Alumni News
In the Spotlight!! - Valentino Ventura
With the recently concluded Boys Championships in track and field, you might say to yourself that you saw the best Jamaica had to offer at the schoolboy level. However, what if we were to tell you that there once was an athlete at Jamaica, who ran faster than anyone, jumped higher than anyone, and vaulted higher than anyone. Some of you by now are scratching your heads wondering who was this. By now Mr. Findlay is trying to figure who we are referring to, but truth be told, these feats did not take place in the setting of Boys Champs. It took place in the setting of the annual dancehall show Sting.
For integrity of the lead in to this great Kingston College athlete, we will not say what year this took place; however, the story unfolds in this manner: It is approximately 4 am in the morning at the National Stadium, the crowd is eagerly anticipating the clash between Shabba Ranks and Ninja Man. However, to the dismay of many of the patrons, Maxi Priest steps to the stage. At this time our “profilee” is standing with one of his brothers and some close friends. To cut to the chase, at the commencement of the “flinging” of bottles at Maxi Priest, the crowd rushes onto the innocent bystanders at break neck pace.
It is at this time a new record was set in the National Stadium, as our “profilee” outran the crowd, did a Flosbery Flop over the barb wire fence at the bleachers, and vaults onto the wall beside the massive Jamaica flag. This was all accomplished while his brother and his close friends stood still.
Heroism in societal matters is not our profilee’s strong suit, however, heroism on the battlefield for the Purple and White is another matter. This month profile is on none other than the second son of Mabricio Ventura, Sr: Valentino “Tino” Ventura.
Valentino is one of the true champions of Kingston College throughout the eighties, as he sought to represent Kingston College, but also his country in international competition. He is still considered once of the most technical batsmen the school saw during the eighties, and one of the wiliest forward the school saw during that period as well. His sporting obligations to Kingston College are as follows:
Cricket
Tino tasted success at every level of schoolboy cricket in Jamaica. He played on victorious teams at the Under 14, Colts, and Sunlight levels. Coming up through the ranks he played Sunlight Cup for five years, all the while displaying a maturity and love for the game that is unique. He was also victorious as Captain of the Sunlight Cup team after the departure of both Robert Samuels and Dave “Whycliffe” Cameron. His highest score in Sunlight was 123. Some people have often commented that he needed to have scored more runs, however, when dissected, his runs came at the most crucial times in key games. For example his 72 in the 1989 Sunlight Cup final was the difference when all the big batsmen failed. It is his attention to the team that won him most of admiration.
Over this period of “cricketing” for the College, he shared a record for the school for the highest opening partnership with Robert Samuels that has stood for some time now.
Internationally, he represented Jamaica on four (4) Jamaica Youths teams. Two out of those four years, saw him as Vice Captain of the team, which they also won the whole shebang in 1990. Locally, he played Senior Cup cricket for 10 years with the Kingston Cricket Club where his highest score was 165 not out.
Soccer
In similar fashion to his cricket accomplishments, Tino was also a very capable soccer player for the College. His foray into soccer for Kingston College started with the proving ground of the Under 13 Pepsi Cup. Under his leadership of Captain they won the title. He later moved on to the Colts level, and ultimately to the Manning Cup level. At the highest level (Manning Cup) he played three years.
Internationally, he also represented Jamaica as a member of the Under 16 soccer team in 1988. He plied his trade at the centre forward position.
In both sports that Tino played, much more notable players in certain positions always overshadowed him, however, it is worth noting that in both sports he stepped up to the plate and played a key role in obtaining victory. In cricket during the eighties, Robert Samuels was the man, while in soccer, Errol “Sala” Lewis and Herbert Richards received top billing. Nonetheless, the teams were better off because they had a steady hand in Tino.
Track:
Many people were recently surprised to learn that Tino also could have made major damage in the track and field arena; however, he opted not to pursue that sport. It really should not come as a surprise to Kingston College sports enthusiasts, as his father Mabricio Ventura, Sr., was a three sport phenomenon at the College.
