Shalrie Joseph admits pot use

by Kyle McCarthy

Boston Herald

FOXBORO, May 28, 2010 - Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph revealed yesterday a positive test for marijuana prompted his recent leave of absence from the team.

Joseph left the Revolution on April 24 to enter a treatment program and returned to the club one day before playing in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Toronto FC.

“Bottom line is I made a bad decision to smoke marijuana,” Joseph said. “I got caught and they sent me to drug rehab treatment.”

Revolution and MLS officials declined to comment on the reason for Joseph’s leave of absence through their respective spokespeople.

Joseph said he learned of his positive drug test on April 23, the day before the Revolution’s 2-1 home defeat to Colorado.

“I was kind of disappointed, hearing that,” Joseph said. “I’ve made a mistake and now I have to move on from it.”

All MLS players are subjected to a minimum of two random drug tests with no prior notice per calendar year under the collectively bargained Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) program.

The independent agency in charge of the program tests year-round for substances included on the league’s prohibited list, including street drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin, performance-enhancing drugs and other substances included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

Once Joseph was informed of his positive test, he entered the SABH program under the protocols jointly outlined by MLS and the MLS players’ union. In this particular instance, those procedures triggered Joseph’s participation in a treatment program at a location Joseph said he could not disclose.

“They just sent me down there,” Joseph said. “It was basically a leave of absence. They asked me to go down there, get my mind right and I did. I went down there, spent some time, got my body right and got healthy. Now I’m back, so I’m just enjoying my life again. It’s good to be smiling and good to be playing again.”

While Joseph went through the treatment program, the Revs struggled to fill the gaping hole left by his absence. In the five games Joseph missed, the Revolution posted an 0-3-2 mark in MLS play as part of the club’s current seven-match winless streak (0-5-2). Since Joseph joined the Revs in 2003, the team has gone 9-17-8 when he does not play in a regular season match.

Joseph said he used his time away to heal his battered body - he played just once in the four games prior to his departure due to a right hip flexor strain - and follow his teammates as they battled through a hectic May schedule.

After Joseph said those same teammates welcomed him back with open arms prior to the game against TFC, he said he looks forward to repaying their faith in him by improving his match sharpness and leading the team out of its recent barren spell.

“I’ve been watching the team through highlights, seeing how we’re doing and watching the team struggling,” Joseph said. “I’m definitely disappointed in myself, not being there for the guys. I know I am a huge part of this team. Not being there for them was such a huge loss to me and a huge loss to them. I owe them to come in this week, work hard and give them 100 percent.”

Sports playing an integral role in students' development in C&PM

Hillsborough, Carriacou, May 26, 2010 –Students at primary and secondary schools are the focus of the latest effort to further develop cricket in Carriacou and Petit Martinique. They are participating in the Gilbert Brathwaite Schools’ Cricket Tournament.
The competition is named after Gilbert Brathwaite who was an avid player and lover of the sport from the village of Mt.Pleasant.
The Division of Sports within the Ministry of Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs organised the competition with support from the Grenada Union of Teachers Carriacou Sports Branch.
Javan Williams, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs, declared the tournament open on Tuesday, May 25, by reiterating government’s commitment to sports development on the sister islands. The start of the competition came only one week after the launch in Carriacou of a government-backed Sports Council.
Mr. Williams also challenged the young players to be disciplined and to take seriously their cricket, which is one of the leading sports in the Caribbean.
The students were also addressed by Area Education Officer Gertrude Niles; tournament initiator Cosnel McIntosh; and Acting Sports Officer Keishroy DeRoche. They all noted the importance of sports in the students’ development process.
The outstanding players of the Gilbert Brathwaite Schools’ Cricket Tournament will be chosen to compete against an English Under-16 team that is expected to visit Carriacou in June.

SOURCE: Ministry of Carriacou & Petit Martinique

GRENADIAN STUDENTS AMONG OUTSTANDING GRADUATES AT MSU

TEXAS, May 23, 2010 - Eight Grenadian students earned degrees, and two earned masters, at Midwestern State University’s May commencement ceremonies.  

Sigmund Courtney earned a master of science in biology. The former teacher at St. Joseph’s Convent St. George’s previously earned a BS in chemistry. 

Stephen Matthew Joseph earned a master of business administration. He previously earned a bachelor of business information. 

Several of the Grenadians earning bachelor’s degrees were recognised with honours achievement. 

George Robinson “Ants” Cornwall, a former national team goalkeeper and policeman, earned a bachelor of criminal justice degree.  Cornwall achieved magna cum laude honours. 

