Ashton Gill and Kershel McIntyre are Cougars Track and Field Club boys and girls "Athletes of the Year".The honour was bestowed upon the pair at Wednesday's Christmas Dinner and Awards ceremony held at the VIP Room at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
Gill, 19, is the reigning 800 and 1,500 Under 20 champion of TT&T after he stood on the podium to receive the top accolade for a fourth consecutive year.McIntyre, the 2013 Athlete of the Year, repeated the feat to share the spotlight with Gill. She's the 400 metres and 800 metres athlete was outstanding in 2015.
Also sharing the night's spotlight were multi-event athlete Jordan Pope, 13 and Caliyah Wallace, 13, as the club introduced two new awards: Junior Male Athlete of the Year and Junior Female Athlete of the Year.Feature speaker Cleopatra Borel who was asked to speak on the theme Shake It Off and Step Up.
The 2015 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and national women's shot put champion, she used the parable of a wise old mule to get across to her youthful audience. In her message she discussed using adversity and seemingly hopeless situations to elevate oneself towards victory.
"There once was a farmer with a mule which one day fell into a well. The farmer felt that the mule was old and wasn't worth the resources it would require to get him out, so he hired a couple guys to throw dirt into the well in an attempt to bury the mule down there.
"However, the mule being quite wise, said to himself as the dirt fell on his back, let me shake this dirt off and step up. So every time dirt was thrown on his back he shook it off and stepped up."
She said the mule continued to do that until eventually he had risen so high that he was able to step over the wall and out of the well and onto the ground.
"The mule demonstrated that something that was meant to bury him was actually used to overcome his dire situation and elevate him to glory." She added that there were many times in her life when she felt like the old mule. There were times when things didn't work out as expected and shewould cry, but learn how to shake it off and step up.
She pointed to a situation and explained: "At the London Olympics I missed making the final by one metre and I felt like that was dirt, but I shook it off and stepped up.
Later, the gold medal winner was disqualified for using a performance enhancing substance and I felt like that was more dirt because she denied me a place in the final, but again, I shook it off and stepped up."
She told the gathering: "Whenever you feel like something is burying you in life, whether on or off the track, I want you to be like that old mule and shake it off and step up. The moral of the story is do not allow anything to bury you. Whenever you are down keep getting back up and eventually you will rise to the height of success you aspire to."
Head coach Kelvin Nancoo, in his address, told his young charges they had every reason to be proud since they had achieved in the club's seven years in existence what other clubs with longer track records were still dreaming of doing.
Founded in 2008, Cougars have claimed a five national juvenile track and field championships between 2011-2015.Nancoo stated that the club will be making history by becoming the first club to travel internationally next year when they go to compete in Barbados at the Barbados Relay Fair in February.
He said: "We dominated the Juvenile Games, and won seven gold medals at the Junior Championships. I promise all of you that Cougars will win the Juvenile and Junior Championships and for the first time win the NAAA Team of The Year title by 2017."
Cougars 2015 Honour Roll
Junior Sportsman of the Year: Jordan Pope
Junior Sportswoman of the Year: Caliyah Wallace
Senior Sportsman of the Year: Ashton Gill
Senior Sportswoman of the Year: Kershel McIntyre
Under 10 Victor: Tyrell Springer. Runner Up – Khaliff Dangade
Under 10 Victrix: Janika Jordan. Runner-Up – Abigail Burton
Under 12 Victor: Jorvan Westfield. Runner Up: Kyrell Thomas
Under 14 Victor: Jordan Pope. Runner Up – Ethan Forde
Under 14 Victrix: Caliyah Wallace. Runner Up – Shaniqua Bascombe
Under 16 Victor: Derron Frank. Runner Up – Jarion O'Souna
Under 16 Victrix: Joanna Rogers. Runner Up – Melissa Boxhil
Under 18 Victor: Jaden St Louis. Runner Up – Recardo Prescott
Under 18 Victrix: Kershel McIntyre
Under 20 Victrix: Jada Barker
Under 20 Victor: Ashton Gill
Spirit of Cougars Award: Male �Ashton Gill; Female � Kershell Mc Intyre
Spirit of Comraderie and Sport: Shaniqua Bascombe
Most Improved: Octavia Cambridge; Tafari Waldron, Jeremy Davis, Keston Chase
Future Champions 2017: Jordell Westfied, Mackaelan Woods, Naima John
Coach of The Year: Abeyola Akowe
