clovell Dinal to GC Foster, Necas Collins,University of Hartford and Chris Waugh,University of Tampa.

Some of the top teams represented in the 2012 festival include: St Georges College, Jamaica College, St. Elizabeth Technical High School, Ruseas High School and Manchester High. Players include Ricardo Henry, Vincent Mitchell, Samuda Johnson, Ricardo Oldham, Jason Wright and Nicodie Haughton.

The festival which began on Tuesday 03 January saw the introduction of athletes and an address by the Director of Sports at the University of the West Indies, Dalton Myers. Wednesday will see the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th scouting matches being played.

The activity will conclude on Thursday January 5 with an all star game between top players of the Manning and Dacosta Cup teams which begins at 10am.

The students are participating in the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus’ annual Scholarship Football Festival from January 3-5 at the Mona Bowl.

The candidates represent some of Jamaica’s most outstanding student athletes from the recent Dacosta and Manning Cup games that have been recommended by their schools for outstanding academic and sporting achievements.

The festival will see a series of scouting matches being played over the three day period and will feature an All Star Manning versus Dacosta Cup Match on the final day at 10.30am. The team selections for the game will be made from the top players over three days.

According to Director of Sports at the University of the West Indies, Dalton Myers, the initiative is part of UWI’s desire to create opportunities for high school students. “We wanted to provide an avenue for talented athletes to become a part of the UWI team on scholarship”, he says. “However, we are aware that we cannot accept every student who may want to attend the UWI and scholarships are limited, so we provided this path as an opportunity for students to be able to access scholarships abroad”, he ended.

The UWI, Mona Football Scholarship Festival is a part of the refocused sports development efforts at Mona. Five student athletes who participated in the first staging of the UWI, Mona Football Scholarship Festival were awarded Sports Scholarships to pursue undergraduate studies at Mona. This year the University of the West Indies, Sports Department will be targeting one hundred players to participate in the festival.

Over thirty (30) students have since been granted scholarships through this programme since its inception in January 2009.

In a final game against the Agozar Volleyball club from Florida, the UWI A female team recaptured their 2010 championship title in a game that ended 25-22, 25-19, 25-14. “It was a very good game, keenly contested,” says team captain, Cherie Thompson. “We had a little glitch in the beginning but we managed to win the first two sets and kept them under 20. Agozar lost a couple of their players considering their departure arrangements, which was unfortunate, but it was a very good game. We played three sets against Cave Hill also and now we are the victors and we are very proud of that.”

First time contestant, Deacons brought tough competition for Jamaica’s 2007, 2008 and 2009 champions Vikings, and after five sets of strong play, defeated the Jamaican team 25-23, 25-19, 22-25, 9-15.

Deacon’s Coach, Andrew Culppeper says their competitive edge goes way beyond volleyball. “In Barbados we have been the local champions for about 18 years, we started as a group of school boys who just continued loosing and decided to fight and to stick together so we have been planning a long time. We represent the community Deacons, where we come from”, he continues. “It is one of Barbados’ poorer communities. I think that is the key to our fighting spirit. Deacons club is one of the very few good things that come from that community so we fight for more than just us, it goes deep, and we go for families.”

Director of Sports for the University of the West Indies, Dalton Myers emphasized that this year’s tournament brought together some of the region’s best talent. “This was a fantastic event for us,” he says. “Certainly this is what we really wanted. Having teams come from the USA, Barbados, Bahamas and Trinidad showed the diversity we had in the competition this year. If you looked at the final games for both genders, it really reflected the high level of competition that was here. This was definitely a win for the University and for volleyball in Jamaica.

Capturing third place prize in the women’s category was Technocrats from Trinidad, and Cave Hill in fourth. In the Men’s finals, Scotia Defenders captured the third place with UWI A in fourth. This year’s event saw a total 16 teams and culminated with a prize giving ceremony. Each team received

The prize purse this year was US$1000 each for the top Male and Female teams, with additional prizes for both genders for Best Blocker, Setter, Server, Passer, among other.

The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in association with The Embassy of Colombia officially launched its “Plan Integral de Prevención 20+ (PIP20+)” here in Jamaica on Monday 21^st November, 2011 at the campus Council Room.

The programme will see the institution being host to a group of 12 young athletes and 3 coaches from Colombia during the week November 21-25, which will engage UWI students in three days of track and field training.

