The Partnership has attracted four National Olympic Committees to train in Hertfordshire before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. All four sent teams to the Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man in September and three of them have decided to incorporate a visit to Hertfordshire in their trip to the UK, so the Partnership saw this as a perfect opportunity for some school engagement.
The St Lucian Commonwealth Youth Team arrived in Hertfordshire on Friday 2 September to take part in a home stay arranged by the Partnership and Bishop's Stortford High School. The team stayed for five days and consisted of a swimmer Runako Daniel who will be training at Grange Paddocks in Bishop's Stortford, three athletes, Talberc Poleon, Marbeq Edgar, Verlyn Taylor who were training at Wodson Park and two coaches Jamie Peterkin and Denise Herman. Feedback from the hosts was really positive saying that the experience was rewarding and they were able to learn about Caribbean culture and home life as well as the other way round.
One of the hosts, Leigh Hougham said, “It was a pleasure to be involved in the hosting of the St. Lucian Youth Team. Our family hosted a seventeen year-old called Talberc Poleon, a 400m sprinter. He was a very interesting young man and both my sons (twelve & seventeen themselves) were delighted to be able to show him around our home town. Moreover, they were equally as delighted when he talked to them about his home-life and about St. Lucian culture.
“The whole experience of hosting was actually new to us as a family but really presented no problems at all. Both Talberc and his coach, Denise, were overtly grateful and at the farewell meal at Zizzi's we were presented with wine, flowers and a beautiful hand-carved wooden wall-plaque as tokens of gratitude.
“Since their returning to St. Lucia we have also had a phone-call from Talberc to say thank you and received a lovely e-mail from Denise. Overall, a fantastic experience and one which we would not hesitate repeating were it requested.”
Finally, the British Virgin Islands Commonwealth Youth Games Team visited the village of Aston near Stevenage and three schools across Hertfordshire which have formed friendships with the BVI – Aston St Mary’s School, Chauncy School in Ware and Turnford School in Cheshunt. Aston is to host the BVI Olympic team next year. The BVI delegation consisted of two cyclists Clifton “Tito” Forbes and Shaquil Samuel and Track and Field athletes Tarique “Tweety” Moses, Natisha Claxton, Winston Potter, Chenaki Samuel Rojas, Shaquoy Stephens and Team Leader Angeleta Bernard.
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