ARTSETC is known mainly for its involvement in the arts in Barbados but we love it when we also get to explore the “et cetera” side of what we do.
When the Lodge School announced it was sending two teams to the Penn Relays in the United States last year as reward for their performance at the 2012 inter-school sports in Barbados, and for learning experience, we reckoned it was the perfect scope for such an adventure and jumped at the opportunity to help send the athletes on their way.
We and the rest of Barbados were delighted and rewarded when the under-20 squad brought home a bronze medal—the first relay team ever from Barbados to bring a coveted medal back from Penn. They did it in freezing temperatures, to boot.
Just as well that ArtsEtc’s donation came in the form of fleecy, long-sleeved shirts for the athletes, coaches and accompanying parents to wear in Pennsylvania. The shirts were presented at full school assembly the day before the teams travelled. Also at the presentation were fellow sponsors Williams Industries, who sponsored the squad’s polo shirts. (Interestingly, Williams Industries, through its subsidiary Williams Metals, is a former advertising sponsor of ArtsEtc—just one of many supporters that have enabled us, in turn, to extend a helping hand to a worthwhile venture.)
And that is exactly how ArtsEtc views the achievements of the Lodge School relay teams. “We were keen to support the boys’—not because they were doing well but because they were working hard, doing something positive and that effort deserves to be encouraged and developed,” said ArtsEtc co-founding editor Linda M. Deane, who presented the shirts to the school.
“Sport has played such a significant role in Barbados’ recent social history. It is part of our cultural heritage and a vibrant and vital part of our contemporary cultural environment, especially at the schools’ level. It is something we, as cultural activists, continue to address artistically. But also, through support of the Lodge School’s track programme, is something we are addressing in a hands-on way, too.”
Penn Relays, an annual event, is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, attracting teams from all over the world. This year it runs from April 25-27. From the Lodge School’s victorious performance at the recent Barbados Relay Fair, we wouldn’t be surprised if the boys end up in Pennsylvania once more.
ArtsEtc wishes them well. Kick it out, boys, no matter what—and thanks! The adventure continues.
