The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Coach Corrington Maycock continues to see a sharp improvement from the competitors in his Blue Chips Throwers Club with at least eight of them attaining the qualifying standards for the 2020 CARIFTA Games that will be rescheduled for Bermuda over the Easter holiday weekend.

But when asked what has been the key to their success, Maycock said the formula is a very simple one. “It’s 50 percent parents, 40 percent athletes and 10 percent coaches,” he insisted. “If the parents don’t stand behind them, they won’t grow as athletes.”

For athletes in his club, Maycock said if it wasn’t for their parental support they would not be as successful.

“When they do their part, they make it super easy for me,” he stated. “That’s the support of dropping them off to practice and picking them up and ensuring that whatever it takes for their children to do when they’re not in training to stay on the cutting edge.”

Three of those parents have indicated that because of the success their children have achieved under coach Maycock, they have no other choice but to provide all of the support that is needed, both on and off the field.

Olivia Nixon, the mother of Danielle Nixon, said although her daughter has yet to attain the qualifying standard of 12.63 metres or 41-feet, 5 1/4-inches in the under-17 girls’ shot put, she’s confident that with a little more effort she can achieve it.

“Danielle joined the club last year,” said Nixon of her 13-year-old daughter, who is now in grade eight at Queen’s College.

“But when she was at Temple Christian, her coach Keno Demeritte discovered her talent. We didn’t even know she had the talent.

“He told us that she had the talent, but it was just a matter of developing her skills. Because of that, when she went to QC, the PE teacher also noticed the talent. She sent home a note and introduced her to coach Maycock. She’s not at that level yet, but he was able to bring it out in her.”

At 5-feet, 8-inches, Nixon said her daughter is still progressing and that is one of the reasons why she’s so satisfied with what coach Maycock is doing with her. “Next year, I’m hoping that her skills continue to develop and I’m hoping that she meets the qualifying mark for CARIFTA,” she stressed.

“She can’t qualify now because of her age, but I hope that she gets to the level that she can compete, so she can get better.”As a parent, Nixon said she and her husband, Darron, are doing whatever they can to assist their daughter and coach Maycock. “My role right now is just to encourage her to ensure that she gets to the next level,” she said. “I think her father is more involved than I am. I think he wants her to get there like yesterday, but it’s a process. We know that she can do it. It’s just a matter of pushing her along.

“As parents, we have to really push them and encourage them. Because of their age, they need to get to that level of maturity, so they have to just do whatever we have to do so that they can get better. So I would encourage all of the other parents to make sure that if a coach identifies a skill of their child to be there to encourage their child to get to the next level.”

Kisha Moss, another parent, was doing it for her son, Keyshawn Strachan. But after his success, his younger sister Kamera Strachan is now following in his footsteps and so she has to increase her commitment to the club and coach Maycock in pushing her children along.

Last year, the two competed at the CARIFTA Games and they both qualified this year.

“I am just delighted that they get to train with coach Maycock. They have the potential,” Moss said.

“Keyshawn was a part of the club first and then Kamera joined him. They are doing very well.”

Keyshawn Strachan is last year’s CARIFTA champion and record breaker in the under-17 boys’ javelin. The 17-year-old 11th grader at St John’s College moved up to the under-20 division where he attained the qualifying standard of 60.94m (199-11) with a heave of 64.45m (211-5).

On the other hand, 12-year-old Kamera Strachan, an eighth grade student of Huntley P Christie High School in North Andros, has surpassed this year’s under-17 girls’ javelin qualifying standard of 34.39m (112-10) with a toss of 34.47m (113-1).

“As a mother, I’m very happy. I am very proud of them,” she said. “I know next year, both of them will qualify for CARIFTA. Next year, I’m looking for Kamera to not only qualify, but also break a record.”

From a parental perspective, Moss said she makes sure that her children get to practice and she does whatever coach Maycock instructs her to do to keep them focused and prepared for competition. “I make sure that I’m there at every meet. I also have to give my props to my mother, Sabrina Moss. “She pushes me and I push them. She makes sure that everything is in order when it comes to them.”

This year, according to Moss, has been a rather difficult one for her children, having lost their step-father, Ramando Knowles, in March. She said it had an emotional toll on them, but they survived it.

“I get Keyshawn to practice every day and my mother makes sure that Kamera works out in Andros,” Moss said. “My mom is a pusher. She makes sure that Kamera does what she has to do and she stays in touch with me to make sure that I do the same with Keyshawn.”

Moss said she’s certainly a proud mom.

No one, however, can deny the commitment that Carla Jackson shares as well for her only child, Calea, who also loves to dance. The former Queen’s College student is now enrolled in the 10th grade at Rabun Gap Boarding School in Rabun Gap, Georgia on a full scholarship, but Jackson said it’s still business as usual.

“I’m still trying to accept the fact that she’s competing at this level,” Jackson said. “As a parent, not recognising that your child has an ability was a challenge for me. Even though in the interim, with my not recognising it, I still did what I had to do.

“She goes to track practice every day. I pick her up and drop her off, but I’m still in this phase to accept the fact that my daughter has this ability to be a good athlete. I’m still trying to get ready for it and she’s still pretty good at it.”

After more than one person pointed out to her that her daughter had a gift for throwing, Jackson decided to capitalise on it.

“I hear what people have to say, I listen to them and I get their feedback,” she said. “There were so many people saying that Calea has this gift, so I decided to support her. If she screws it up, then fine, but at least I supported her.

“At first, I didn’t see the gift. Coach Maycock wasn’t the first person to see it either. A lot of people were telling me that she has this gift and I need to capitalise on it. So I added her to the club to see what he can do. He’s brought it out of her.”

Jackson, 15, threw the under- 17 girls discus 37.34m (122-6) to go over the qualifying standard of 36.88m (121-0). It was the second straight year she achieved the qualifying standard, but last year she was unable to travel because she was one year shy of the age requirement.

Although she came from a family of athletes, Jackson said no other member has qualified for CARIFTA. She noted that while Calea’s father, Curtis Jackson, resides in Africa, she is working hard to support her in her quest to compete as an athlete with the help of her mother, Carmen Smith.

“If I’m working, my mom helps me. She supports me,” Jackson said. “We are doing whatever we can to make sure that she is successful. I appreciate coach Maycock for identifying that Calea has a gift. I always want to say that parents should take the time and invest in their kids,” Jackson stressed. “It’s rough for me every day to take her to and from practice, but it’s worth it in the end. So if parents invest more in their kids, I’m sure they too will see the rewards in the end.”

Maycock, a parent himself, said he’s so proud of the commitment and dedication that these parents and others in the club have and are making to help their children. He said their support has made it so much easy to train their children.