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Tyra Alleyne at CARIFTA Water Polo 2018

poloGrade 9 student Tyra Alleyne was selected to compete as a member of the Barbados CARIFTA Water Polo team 2018. She played on the Under 19 female team and the Under 16 male/mixed team. On the Under 19 female team, she trained to play primarily in the position known as the “hole” or “hole set”. This is a central position approximately two meters away from the opponents goal bar and key for powerful close range shots. She was able to score a number of key goals during the game and was considered to be one of the more powerful shooters on her team. This year, the Under 19 females came away with the SILVER medal and the under 16 male/mixed team secured the BRONZE medal. Tyra also represented Barbados in the CARIFTA Water Polo Championships in 2017 and that event was held in The Bahamas. 

The CARIFTA Games is the annual sporting event that features many different athletic competitions. Traditionally, those competitions have included track and field, middle distance track competitions, sprint races, hurdle races as well as many jumping, throwing and relay events. Many famous Caribbean athletes have passed through these Games. The CARIFTA Games were founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association and the first Games were held in 1972. The main idea behind the founding of the CARIFTA Games was to have an event as an instrument of improving relations between Caribbean countries. In 1972, the region of the Caribbean was undergoing certain changes because those countries were transitioning from the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) to the Caribbean Community or as it is often called CARICOM. The president of the Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados at that time, Austin Sealy, had the idea of starting a sport event that will in some way mark that transition and he came up with the concept of the CARIFTA Games. Following the rules of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), The CARIFTA Games have become an event for young athletes from all track and field disciplines to show their talents and skills. These games are considered to be one of the best events for the development of young athletes.
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championships is an annual, age-group aquatics championships for the Caribbean. It has been held since 1985, and is similar in form/origin to the track & field/athletics event: the CARIFTA Games. The event is held under the auspices of CANOC, the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees. The Championship was broadened to include the disciplines of water polo and synchronised swimming beginning in the year 2002. Barbados dominated the sport of water polo in the earlier years. At present, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas and Barbados are considered to have the top national water polo teams in the region. The CARIFTA Water Polo Championships 2018 witnessed keen competition from the national teams of The Bahamas, Barbados, Curacao and Jamaica. The event was held at the National Aquatic Centre in Jamaica.

In 2017, Barbados started a Learn to Polo programme and is seeking to have one female and one male team in each of the age categories by 2020 – Under 14, Under 16 and Under 19. The CARIFTA Aquatic Championships will be hosted by Barbados in 2020.

"Well that looks fun, but what time will I have to go to bed?" If you know a child eager to apply but with questions still looming, flip through our downloadable photojournal, A Day in the Life of a King's-Edgehill School Boarding Student.

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