14
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 2017
Jamaican Olympian Grace Jackson
has been
appointed Director of Sport at The UWI St.
Augustine Campus effective September 30, 2017.
A celebrated track and field athlete, Ms.
Jackson won silver in the 200m at the 1988 Seoul
Olympics Games and competed in the 1984, 1988
and 1992 Olympic Games. She also won gold in
the 4x400m relay at the 1989 World Games.
She was Jamaica’s Sportswoman of the Year
in 1986 and 1988. In 1989 she was awarded the
Order of Distinction (OD) by the Government
of Jamaica.
Ms. Jackson was formerly at The UWI Mona
where she held the position of Sports Development
Director from 2010. Before this, she served as
Student Services and Development Manager,
Sports from 1998 to 2009 also at the Mona
Campus. She graduated with a BA in Accounting
from Alabama, Agricultural and Mechanical
University in 1982 and then completed a MA in
Computer Science at Queens College in 1987. In
2007, she graduated from the United States Sports
Academy, Mobile Alabama with aMaster of Sports
Science and Sports Management.
“I am no stranger to The UWI and when I
consider advancements at the institution like the
establishment of the Faculty of Sport I ampleased
with the high priority we are placing on the
discipline. It’s a good time to take up a leadership
position in sport at The UWI and I look forward
to making a significant contribution,” she said,
commenting on her new appointment.
Ms. Jackson has been a regular commentator
and analyst on television and radio since 1992
and has acted as lead analyst on athletics at the
Olympic level for ESPN Caribbean.
She follows Major David Benjamin who was
appointed Director of Sport in 2014 and demitted
office earlier this year.
The UWI Rugby Club
is one of the elders of the sport clubs
at the University, and this year, the Club celebrates 90 years
since its inception.
It is a sport that is almost 200 years old, and still, it
invokes mixed feelings. Some people think it as an intensely
brutal sport. MariaThomas, a seasonedmember of the UWI
Rugby team, insists that there are rules to manage this.
“In rugby, safety… and overly violent tackles are dealt
with very seriously by referees,” she says.
Although people are sceptical about their suitability for
the game’s toughness, Maria says that once they understand
it, they realise that in rugby, there are positions for everyone.
“It is not necessarily a matter of being the biggest and
strongest. There are some positions that require faster, more
agile, persons. You need to understand and respect the level
of intensity that rugby is played with. However,” she adds,
“once you learn the skills properly, you protect yourself and
are less likely to get injured, as with any sport.”
Maria, who is a national female rugby player and
Honorary Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Rugby
Football Union (TTRFU), spent years playing numerous
sports at the University of Western Ontario in Canada,
while studying for her Degree in Anthropology with a
Specialization in Sociocultural Studies. She reminisced
happily about her initial training days with the UWI
Rugby Club during the vacation period until she became a
permanent member following her migration to Trinidad.
OVER THE CROSSBAR
Rugby a game for everyone
B Y C H R I S T O N S A N D Y
Her passion for rugby can be seen in her volunteer
work as a coach in several developmental camps throughout
the country, as well as in her contributions towards
the development of the sport at The UWI. Last year, a
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between
the TTRFU and The UWI. She said the MOA will provide
more opportunities for the game to be played within the
University, and strengthens the support from the TTRFU
in the assistance of officiating, and player and coaching
development. The agreement also gives The UWI an
opportunity to play against international teams, which
ensures that UWI players are granted the highest level of
exposure.
On November 18 and 19, 2017, the second annual
Professor Clement Sankat Challenge 7’s Trophy competition
takes place. (It was named after the former Principal of the
UWI St. Augustine Campus.)
Maria hopes that the Campus community and the
public will be attracted to the sport to experience what she
has labelled as “one big family,” highlighting the levels of
sportsmanship beyond the playing field. She remembered
the moments the UWI Rugby family helped her get through
times of hardships and says that “beyond me coming to
training and games they really looked out for me, even those
who are not involved in UWI Rugby any more still keep an
eye out for me.”
Maria started playing rugby when she was 18. She
overcame a career-threatening knee injury that took her
out of the game for three years and went on to play for the
national team.
She hopes to recruit many students for the UWI Rugby
team this year and urges persons to go for it.
“There will always be obstacles both in life in sport but
just give it your best shot.”
CAMPUS NEWS
It is a sport
that is almost
200 years old,
and still, it
invokes mixed
feelings. Some
people think it
as an intensely
brutal sport.
NewDirector
of Sport
Olympian Grace Jackson is the new Director of Sport
at the St. Augustine Campus.
PHOTO: ALLAN V. CRANE