Kevaughan Graham earned a bachelor of business administration in accounting with magna cum laude honours.  Graham also had the distinction of serving as the university’s student government president this past year.  He was named “man of the year” at the university and awarded the Viola Grady Award for excellence in service. 

Melissa Fraser earned a bachelor of science in radiologic science. She achieved cum laude honours. 

Shennel George earned a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing.  George, who hails from Carriacou, earned cum laude honours.  

Kinda Williams-Braveboy earned a bachelor of science in nursing with cum laude honours. She previously earned a bachelor of science in psychology. 

Naureen Mitchell also earned a bachelor of science in Nursing.  Lovell Felix earned a bachelor of business administration in management information systems, and Everil Bonaparte earned a bachelor of business administration in management and finance. 

Red Hot Flames of Antigua provided a five-hour concert and was wildly cheered by over 400 Caribbean students and guests.

Midwestern has graduated over 600 Caribbean students in the past 14 years including almost 200 Grenadians. Twenty-five new students from Grenada have been accepted to Midwestern State University this August, and will be part of almost 1,000 recruits from the Caribbean in the history of the seventeen year old programme.   

Group Photo of Grenadian graduates…left to right…  Kevaughan Graham; Stephen Joseph; Shennel George; Everil Bonaparte; Kinda Williams-Braveboy; Naureen Mitchell; Melissa Fraser; Lovell Felix; Sigmund Courtney; Robinson “Ants” Cornwall.

 

Big Wins for Grenadian Athletes at NJCAA

by Michael Bascombe

NEW YORK, May 23, 2010 – Rondell Bartholomew, Colleen Felix, Janelle Redhead and Kanika Beckles all produced outstanding performances and secured medals at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Kansas which ended on Saturday.

Bartholomew, Felix and Redhead were instrumental in ensuring South Plains College secured the double in winning both the men’s and women’s championship.

Bartholomew won the 400 metres in a time of 45.55 seconds with colleagues Anton Kokorin (46.08) and Troy Faulkner (47.50) completing a South Plains domination.

Bartholomew also tagged with Kervin Morgan, Faulkner and Kokorin to win the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:07.79. He was also a member of South Plains’ second placed 4x100m relay team.

Felix won both the Javelin (46.75m) and the triple jump (13.06m). She easily won the javelin after taking the lead with 46.70m from her second attempt and sealed the victory and successfully defended her title with the final attempt.

In the triple jump, it was challenging as Felix had only two legal jumps from her six attempts with 13.06m as her best and winning effort.

Redhead’s relay teams were outstanding winning both women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays. She also finished third in the 100m (11.44) and second in the 200m (23.04).

Beckles took silver in the women’s 400m for Essex County College in 54.33 seconds and finished fifth in the 200m in 24.31 seconds.

South Plains’ Head coach Chris Beene was named men’s and women’s coach of the meet.

South Plains’ men (Texans) have now won three consecutive outdoor championships while the Lady Texans have captured their second consecutive title.

Carriacou & Petit Martinique Sports Council Launched

Hillsborough, Carriacou, May 17, 2010 –A Sports Council has been officially launched in Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

The launch, comes ahead of the formal establishment of a government-back National Sports Council, and was attended by Kenrick Fullerton, Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Sports.

It’s in keeping with the vision of institutional strengthening of existing sporting organisations in Carriacou and Petit Martinique, and the creation of a body to govern sports on the islands.

Chairman of the Carriacou and Petit Martinique Sports Council is Anderson Matheson, with Walt Williams as vice-chairman, Beverly Bartholomew as secretary, Nigel Wilson is treasurer, and Bryan Prince is assistant secretary/treasurer.

Mr. Fullerton said the National Sports Council will be launched later this year. One representative from the Carriacou and Petit Martinique Sports Council will be appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Council, which will be charged with executing a national sports policy.

James and Felix led outstanding performances by Grenadian Athletes

NEW YORK, May 17, 2010 – World Youth double gold medallist Kirani James of Grenada lowered his personal best over the 400m at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday.
 

James, a freshman at the University of Alabama, clocked 45.01 seconds to win the one-lap event and set himself up for a major showdown at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon next month.

James, who was the runner-up in the 400m at the indoor SEC championships in February, defeated a filed which included the numbers one and three fastest 400m sprinters in the world (Calvin Smith, Florida and Tavaris Tate, Mississippi State).

In the process, the former Grenada Boys’ Secondary School (GBSS) standout set a new school record and the fifth-best time in the world this season.

“It’s just good to gain experience,” James told his school’s website. “Coach said just go out there and compete to the best of my ability. I knew if I just went out there and followed my race plan, I would get the win. I felt really good the whole way around.”

Also in winners’ row this weekend was Kurt Felix who bettered his career-best point total by nearly 200 points, earning 7,412 points to win the men's decathlon for Boise State University at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Ruston, Louisiana.