PIP20+ was developed in an attempt to reduce the recruitment of minors by illegal armed groups through the creation of projects. These projects seek to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents in 20 particularly vulnerable municipalities in Colombia. They also aim to provide opportunities for character building and adoption of values through sports, as well as promote social and economic development in the region.

According to Director of Sports at the University of the West Indies Dalton Myers, “The partnership between UWI and Colombia stems from the visit of the Colombian President Dr Juan Manuel Santos Calderón to Jamaica in 2010. The UWI hopes to use this initiative to further enhance the relationship between Colombia and UWI by facilitating these young athletes in the various activities. I believe that initiatives like this can only help to broaden the scope of sports development and further help these athletes recognise how sports can be used as a vehicle for personal and professional growth.

The visiting group comprises 3 female and 9 male adolescents accompanied by the coaches. They will be participating in a programme involving 3 days of track and field training on the Mona Campus while interacting with students.  The group is also expected to meet Champion track and field athletes from Racers Track Club and MVP including The University of Technology’s (UTECH) Asafa Powell and Shelly-Ann Fraser on Tuesday and Usain Bolt at the UWI Bowl on Wednesday.

Visits will also be made to Jamaica College to meet with other sports personalities as well as the Bob Marley Museum.

During the visit to the Mona Campus in November 2010, President Santos and Professor the Hon. Gordon Shirley, Principal of the Mona Campus, had both expressed their interest in greater collaboration between the UWI and Colombia. It is to this end that the University of the West Indies and the Embassy of Colombia are partnering for the delivery of this project.

The Project is the brainchild of Colombian President, Dr Juan Manuel Santos Calderón and Maria Angela Holguin from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The workshops which took place simultaneously in Montego Bay at the Sam Sharpe Teachers College, Oracabessa High School in St. Mary and St. Thomas at the SDF playfield in Morant Bay were a proactive measure to prompt improved performance and interest in junior volleyball here in Jamaica.

Bolstered by the presence of experienced University level  Coaching Instructor from MAD Sports in the USA, Mrs. Lenore Donovan,  the training sessions focused primarily on teaching the five basic skills in volleyball, how to explain the mental aspects of the game to students, how to develop the motor skills necessary for the sport and reasons for particular techniques among others.

The mission is to qualify for major events starting with the 2017 World Championships”, says President of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, Major Warrenton Dixon. “We need to start working on those potential players and so we have to look at developing play with the pre-primary and primary volleyball programmes. We see the need to ensure that the essential lessons are taught and as such we need to train the trainers”.

This initiative officially started in 2010, when the Primary Level School Volleyball Competition began. This year, the association is continuing its efforts, however with a wider reach and the inclusion of additional sessions with interested schools.

“We will be following-up by having coaches visit schools to conduct Physical Education sessions with students so as to assist with further development of the individual institutions’ volleyball programmes,” the Major emphasized.

The tournament slated for November 18 -20, will see the congregation of some 18 teams for what has become a landmark event on the Mona Campus’ sporting calendar. One of the few consistent opportunities for local players to put their skills against international talent, the Pelican Invitational continues to play a great role in improving the overall standard of Club play in the island.

“This year we anticipate a very competitive event that exhibits camaraderie and team work amongst the players”, says Director of Sports for the University of the West Indies, Dalton Myers, “The success of the event over the years speaks to the commitment of the UWI to create mediums through which talented athletes can compete with other players from the region and the wider International volleyball community. Again we expect the UWI Volleyball Club to be victorious at the end of the competition as we have been in various other volleyball competitions across the globe”.

The UWI team fresh from victory in the Cayman Airways Spikefest in Grand Cayman has a long history of success with the pelican invitational.

In 2006 UWI dominated the competition in the male and female categories for first place. In 2007 Cuban National Junior Team captured first place prize in the female category and Local team Vikings for the males. In 2008, UWI again mined the first place prize in the women’s category and Vikings for the male. In 2009 Technocrats from Trinidad for the first time, took first place in the female category while Vikings successfully defended their title in the male category.

In 2010, The UWI females rose to the top again to take home the first place, while first time victors, Scotia Defenders took one home for the male team.

The prize purse this year stands at US$1000 each for the top Male and Female teams, with additional prizes in both genders for Best Blocker, Setter, Server, Passer, among other.

The tournament will take place at the UWI Gymnasium at the Mona Bowl. All games begin at 10am each day and end at 11pm with the Finals scheduled for 5.30pm on Sunday.