Lewis, Howell named top Sea Hawks swimmersWednesday, January 18 2012
click on pic to zoom in
Sea Hawks coach Terry Ann Evelyn, left, presents her daughter Johnnya Ferdinand with the Most Improved Female Competitive trophy....
AROMIS LEWIS and Napoleon Howell clinched the major awards on Saturday last as the Centre of Excellence Sea Hawks Swim Club held their third Dash Away Soiree at the Garden Sanctuary, Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya.
Lewis, 14, won the inaugural Set Swim Soar Challenge Trophy — Set Swim Soar is the Centre of Excellence Sea Hawks’ motto which will be presented to athlete who best exemplifies the virtues of setting goals and consistent performances.
Lewis, who joined the club in 2009, is always in the top three spot in any race he features in. With a strong dedication and commitment to training, and a wonderful support base (family and coaches), he dramatically improved his times last year and is now fancying his chances of representing Trinidad and Tobago.
At the Dash Away Soiree, Lewis also copped a number of awards, including the Best Dry-Land Athlete, Outstanding Training Etiquette and Most Dedicated Swimmer.
Howell left the club earlier this month to pursue his tertiary education at the St Cloud State University in Minnesota, United States.
With dreams of earning a spot at the London Olympics, Howell will be entering the 2012 season with a major trophy at the Sea Hawks Awards — the Most Outstanding Performance.
Jason Wickham, president of Sea Hawks, expressed pride on the club’s accomplishments last year, and praised the coaches for their commitment to each and every athlete, ensuring that all athletes are regarded equally.
He also extended his gratitude to the management of Centre of Excellence for their continued support of the club, while reminding the audience of the club’s acronymic core values HEART which stand for Honesty and Humility, Excellence, Ardency, Respect and Team Spirit.
A Memorial Award in honour of Sharon Acres was introduced to recognise the Most Outstanding Volunteer for the year.
Acres, mother of national swimmer Aaron Acres, passed away suddenly in April 2011. She was known for her hard work and support at all Sea Hawks events.
The inaugural honour was awarded to past member Gail Bynoe for her tireless, selfless contributions, especially to the club’s main fund-raiser, Swimmers Can Cook Too.
The club was formed in August 2009 and, in the 2011 season, they earned 16 national age group team places, had a CCCAN individual gold medallist and a CARIFTA individual bronze medallist.
Last November, the club signed a merger agreement with Tsunami Swim Club to form a new competitive unit TITANS Swim Club. TITANS competed in the December Invitational and were third among the local clubs.
The two clubs hope to use the merger of their human and swimming resources to position TITANS as a dominant force in Trinidad and Tobago swimming.
Sea Hawks will now be focussing its attention on its annual New Year Splash Swim Meet at the Centre of Excellence on January 29.
HONOUR ROLL
Awards of Excellence -
Aromis Lewis (Set Swim Soar Award, Most Dedicated, Outstanding Training Etiquette, Best Dry-land Athlete).
Napoleon Howell (Most Outstanding Performance).
Johnnya Ferdinand (Most Impressive Development, Most Improved Competitive Female).
Kyle Caracciolo (Outstanding Training Etiquette, Most Improved Competitive Male).
Aaron Acres (HEART Award).
Nirvana Sookoo (Most Disciplined).
Jordann Pascall (Best Team Spirit).
Jonathan Ramkissoon (Outstanding Leadership).
Makeba Elie (Most Promising Pre-competitive).
Makeda Elie (Most Enthusiastic Pre-competitive).
Isaiah Raghunandan (Most Improved Pre-competitive).
Coach Recognition Tokens - Brian Wickham, Terry Ann Evelyn, Walter Romany, Elizabeth Beckford, Kishan Roopchand.
National Team Recognition Medals -
CARIFTA and CCCAN 2011 - Aaron Acres, Revash Ramtahal, Bryanna Duncan.
CARIFTA 2011 - Chelsea Bynoe-Sawyer, Che'Rel Edwards, Theana Hay, Napoleon Howell, Jonathan Ramkissoon.
Goodwill 2011 - Johnnya Ferdinand, Vikash Ramtahal, Jonathan Fabio, Renee Cooper, Marie Marcano.
Volunteerism Awards -
Sharon Acres Memorial Award: Gail Bynoe.
Executive - Jason Wickham (president), Rachel Thomasos-Jackson (secretary), Kervyn Billouin (vice-president), Maylene Pedro (treasurer), Jonelle Duncan (assistant secretary/treasurer), Anthony Ramkissoon, Edmund Ramtahal.
Parents - Kim Mallalieu, Cheri-Ann Pascall, Verna Lewis, Derek Changar, Savitri Ramtahal, Jeffrey Lewis, Neal Marcano, Ecliff Elie, Gail Bynoe .
MEDALS OF HONOUR -
Outstanding Service to Fellow Sea Hawks Members - Joshua Changar, Johnpaul Pedro, Derek Changar, Irvin Hay.
