Indoor Track and Field Season Kicks Off

The Virgin Islands does not have indoor track and field competition nor does this competition exist in the Caribbean. V.I. National Team members travel to the U.S.A. to compete indoors; most get their first exposure to the competition as college students.
Laverne Jones-Ferrette had the fastest 60m time in the world in 2010; she won the silver medal in the event at the IAAF World Indoor Championships (vacated) before taking a year to become a mother. She is poised to return to the championships, which will be held in Sopot, Poland, in March. She is being cautious as she, like several V.I. National Team members, is recovering from nagging injuries. She has met the qualifying standard and expects to do well in Poland.
Tabarie Henry, also returning to the boards is recovering from injury, made his debut indoors as he too recovers from injury prone 2013.
If all goes well, Henry will compete in the IAAF World Indoor Championships 400m to be held in Sopot, Poland, in March. Plagued with an Achilles injury for the past two years, things have improved for the V.I. record holder and fourth place finisher in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2012. He competed in the Auburn Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, this past weekend and took first place in the 400m with a time of 47.29.
Nonetheless, many Virgin Islands National Track and Field Team members have excelled indoors achieving All-America honors (indoors and outdoors) at the junior college and university level including (this is not a complete listing): Eddie Lovett, University of Florida; Laverne Jones-Ferrette, Barton County Community College and The University of Oklahoma; Tabarie Henry, Barton County Community College and Texas A & M University; Leslie Murray, Delaware State University; Muhammad Halim, Cornell University; Hasheem Halim, Virginia Tech University; Allison Peter, University of Texas; Collister Fahie, University of Akron; David Walters, Hinds Community College and Langston University; Calvin Dascent, South Plains Junior College; Terry Charles, Barton County Community College; Flora Hyacinth, University of Alabama; Neville Hodge, Morgan State University; and Vaughhaligan Walwyn, Rice University
To be an All-American one has to finish in the top eight of all the athletes in the national championships at the college level.
Wanetta Kirby made her debut for the indoor season at the Terrapin Invitational in Landover, Maryland, with a personal best in the long jump with a jump of 6.25. Kirby is the V.I. record holder for the heptathlon, now concentrating on the long jump as she is now working fulltime and has limited time and resources to prepare for the seven events.
Quashira McIntosh, an 11th grader at Hope High School in Providence, R.I. and a member of the V.I. CARIFTA team last year, is getting work done on the indoor circuit. She has a first place in the 300m at the Rhode Island Classic (40.73) as well as a first in the 4 x 200m relay. She has two second-place finishes in the 55m at the Hispanic Games *7.18) and the East Coast Invitational; she took second in the 400m in 60.98 and in the 55m in 7.24.
Seymour Walter, a senior at South Carolina State University, is having a solid year with two second places finishes in the 800m: he ran 1:54.71 at the Gene Anderson Invitational in Chapel Hill North Carolina and 1:54.90 at the Orange and Purple Classic at Clemson, South Carolina.
Deseree King, a junior at Georgetown University, is showing her versatility indoors as she took first place in the 300m at the Bison Opener in Lewisburg, Penn., with a time of 40.23; she dropped down in distance to the 60m and ran 7.79 to finish fourth in the prelims. King competed in the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2010. She took fourth place in the 200m at the Father Diamond Invitational at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., with a time of 25.35.
Malachi Bostic-Watley, a Bucknell University freshman and V.I. CARIFTA Team member in 2013, had two first places in the Bucknell Mini Meet including: the 300m in 36.84 and the 60m in 7.11. In the Bison Opener he took third in the 200m in 22.59.
Adrian Durant is back into competition after taking on duties as Sprint Coach at Cornell University. He ran an indoor 60m to test his level of fitness and is considering doing the outdoor season and be available for the V.I. National Relay Team.
Ninfa Barnard posted a 5:18 mile at the University of Alabama Birmingham Blazer Invitational. She also ran on her University of Arkansas Pine Bluff 4 x 400m relay team.
Hounds & Foxes Compete Indoors at the Armory in NYC
The Hounds & Foxes Track Club took a trip to New York City during the holiday break from school and competed in the Bishop Loughlin Games where Nyhne Daniel won gold medals in the 55m and the 200m races for 13-14 year-olds. It was his first time to compete in an indoor meet. His teammate, Jamoir Shoy, placed fifth in the shot put for 15-16 year-olds. These games are billed as the oldest and largest indoor track and field school event in the U.S.A. Tyrone Lake took seventh place in in the 55m and silver in the long jump; fifth-grader T’Yannah Lake took silver in the long jump and seventh in the 200m; Lamar Miller and Jahill Garcia also competed. The team also competed in the Armory Youth Classic Track Meet held at the Armory Track and Field Center.
Athletes and coaches are urged to submit performances to the Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation (VITFF) for verification and evaluation for qualification for V.I. National Track and Field teams.
For information, logon to http://virginislandstrackandfield.org; call 643-2557; or e-mail isv@iaaf.org wallacewilliams@msn.com