SHARKS Swim Club rolled out the red carpet in grand style last Sunday afternoon as it held its inaugural awards ceremony at Bay Gardens Hotel under the theme, “Celebrating our achievements through Kaizen”.
The three-hour long celebration saw a number of the club swimmers receiving awards for their outstanding performances for last year and the first quarter of 2017. Among them were some notable faces such as Junior Sportswoman of the Year Katie Kyle, MikailiCharlmagne, Mikaela Casimir, Anya Hilaire, Jasmine Steide, Antoine Destang, Zev Reynolds and Allandre Cross.
Keynote speaker Van Dyke Jude, a champion in both scrabble and chess, told the young swimmers that they were privileged because they had parents and coaches who cared. He also reminded them of the friendships they would forge through sports.
“You are going to make some of the best and long-lasting friendships through athletic activity,” he said. “When you look around and you are sitting with a group of friends, because of your common interest and common passion you are likely to be friends for the rest of your lives.”
Jude continued: “What you probably do not understand is that your parents are teaching you values that are going to take you a long way in life. Life is not just about swimming (and) just about playing sports. What life is about is achieving, continuous improvement. ‘Kaizen’ means ‘a change for the better’.”
The junior male and female Swimmer of the Year title went to Antoine Destang and Jasmine Stiede while Katie Kyle and Johnny Calderon captured the senior female and male titles.
Other awards presented on the night were as follows:
• Stroke Awards — Butterfly (Katie Kyle, Antoine Destang), Breaststroke (Mikaela Casimir, Ziv Reynolds), Freestyle (MikailiCharlmagne, Allandre Cross), Individual Medley (Katie Kyle and Antoine Destang).
• Most Consistent Juniors and Seniors — Jasmine Steide (junior female), Antoine Destang (junior male), Katie Kayle (senior female) and Allandre Cross (senior male).
• Most Improved Junior and Seniors: Jasmine Steide and Antoine Destang (juniors) and MikailiCharlmagne and Allandre Cross (seniors).
• Most Versatile Awards: Ziv Reynolds and MikailiCharlmagne.
• Attendance Awards: Allysia Alfred (female) and Levi Stiede (male).
• Sharks Leaders: Mikaela Casimir (female) and Allandre Cross (male).
Sharks Rising Stars Award: Maravilla John, Amber Guillaume, Allysia Alfred, Maya Brathwaite, Diego Vargas, Levi Steide, Thaeden Antoine, Josue George, Zana Brathwaite and Helen Kabiye.
Ready To Go Sharks: MikailiCharlmagne, Jasmine Steide, Allandre Cross, Thaeden Antoine. Sharks Drop Awards: MikailiCharlmagne, Jasmine Stiede, Antoine Destang, Jakob Harrison. Coach Award: Natalya Guillaume, Abbie Pultie, Kyle Phillip and Ian Speigelberg.
The top champion swimmers in the five categories were: 8-and-under (Jasmine Steide (female), Antoine Destang (male); 9-10 (Anya Hilaire (female), Alejandro Vargas (male); 11-12 (MikailiCharlmagne (female), Allandre Cross (male); 13-14 (Katie Kayle (female), Nyeem Rosemond (male); 15-and-over (Mikaela Casimir (female), Johnny Calderon (male).
In February, the swim club held an essay and poetry competition for primary and secondary school students. The winners received their awards on Sunday. They are Zoe Bernard, Clarissa Mc Donald, Amber Guillaume and Chrisla Emmanuel.
