James Cordice, coordinator of the Vincentian Penn Relays initiative, addresses a reception for Vincentian athletes.
Photo by Nelson A. King
Some former students of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have expressed disappointment that the school did not participate this year in the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
James Cordice, the Philadelphia-based coordinator of the Vincentian Penn Relays initiative and president of Team SVG International, said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Grammar School will be the only high school representing the country in this year’s Penn Relays Carnival that runs from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, April 25.
Cordice disclosed that TSSS, which had competed in the games from the initiative’s very inception, will not be participating this year.
“It is a significant injustice to the student-athletes of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School to be prohibited from participating in the Penn Relays,” Mekeila Slater Grant, a TSSS former athlete, who competed in the Penn Relays in 2015 and 2016, told Caribbean Life on Monday, April 13. “If the team does not meet the required time standards, then the decision is understandable. However, to simply not send a team is entirely unjustified.
“I was given the opportunity on two occasions to attend the Penn Relays, where I built lifelong relationships with the support team in the US, which molded me into the person I am today,” added Slater Grant, who ran the second leg for TSSS in 4x100m at the Penn Relays.
“The decision not to send a team to the Penn Relays this year is a significant disappointment, particularly given our institution’s historical participation as the inaugural school at this event,” she continued. “We respectfully request an explanation for this decision, as the Penn Relays serve as a crucial platform for emerging athletes.
“There is a concern that this decision may inadvertently diminish a long-standing cultural tradition at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School,” she said.
“Maintaining this tradition is vital, as it has historically provided a valuable opportunity for numerous underprivileged student-athletes to gain exposure and advance their athletic careers.”
Brandon Parris, who was among the first batch of TSSS athletes to compete in the Penn Relays, noted that, in 2011, TSSS made history in becoming the first school from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to compete in the Relays Carnival.
“I had the privilege of being a member of that pioneering team, and again represented the school in 2012,” he said. “That experience was life-changing, not just as an athlete, but as a young person from a small island stepping onto one of the biggest stages in track and field.
“Competing at the Penn Relays exposed us to a higher level of competition and professionalism,” he added. “It challenged and inspired us, expanding our perspective. For many, it marked the first time we saw ourselves as international athletes.”
“For me personally, that experience became a foundation,” Parris continued. “It shaped my hunger for competition and set me on a path that eventually led to a scholarship to compete in college in the United States, where I placed 3rd in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Indoor Championships in the 400m as a freshman.”
From there, Parris said he progressed to become a 15-time NCAA All-American, NCAA Champion, 11-time CIAA Conference Champion, NCAA Regional Athlete of the Year, and, ultimately, an Olympian at the 2016 Rio Games at age 21.
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the oldest African American athletic conference in the U.S.
Parris also competed at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, all while completing his academic degree.
“I share this not as a personal reflection alone, but as evidence of what exposure to high-level competition can do,” he said. “The Penn Relays experience was a turning point, one that helped transform potential into performance.
“This is why Thomas Saunders Secondary School’s participation at the Penn Relays holds significant value,” Parris added. “It is not simply about attending a meet; it is about representation, exposure, and development. It gives student-athletes from St. Vincent and the Grenadines the opportunity to compete against the best, learn in elite environments, and return home with higher standards and greater belief.
“When schools like Thomas Saunders step onto that stage, they carry more than a baton,” he continued. “They carry national pride and possibility. Continued participation ensures that student-athletes are not limited by geography but instead empowered through experience.
“The Penn Relays helped shape my journey,” Parris said. “It can and will do the same for many others, if that pathway remains open.”