Felix is now ranked No.14 in the United States and score the second-best decathlon score in Boise State history.

Felix also finished second in the javelin (67.16m), second in the high jump (2.12m), third in the triple jump (14.67m) and also third in the long jump (7.17m).

Also recording creditable performances on the weekend were Phylicia George (University of Connecticut), Kevin Bowen (Morgan State University), Sherine Wells (Oklahoma University), and Joel Phillip (Arizona State University).

At the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in Princeton, New Jersey, George came in second place in her specialty, the 100 meter hurdles, with a time of 13.69 as she entered the weekend ranked 15th in the region in the event. She was also a part of the first place 4x100 meter relay of the University of Connecticut.

Also, Bowen set his season best time in the 400m during the preliminaries in a time of 46.30 to rank him in the top 20 in the East Region. Bowen finished the second in the final with a time of 46.50.

 

Wells finished seventh in the women’s 100m with a time of 11.58 and eighth in the 200m in 23.89 at the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Missouri. 

In the Pac-10 Championships Phillip finished sixth in the men's 400m in a time of 47.11 seconds.

Photo credits: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Grenada Police charge man for double murder

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, May 5, 2010 – The man charged with the double murder of two St. Andrew residents will make his first appearance in the Grenville Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Police on Wednesday charged Steve Gorrie, 36, a Machine Operator and resident of Birchgrove, St. Andrew for the murders of Clyde Greenidge and Christopher Stafford.

“At approximately 5.40 pm on Monday 3rd May 2010, Gorrie entered the Grenville Police Station and placed a white plastic bucket containing the heads of two male persons on the counter,” according to a Police statement. 

Police later identified the heads to be that of Clyde Greenidge, a Farmer/Proprietor of Birchgrove, St. Andrew and Christopher Stafford, a Labourer of Byelands, St. Andrew.

Officers from the C.I.D and Grenville Police Station later discovered the bodies of Greenidge and Stafford on a farm owned by Clyde Greenidge in Balthazar, St. Andrew.  

FM DAVID AND REGIONAL COLLEAGUES TO DISCUSS MULTILATERAL AND HEMISPHERIC RELATIONS IN ROSEAU

ROSEAU, Dominica, May 5, 2010 – CARICOM’s response to the Haitian catastrophe, the changing geopolitical dynamics in the hemisphere and Post-Copenhagen, challenges and policy responses are among issues to be discussed by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter David and his regional colleagues in Dominica.

The regional ministers are attending the 13th meeting of the CARICOM Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) which began in Roseau on Wednesday.

The Ministers will also discuss multilateral and hemispheric relations to include the United Nations, the Organisation of American States (OAS), Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the Human Rights Council.

Border issues to include Guyana-Venezuela relations and Belize-Guatemala relations and piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

The proposed meeting of the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians (ACCP) set for Trinidad, July, 2010 and the operations and functioning of the COFCOR are also on the agenda for the two-day meeting.

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith is also attending the meeting which follows on from a Memorandum of Understanding Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago last year, establishing formal relations between Australia and CARICOM.

COFCOR is the primary mechanism for managing CARICOM’s external relations.

Neisha Bernard-Thomas sets new national 800m record

KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 1, 2010 – Grenada’s middle-distance ace Neisha Bernard-Thomas clocked the second fastest 800m time for the year when she finished behind Jamaica’s Kenia Sinclair at the Jamaica International Invitational at the National Stadium here on Saturday.

Neisha was second in 1:59.60 while Sinclair won in a meet record of 1:58.62.

It was the first time Bernard-Thomas ran under two minutes over the two-lap event and in the process clocked a personal best and new national record.

Her previous best was 2:00.09 clocked at the Beijing Olympics on August 15, 2008. Up until Saturday’s race Neisha had the world leading time for the year of 2:00.77.

Bernard-Thomas, a two-time Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championship gold medallist, is preparing for the CAC championship in Puerto Rico in July and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India in October.

At the same meet, World and Olympic record holder Usain Bolt excited his home fans with a world leading and meet record of 19.56 seconds in the 200m. He pulled away from Americans Wallace Spearman (19.98) and Ryan Bailey (20.43) to win easily. His compatriot Veronica Campbell took the women’s version in 22.60secs.

There were also victories for Americans Carmelita Jeter in a world leading time of 10.94 seconds in the 100m and Tyson Gay (45.05secs) over the men’s 400m.

Jamaican Nesta Carter took the men’s 100m (10.09secs) ahead of Darvis Patton (USA, 10.23) and Richard Thompson (T&T, 10.25).

Photo credit: Bryan Cummings