Nonetheless, as a youngster from Melbourne, Tino stepped up to the long jump pit in Class 4, and made what many called a “fresh foot” jump to win the competition while establishing a record for that age group at the annual sports day.
He still keeps the sporting obligations going as he now plays cricket in a South Florida league, and most recently flew to Jamaica along with Mark “Soup Bone” Johnson to represent the United States in cricket at the new cricket facility in Trelawny prior to the World Cup of Cricket.
He sights certain memorial events in his sporting life at Kingston College. They are as follows:
- Watching the 1987 Manning Cup semi finals against Wolmers. The College needed five goals in fifteen minutes to qualify for the finals. The first goal came from his brother Mabricio, Dave Robinson, Lucan “Jaro” Brown, Errol “Sala” Lewis and an own goal the College was in the finals.
- The classic 1989 Sunlight Cup final when the College was all out for 153 runs, and facing a Campion College team that had a centurion the week before in Larry Creighton. Gerald Hector with the second delivery of the innings delivered a ball that was heard all throughout east Kingston as Larry Creighton was sent back edging a catch to Darren Neita. The College eventually won that match. To this day, Tino’s good friend Larry Creighton still argues about the decision, saying that the sound everyone heard was his bat hitting the ground. Truth be told, Larry Creighton has always admitted to have wanting to attend the College in the eighties.
- He scored his first goal for Kingston College at the Manning Cup level with a beauty of a strike in the Roper Cup match in 1988.
- He enjoyed playing an international youths cricket match against Australia where seven of those players (including Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne) went on to be the greatest Test Cricket team of recent memory. In his first innings of seventy eight (78), Ricky Ponting (Australia’s captain) shook his hand and complimented him on his batting.
A family man to the core, Tino is now teaching many of the life skills he learned through sports to his son Demario (12 years old). He credits his father, Mabricio Sr, and his mother Judith with guiding him along all the right paths in this thing called life. Not surprising, he lists a host of individuals who have helped to shape his life outside of the home that include the following individuals: Gladstone Neil, Roy McLean, Mr. Goldsmith, and Ms. Beverly Nugent (former Accounting teacher).
Currently he works with American Express in South Florida for the past seven years as he continues his studies towards his ultimate goal of becoming an Building Engineer. His hobbies now include, cricket, fishing and golf. He possesses one of the prettiest swings in golf, but somehow, he cannot translate that to a good eighteen holes.
In true Sportsman of Eighties fashion, the sporting bug still keeps biting, and he is just as engrossed now in his sporting obligations as he was while in school. For example, last December he scored a goal against Calabar to knock them out of the South Florida annual competition. Those in attendance commented that his reaction at the final whistle seemed as if he was at either Stadium East or Sabina Park during the eighties. Green and Black must always fall.
He keeps in contact with several friends from his College days, and he values their friendship now even more as he looks back over his life. However, there are a few of them that influenced him a great deal while at the College and beyond: Mabricio Jr. (brother), Mario Ventura (brother), Mark “Soup Bone” Johnson, Geoffrey Kong, Robert “Sammy’ Samuels, Marlon Samuels, Matthew Fender, Chris Williams, Richard Jobson, Garth Dailey, Dave Wallace, Dave “Bull Puss” Robinson, Oneil Samms, Oneil Malcolm, James Lee, Everton Bailey, Errol “Sala” Lewis, Gerald Hector, Brian Clarke, Errol Nolan, Phillip Rankine, Carey Samuels, Marlon Tucker, Irvin Jonas, Anthony Knight and Frank Marshall.
Please send Tino an email at valentinoventura@hotmail.com and express your appreciation for the manner in which he fought for the Purples, and for the person that he is as a role model to young people by letting them know, you don’t have to be upfront all the time, however, if you do the job that is assigned to you, success awaits.