Penn Relays 2007
For the past seven years, three close friends who attended Kingston College in the eighties started an annual ritual to make our way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the staging of the Penn Relays. Today it has grown to cover brothers from at least seven (7) states who gather for two days to cheer on Kingston College, but more specifically to bask in the revelry of the Jamaica versus the USA events on the penultimate days.
This gathering has now swollen to over fifty brothers on a given day, and when coupled with those who have started to bring their wives and children, the number is even greater. This past year’s relays (2007) was no different. It is a venue where many of us literally feel as if we have seen a ghost. When you see Dennis Mowatt and Devon Russell, brothers you have not seen since the mid to late eighties for the first time, and knowing that they are well and doing okay it is a good thing. Many of us can recall when we did not hear from Wayne Morris we thought he had met his demise, only to see him show up at Franklyn Field, that was also a good thing.
This last staging of the relays was also a proud moment for Kingston College as we blew away the competition in the 4x800 meters relays. However, we were equally impressed by the performance of young Yohan Blake from St. Jago who blistered the field in the 4x100 meters relay. However, one of the most breathtaking moments of the entire weekend is when we witnessed the young quarter miler sensation from California Polythetnic did what most of us thought impossible. While cruising down on the back stretch, he allowed a challenger to pull close to his shoulder, then in an almost seemingly defiant mode, he switched gears at the 150 meters to go mark and opened back up a lead of over forty meters. The crowd was so surprised to see that a collective shout of “RAHTID” was heard all along the Jamaican section of the stands. This young man also beat Yohan Blake on the last leg of the 4x400 meters final.
All in all it was good event; not because of the races, but the continuing building of camaraderie among the old boys of Kingston College. The year before Churchill Neita was in attendance, this year Owen “Yul” Hector was in attendance. So you can see that this is becoming a family affair above and beyond just the brothers who attended Kingston College in the eighties. The fifties and sixties are well represented. It is our hope and desire to have all the brothers come out and be a part of this festive affair. Next year is an Olympic year, and we are expecting even greater things.