Tuesday September 22, 2009

As school reopened Monday September 7, 2009 under black clouds on a damp day, the DASH Athletic group introduced a ray of sunlight with its promise to help shore up Excelsior's sagging fortunes in Track and Field.

DASH Athletics, a group of former Excelsior athletes, attended "worship" to outline its ambitious plan to play its part in guiding the revival of Track and Field program at the school.  Team members Garth Case, Danny Clarke and Desmond Shakespeare, were on hand to address the students as school reopened for the new school year. Desmond Shakespeare could not believe that he had not been in the Hall since the 60's.

The Principal, Mr. Deanroy Bromfield, introduced the team and asked the school during his introduction in which sport Excelsior was not doing well. The DASH team was amazed at the overwhelming response of "Track And Field".

Garth Case then gave an excellent presentation of the program and invited the students to sign up for the track team. The response was very good with 45 boys and 24 girls signing.

Meanwhile, Hewitt DePass, the program’s New York Liaison, on Sunday September 20, 2009, outlined the group's comprehensive program at the monthly meeting of the Brooklyn-based Excelsior Alumni Association. The plan was enthusiastically endorsed by the Alumni Association as it dovetails with other efforts in which the organization has participated over the years, to help breathe new life into the moribund program.

Reacting to skeptics who question what they view as a misplaced emphasis on sports, at the possible expense of education, at some schools, DePass, sought to reassure those with reservation about the initiative. He pledged that the athletes' education would not be sacrificed in pursuit of fleeting  glory in Track & Field.

The skeptics noted that back in the halcyon days of Excelsior's Track & Field prominence, a mere medal at Champs was hardly a cause for wild celebration. Then, the school’s athletes were expected to be champions on the field -- and also genuine students, pursuing a marketable education, off it.

“To move Excelsior forward we cannot only concentrate on academics" DePass argued. “Academics is our primary goal,” he insisted, “but how can a child use these skills without knowing how to overcome adversity, or have a sense of family or not have proper self esteem?”

Supporters are hopeful for a return to those days when the idea of the student-athlete was not a quaint notion, and XLCR was a track and field power. Those who did well routinely earned scholarships to tertiary institutions. They hope that the intervention of Dash Athletics, working in conjunction with the Excelsior Alumni Association and others, will signal the death rattle of a prolonged period of mediocrity in the school's Track and Field program.

As DASH Athletic 's New York contact, DePass will be working in close cooperation with the Alumni Association to coordinate the purchase and shipping of athletic equipment to the school.

DASH Athletics is inviting donations to help underwrite its effort. Checks should be made payable to the Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) 786 Lenox Rd. Brooklyn, NY 11203. The check should clearly state in the memo section that the funds are earmarked for Dash Athletics. These donations will be tax deductible as the Alumni Association is a registered 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization.

Keep tuned for further development.