GoodHeart | Former powerhouse Bridgeport High lacking critical sporting infrastructure | News
Talent abounds at Bridgeport High School in Portmore, St. Catherine. However, their performance in sports, including athletics, has declined significantly over the years due to a lack of infrastructure and sponsorship.
Bridgeport High School, the first school to open in the dorm community in September 1978, served the growing need for secondary school placements, and its student-athletes were a credit to the institution, particularly in football. By 2001, the school placed in the top 10 in the Inter-Secondary School Athletic Association (ISSA) boys’ and girls’ championships.
In 1999 it was considered the most improved school in boys’ championship. Their best performance to date was in 2002 when they placed second and won the Foggy Burrows Award. The male track and field team has performed exceptionally over the years, and many of them have received track and field scholarships to colleges across the United States.
Recently, some of the students have achieved major milestones in the sport in Jamaica and on the international stage. These include Jazeel Murphy, Raymond Brown, Jermaine Brown, Rasheed Broadbell and Orlando Thomas.
However, over the years the school’s performance in athletics has declined and they are no longer in the top 10. They only won two points when the championships were held in 2022.
On a recent visit to the school, our team noticed less than convenient training facilities, including the school field, which is now an uneven dust bowl.
Marcia Wallen, director of physical education at Bridgeport High School, said it had been difficult for the institution to effectively produce the high-quality athletes required for the championships because of the limited resources at its disposal.
“There are several factors including the field not being properly paved, lack of fitness facilities and having the right equipment including spikes and trainers for the students. We have over 30 students training for this year’s championships, and most of them are training on the streets and along school corridors,” Wallen said.
“We have a few pieces of fitness equipment that we’re content with and it really isn’t enough to train the students properly. In addition, some of the equipment has also disappeared,” she added. An equipped gym would facilitate use by all of the school’s sports disciplines, she said.
Carl Page, head coach of the track and field team and physical education teacher, said they desperately need sponsors to resurface the field. “The field hasn’t been updated in the last 15 to 17 years. It needs to be dug up and resurfaced, and it would cost about five to seven million dollars just to get it right for the preliminary work,” he said .
Beverley Harris, director of the institution, said the now-existing playing field was out of use due to the nearby canal that runs alongside it and also a main community sewer runoff that runs from the Bridgeport township through the canal.
“In preparation for major football and other sporting events such as the Manning Cup, boys’ and girls’ championships, the school has had to find other training grounds at the school’s expense, sometimes even outside of Portmore. In the past, competitive games, sports days and other events have been held on the field, but according to ISSA standards, our field was deemed unsuitable and substandard for hosting competitions,” Harris said.
According to Harris, some of the things that must be done to ensure the viability and sanitation of the field are: Removal of loose, sandy and salty dirt and soil; import and setting of marl; import of topsoil; rollers and presses; greening of fields; continuous treatment; Construction of a hollow in the ground and installation of a suitable irrigation system and water harvesting system.
“We have received over $13 million in estimates for the field rehabilitation. To date, we have reached out to multiple bodies, individuals and organizations, but limited or no support has been gathered in an attempt to revitalize the pitch,” Harris said.
Despite the dangerous conditions on the field, students still come to practice. “We’ve competed in a couple of track races this season and the students are doing well. We have fighting spirit despite being a small squad,” Page added.
Wallen and Page pointed out that the school’s shift system was another obstacle to the success of their program. “We might have more students coming in for training, but most rush home after school, especially in the evenings, because of the communities they live in. Some of these communities can be violent and they refuse to stay behind,” they said.
“We do our best and work with what we have. We’re going to keep going and we’re doing our best,” Page said.
Regarding the field, Page said they started planting grass on the surface to reduce dust pollution, but that resulted in an uneven surface. “When it’s windy, you can feel the dust particles in your nose. Luckily we wear masks,” he said.
High-performing students, he said, have also applied for transfers to other schools because of the poor educational opportunities they have at the institution.
The lack of proper nutrition was also another setback for her program. “Some of these students don’t eat breakfast in the morning. In partnership with the Parent Teachers Association and the Past Students Association, they receive a balanced breakfast twice a week. But that’s just not enough for the trainees, ”said Wallen.
School leadership and teachers believe that students can perform well beyond expectations when given the proper resources they need to excel. They are imploring the Jamaica Company to help the schools that are really in need so that these students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
To donate or learn more about Bridgeport High School, call 876-939-4732, 876-236-5913, or 876-236-5936 or email [email protected] .jm and [email protected]. Do you have a story you would like to share? Email us at [email protected].