Special advisor to the T&T Boxing Board of Control (TTBBC), Boxu Potts has called on the Ministry of Sport to continue its support of training camps for boxing, which he says has yielded many social benefits for this nation’s youth. The national Under-16 team was based at Alicia’s Palace, on Lady Chancelor Hill, St Ann’s from March-December, 2013. According to Potts, who produced a letter from one of the athlete’s principal, the teenagers who attended the camp have “turned their lives around for the better and have gotten good reports from their parents, trainers, schools and peers”.
He indicated one such student, Jarel Nunes. Potts said Nunes’ mother was emotional when she explained her son’s transformation since attending the camp. Nunes said she was delighted with his (Jarel’s) performance. She said he even influenced his peers to start a study group. “They (the school) said he made a complete turn around and his behaviour has totally improved,” she said. Teckler Thomas, principal of Tunapuna Secondary School wrote to Cecil Force, president of the T&T Amateur Boxing Association (TTABA) explaining that Nunes, “in times past would never attempt to tap his potential and was constantly off task. However, Thomas was able to compliment Nunes, who “within the last year has matured and transformed into a harworking and focused young man.” “Jarel is undoubtedly a leader. He has confidence and strength which has won him the respect of his peers,” Thomas wrote.
Potts said some others who benefitted from the camp were Akmal Stroude and Ryan Cummings, both of whom he said have improved in their grades. He said the TTBBC in collaboration with the TTABA is promoting the launch of the board’s anti-bullying initiative which started in Success Laventillle Secondary School, where young female boxer Lexine Duke took first place in the Royal Bank anti-bullying initiative. He said, “at these training camps, we teach the children about camaraderie, respecting their peers, love for each other, how to talk it out not fight it out and even remedial classes.” “Another one of our campers, Justin Paris, who is the national champion in his weight class, recently went to the Cayman Islands for an invitational tournament and won a gold medal,” he added. “Instead of sitting by and accusing the youth of negative things we must rather say that we have failed them and so, create ways to help them. Rather than we plan how to build more prisons and courthouses we should implement more sporting and social programmes and hire competent people who would not want to undermine the programme and have an eat-a-food mentality.”