2018 Senior World Championships, Quarterfi nals. Augusto Bizzi
Brooklyn fencing olympian wins award
By Azad Ali
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
believes West Indies cricket is in a
state of crisis.
Speaking at on the Mason and
Guest show recently, Gonsalves said
he based his assessment on a string
of poor performances from the Caribbean
side and an apparent lack of
development.
“On the basis of recent performances
Caribbean Life, D 30 ecember 24-30, 2021
in the T20 World Cup, the
abysmally poor outcome we had in
Sri Lanka and the very mediocre performances
here in the Caribbean in
recent times, I think it would be fair
to say that cricket is now in a state of
crisis,” he said.
Gonsalves said he believes a lack of
ideas for a way forward from leaders
of cricket around the region continues
to be a contributing factor to the
demise of the game.
“What we have here is a full-blown
crisis, not a crisis of governance so
much, but a crisis in the performance
which is connected to governance,”
he said. “I see a crisis as a condition
in which principals are innocent of
the extent of the condition.”
Gonsalves said he doesn’t believe
those in charge of West Indies cricket
truly understand the magnitude of
the situation at hand.
By Nelson A. King
The United States Olympic & Paralympic
Foundation (USOPF) has named
Brooklyn Fencing Olympian Nzingha
Prescod among four Team USA athletes
who have demonstrated outstanding
commitment to service within their
communities as winners of the Team
USA Service & Hope Award.
As determined by the selection committee,
the athletes, and their corresponding
nonprofits, whose application
materials best embodied the spirit of
the award were: Nzingha Prescod &
Fencing in the Park; Shea Hammond
& CP Soccer US; Darlene Hunter &
National Wheelchair Basketball Association;
and Kai Lightner & Climbing
for Change.
Established in 2021, USOPF said on
Friday that the Team USA Service &
Hope Award celebrates Olympians, Paralympians
and hopefuls who serve in a
volunteer role with charitable organizations
whose missions focus on youth
sport, physical activity, or health and
well-being.
Each awardee will receive $25,000,
half of which will be directed to the
nonprofit they serve.
“We are thrilled to recognize the aweinspiring
achievements of our awardees,
who showed us that they truly go above
and beyond in service to their communities,”
said Christine Walshe, president
of the USOPF. “I extend my congratulations
to Shea, Darlene, Kai and Nzingha
and my appreciation for every Team
USA athlete who applied and continue
to serve their communities.”
In its inaugural year, USOPF said the
award received 134 applications, with
nearly 71 percent of applicants being
Olympians or Paralympians, while 76
percent were athletes who are currently
training and competing.
USOPF said three out of four applicants
were summer sport athletes, with
the highest number of applications
coming from track and field athletes.
Notably, USOPF said athlete applicants
spent a collective 9,250 hours, or
385 days, volunteering over the past 18
months.
“Our athlete applicants blew us away
with their stories of service, and it
was incredibly difficult to select just
four winners from such a qualified
and inspiring group of applicants,” said
Yucca Rieschel, co-chair of the award’s
selection committee. “Based on the
interest the program has generated, we
are hopeful that this award will continue
to recognize and publicize the
countless ways that Team USA athletes
are making a difference in their communities.”
USOPF said Vincentian American,
two-time Olympian Prescod, who
became the first Black American woman
to medal at the World Fencing Championships
in 2015, dealt with a hip injury
that forced her to retire in 2020.
In the same year, USOPF said she
founded Fencing in the Park, which
introduces under-resourced communities
in New York City to the sport of
fencing and its principles of fitness,
discipline, focus, strategic thinking and
problem-solving.
USOPF said Prescod’s ultimate goal
is to develop the next generation of
leaders and champions in sport and
beyond.
“It’s so satisfying to share the gift of
fencing with youth from my home community,
who haven’t traditionally had
access to the opportunity,” Prescod, the
founder and executive director of The
Prescod Institute for Sport, Teamwork
and Education & Fencing in the Park,
told Caribbean Life exclusively on Tuesday.
“Our mission is to realize human
potential through fencing-based youth
development and other academic and
educational opportunities.
“Our team inspires the next generation
to become high-performing athletes
and people.,” added the East Flatbush
resident. “It’s my pleasure to be
able to offer that, and I’m incredibly
proud of the impact we have made so
far.
“I’m looking forward to continuing
to build,” Prescod continued. “Thank
you to the US Olympic and Paralympic
Committee and the Foundation for supporting
and celebrating our efforts.”
Prime Minester Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
United Nations / Ryan Brown
St Vincent PM believes WI cricket is ‘in crisis’