‘I am for the recruiting of athletes‘ – Rawlson Morgan

If Physical Education teacher Rawlson Morgan had his way, he will go out and recruit student athletes to prop up the St Vincent Grammar School’s Track and Field programme.

Morgan, who has been stationed at that institution for the past 16 years, said he does not see anything unethical in the procedure.

“If I see an athlete from another school and I would like to have him to boost my track team, I would wish to have the authority to go after that athlete and get him into the school,” Morgan emphasized.

Morgan was quick to reiterate that it is his personal view on the matter.

“It is done by major sports clubs around the world, but here, some schools have been resisting it as a practice,” Morgan stated.

Morgan noted that many may argue about the students’ academic shortfalls, but he believes that if the necessary support systems are put in place, the recruited students can benefit, as well as the school in general.

He also holds the view that for the St Vincent Grammar School to continue to be competitive, “recruiting” may have to be undertaken as a matter of school policy.

Morgan was speaking against the backdrop of his school’s maiden participation in the famed Penn Relays in the USA late last month.

Reflecting on the sojourn, Morgan noted that “it was a worthwhile venture” and deserving of the monies spent on the trip.

“From the standpoint of the athletes, it was a whole new experience being in such a competitive arena… They came to the realization that the Penn Relays are at a very higher level than inter-schools,” Morgan explained.

The athletes making history for the St Vincent Grammar School were Javon Rawlins, Ethan Myers, Rasheed Fontenelle, Gian Luca Da Silva, Randolph Roberts, Jevonnie Lavia, Sage Primus and Zwicka Charles.

The school though, placed 85th of the 298 schools which contested the 4 x 100m and in the 4x 400m ended 160th of the 535 schools that completed the distance.

The quartet of Charles, Fontenelle, Primus and Rawlins, in that order, timed 44. 33 seconds in the 4 x 100m, while the 3 minutes 27.26 seconds in the 4 x 400m was achieved by Da Silva, Lavia, Richards and Myers.

Morgan noted that although his charges were at a “disadvantage”, having to compete against more seasoned athletes, their performances were “encouraging” and he is already planning the team’s next visit to the Penn Relays, once the decision is taken by the school’s hierarchy to do so.

The Grammar School head coach, who is also the games secretary of the local track and field body Team Athletics SVG, said the execution of the events at the Penn Relays was “a revelation” to him.

“Having attended the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics and other high-powered meets, I was really impressed with the events at the Penn Relays, no delays … everything was smooth like clockwork,” Morgan commented.