SPECIAL FEATURE: Interview with SPORTS PERSONALITY– JOSHUA-ST. MICHAEL MEGHOO 1) When did you begin representing Raymond Gardiner High School in sports? I first represented Raymond Gardiner in sports at the 2014 Inter-High School Championships games in Providenciales when I was 12 years old. 2) How does it feel to have represented Raymond Gardiner High School and the Turks and Caicos Islands at the CARIFTA Games and the Friendship Games? Both were great opportunities. Up until I had participated in those games, the biggest meet that I had attended was Inter-High and therefore it was a new experience for me altogether to see regional-level athletes. Not only that but the Friendship Games in Haiti and the Carifta Games in the Bahamas were two entirely different experiences in that Carifta involved all of 26 countries competing- making the competition tougher. I won gold in the 400m and bronze in the 200m at the Friendship Games and although I didn’t make the finals at CARIFTA in the 400m, I ran my personal best and was able to return with a bronze in the 4x100m relay. I feel honored knowing that Turks and Caicos recognizes my talent and am proud to be among the best of the islands’ athletes. On a personal level, I am also happy with the balance I am able to strike in my life; being an athlete means that not only am I expected run, but that I am also expected to be studious and well-behaved. This kind of balance is part of the June requirements 8, 2018 that must be met by each athlete.
4) How has your participation in sports at RGHS impacted your personal development? My participation in sports has impacted my personal development in numerous ways. Sports has instilled in me the traits of fair-play, respect, discipline and team-effort along with the ability to work hard. Sports has also allowed me to learn to simply appreciate greatness despite any envy/bias but rather a sense of admiration for raw talent or developed gift. It has enabled me to create new social bonds with people who I likely would have never met if I were not an athlete. Finally, sports has aided my physical growth in that it allows me to keep physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle.
5) How far do you wish to pursue track and field? I personally am using track and field to give me an education to pursue my goal of being a Computer Software Engineer. I do love track and field tremendously but my dream is that, through sports, I may get a scholarship to assist me in my academic pursuit. However, if I am given the clear opportunity to use athletics on a global level WITHOUT being deterred from my academic goal then I would gladly accept the opportunity.