Little London stars resist big transfer offers

LITTLE LONDON, Westmoreland — Two student athletes at Little London High School, both recently called up to represent Jamaica at the national level, have declared they will not leave the institution that nurtured their talent — despite being bombarded with transfer offers, some of which allegedly include money, from competing schools. “I’m not really fighting to go to a different school or caring if a school is bigger than ours, or if people say, ‘That school is dunce, and this school is bright.’ I’m not that type of person; I keep myself where I was spotted first,” stated Little London High football player Orlando Reid in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday. Reid was recently called up to the Jamaica Under-17 national team, and he and the school have already received 30 transfer inquiries for him. A similar sentiment was shared by 16-year-old Negril native Ashanti Guthrie, a member of the Jamaica Under-19 Women’s Cricket team.

Ashanti Guthrie, a member of the Jamaica Under-19 Women’s Cricket team, speaking with the Jamaica Observer last Friday.

Guthrie made the national side at age 15 and has already received three transfer offers from other secondary institutions. “I don’t want to go to their school. I’m not going to leave my teammates, the girls I know here, and the people who push me and motivate me. I prefer to stay at this school until I graduate and go to college,” stated Guthrie, who aspires to become a physical education teacher or nurse while continuing her cricket career. Both students became emotional as they reflected on the personal setbacks that drive their determination to succeed. At age three Reid lost his father. Two years ago he suffered another tragic loss when his uncle — his primary mentor — died in a crash on his way to the Sangster International Airport in St James. “I was very emotional about it but I decided to keep my head up.

Little London High School principal, Councillor Garfield James speaking in an interview with the Jamaica Observer at the School last Friday.

That motivated me,” said Reid, whose main support system now includes his mother and stepfather. “He [deceased uncle] taught me how to be a goalkeeper. That’s the reason why I’m doing this — for him and my dad.” In addition to coping with grief, Reid, who wants to become a soldier and a professional footballer, lost his personal belongings and missed out on a potential scholarship following the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October. Guthrie’s drive is similarly rooted in family adversity. Her father lost two fingers during a domestic dispute, an incident she uses as fuel to excel. “Sir, I don’t want to cry but… the reason I want to push myself on the cricket team is because of what happened to my father last year,” shared Guthrie. “I want to become the next Stafanie Taylor [national player and former West Indies women’s captain] so I can make my father proud...” added Guthrie. Principal of the 56-year-old institution, Garfield James, expressed immense pride in the students’ accomplishments and the school’s role in developing raw talent. “I always encourage my teachers and staff to understand that parents send the best that they have,” relayed James. Reflecting on Guthrie’s growth, James noted that while she didn’t initially display this level of determination, her talent was carefully nurtured. “Those talents that she has were nurtured, and here today we are happy to highlight the fact that she is on the right path towards success,” stated James. He added, “On behalf of the Board of Governors, all the stakeholders, all the students, classmates, and teaching staff who are here, we are right behind her and we’ll be supporting her all the way.” James spoke with equal pride regarding Reid’s resilience. “[He is a] young man who would have suffered a lot emotionally, physically [and] mentally. [He] lost his dad at an early age [and] lost the other father figure in his life, which was his uncle, in a very tragic situation where he witnessed that accident. Despite that, he found the intrinsic motivation to drive the passion, and he allows that passion to be driven by sheer determination which has allowed him today to be called up by the national team for training,” stated James. However, James — who also serves as councillor for the Sheffield Division under the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) banner — expressed deep frustration over what he describes as predatory recruitment tactics by competing institutions. “It’s really disheartening to know that every time you build these talents or realise these opportunities, some other institution is ready to take the students out of their space. And then it sets back these specific institutions because you have to start all over,” argued James. He noted that despite prior measures by the Intersecondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) to curb the practice of athlete student recruitment, aggressive approaches and backdoor offers persist. James called for stronger national policy intervention from all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education. “We need input from all stakeholders to come on board to see if we can refine something that can work for the best interest of the students and the schools,” stated James.