AISK/FLOW partnership brings together regional schools in sports competition

Michele English (L) President & COO of Flow presents a donation to Brian Horvath, Principal of the American International School in Kingston (AISK) to host the SportsFeva Invitational Tournament on November 11-12 and 18-19. The presentation was made at a press conference at the school on Tuesday November 1, 2011.

Three hundred (300) students and parents representing schools from Jamaica, Aruba, The Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Curacao will compete in a series of sports competitions as part of the AISK hosted 2011 SportsFeva Invitational Tournament to be held in Kingston on November 11-12 and 18-19.  The teams will compete in football, tennis, golf and sporting clays events over the 4 days of the tournament.  The American International School of Kingston (AISK) has partnered with FLOW, Jamaica’s triple play service provider, to stage the tournament. Local schools Campion College, Immaculate Conception High School, Hillel Academy, St. Hugh’s Prep and host AISK, will compete against intramural teams from other member schools of the Caribbean Area International School Sports Association (CAISSA).

The initiative, whilst unusual at this level of competition, provides great opportunities for participating teams.  Jeanette Lewis, Public Relations Manager of Flow believes the move will provide a valuable competitive experience for secondary and preparatory school students that will assist in their athletic development.

“We believe that healthy competition at an early age builds a strong, focused and successful athlete. This is evidenced by in the many successful national athletes whose journey began very early in their development. This event provides an opportunity for Jamaican students to field competition from students at their level from different cultures, it’s a tactic used by senior athletes to compare their skills and gain insights into their sport,” she said.

Dr. Brian Horvath Head of School of AISK sees the initiative as a tactical approach to providing a wholesome education.  "AISK is becoming the premier K-12 school in the Caribbean and Central America.  So it makes sense that we've created the most ambitious high school sports event in the region.  Keep in mind that we have a one-to-one laptop program, the IB Diploma Program, and the absolutely best teachers in the Caribbean.  SportsFeva is just another example of who we are.  We want to blow everyone away with this event.  And that's the way we approach learning in general - we're not resting on our reputation or some tradition.  We are here every day, offering great experiences to not only our students, but the entire community."
AISK’s SportsFeva Invitational includes the sport of Sporting Clays among the events, giving sports enthusiasts in Jamaica exposure to a new and dynamic event. Sporting Clays, a marksman challenge, is an individual event in which clay pigeons are presented to a gunner in ways that mirror the flight pattern of game birds, or occasionally rabbits, in their natural habitats.

Lewis commented on the decision to include sporting clays, as being consistent with the move to expand the national capacity to compete at international games. “This presents our young athletes with another opportunity to represent our country in a non-traditional sport. We already have a bit of history of outstanding performances in sports where we are least expected to participate. I am pleased that AISK is actively enabling our youth in this regard,” Lewis explained.

Flow continues to demonstrate strong support for sports at the school and national levels; investing in several programmes to boost the development of young athletes. The three year partnership with the National Basketball League as has also seen a remarkable improvement in the national tournament with players benefitting significantly in addition to increasing the public’s interest in the local competition. Flow’s support of football’s National Champions’ Cup tournament marks two years of solid growth of the competition.

The triple play service provider also continues to support grass-roots football. Through collaboration with international sports cable giants ESPN, Flow kick started Whole Life Ministry’s football clinic in Jamaica, the second staging of which takes place on November 3-5 at the Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny. The event will see football greats Robbie Earl and Shaka Heslop hosting the two-day clinic to assist in strengthening the football skills of coaches and young players.