Carlisle Ends 24-Year ESHS Athletics Championships Drought

Tynelle Gumbs shattered her own Javelin Throw National Recored and demolished the meet record with her throw of 36.74m (120"2")

MARCH 30—Carlisle—House 4—ended a 24-year drought—the longest famine in the history of the competition—by stopping Flemming’s 7-year winning streak in the process, to claim the Elmore Stoutt High School Inter-House Athletics Championships at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds on Thursday night, for its seventh overall title.

Carlisle—who dominated the championships winning five successive titles between 1971-1975, but hadn’t been at the top of the pile since 1988—garnered 638.5 points to Flemming—who snatched their record 14th title last year and earned the team of the 2000s decade tag by winning eight crowns, tallied 619. O’Neal House was third after amassing 575 points while Lettsome—whose futility streak extended to 19-years—finished with 530.5.

As in Wednesday’s opening day when seven records fell equaling the pre-events total, another nine including O’Neal’s House Tynelle Gumbs shattering her own National Javelin Throw Record, highlighted the 22 marks in this year’s edition.

Gumbs—who became the first female to throw the Javelin over 100 feet in the territory’s history on March 10—demolished the mark of 34.02m (111’7”) she established then, by flinging the spear out to 36.74m (120’2”). Her throw also obliterated Carlisle’s Amaecha Graham’s 24.39m (79’11”) Intermediate Girls meet record from 2011.

Gumbs’ mark is also a National Youth, National Jr. and National Scholastic Record, for which she will collect a Sol National Record breakers award during the 4th BVI Athletics Association December 28, Athletes Awards Recognition Gala. An athlete establishing an indoor or outdoor National Record that stands at season’s end qualifies for the award.

Other Meet Records

After picking up the mark in the Shot Put, Carlisle House’s Eldred Henry notched his second meet record when he tossed the Sr. Boys Discus 41.66m (136’7¾”) to wipe out Louis Wells’ 2-year old throw of 32.61m (106’11½”).

Flemming’s House Tarika “Tinker Bell” Moses lowered housemate Lakeisha “Mimi” Warners’ Intermediate Girls year old 800m record of 2 minutes, 22.17 seconds to 2:21.69.

Niayla Smith also of Flemming House erased Chantal Scatliffe’s 16-year old Sr. Girls 800m mark of 2 minutes, 31.70, when she ran 2:28.91.

Judine Lacey—another Flemming athlete—grabbed Lettsome Houses’ Nelda Huggins’ 200m Jr. Girls mark of 26.18 seconds, when she stopped the clock at 26.11, running into a -2.3 meters per second headwind.

Huggins narrowly missed Britney Wattley’s National Scholastic Record by .02 seconds, but grabbed her 3-year old meet record of 24.70 seconds, when she lowered her personal best from 24.68 to 24.57, in the Intermediate Girls 200m, facing a -0.1 headwind. Her time moved her to No. 7 on the all time top 10 list.  

Carlisle Houses’ Deshawn “Fast Man” Douglas, shaved .07 off Tarique Moses’ Intermediate Boys 200m meet record of 23.78 seconds when he cut the tape in 23.71, into a -3.1 wind.

Running into a -1.4 breeze, Lettsome House’s J’Maal Alexander chopped .46 from his Sr. Boys 200m mark, after getting to the line unchallenged in 22.04 seconds.   

The day’s ninth and last meet record and 22nd of the 2012 championships, came from an O’Neal House combined Sr. Girls 4x400m Relay effort, when Natisha Claxton, Tevern David, Shanice Hucey and Shanique Olliver improved their housemates’ 13-year old mark of 4 minutes, 47.60 seconds dating back to 1999, by crossing the line with 4:33.44 on the clock.

The respective Division Champions were as follows: Jr. Girls: J’Nae Wong, Carlisle House, 44 points—which also landed her the Victrix Ludorum award. Jr. Boys: Lettsome Houses’ Rakeel Jack—who won his five events and amassed 50 points—which also gave him the Victor Ludroum crown.

Intermediate Girls: Kala Penn, O’Neal House, 36. Intermediate Boys: Deshawn “Fast Man” Douglas, 48. Sr. Boys: J’Maal Alexander, Lettsome House, 42. Sr. Girls: Ashley McCall, Flemming House, 39.