LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
SO FAR, 2004 has been a great year for Arnett Gardens' sporting clubs and on Wednesday night the sporting heroes of the community were recognised with an award ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Despite the senior football team having a disappointing season in the National Premier League, the Under-20 football team, basketball and netball teams and the dance troupe all toppled their opponents to win their respective competitions.
The football team had an unbeaten season in the KSAFA/ Shocking Vibes Under-20 competition and so too did the basketball team which topped the Southern Basketball Conference League. The females also held their own in the Western Union Netball League and the dancers leapt to the top of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commis-sion (JCDC) dance competition.
POOL OF TALENT
Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, the constituent which Arnett Gardens falls, and patron of the event Dr. Omar Davies spoke volumes of the pool of talent in the community and said that by highlighting the accomplishments of these individuals some of the attention would be deflected from the violence in the community.
"The media provides us with very little positive coverage although there are lots of good things occurring, so something like this demonstrates that there are positive developments in South St. Andrew," Davies said.
IMPARTING DISCIPLINE
"There is so much talent (in Arnett Gardens) and we have to harness it and use sports and culture as a way of imparting discipline to the youngsters and so it is important that the athletes be recognised," he said.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDEES
FOOTBALL
Most Improved Players:
Ricardo Campbell and Kearn Binns
Most Disciplined Player:
Corey Pickersgill
Best all-round player:
Kevin Rose
BASKETBALL
Most Improved Player:
Arnel Campbell
Most Disciplined Player
Kimani Laundry
Best All-round Player
Delano Mallett
NETBALL
Most Improved Player:
Kemesha Brissett
Most Disciplined Player:
Kadian Mendez
Best All-round Player:
Shelly-Ann Williams
DANCE
Most Improved Dancer:
Alvan Small
Most Disciplined Dancer:
Tamara Scott
Best All-rounder:
Tamara Reid
