Junior Athletes Excel At The Republic Bank Caribbean Junior Golf Open Championships 2018

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, April 10, 2018: The Over 100 junior golfers from across the region competed at the 2018 Republic Bank Caribbean Junior Golf Open Championships at the St. Andrew’s Golf Club, Moka, Maraval, from April 3-6, 2018.

In the Boys’ Division, Zico Correia took the top spot in the 11-13 category while Demar James led the 14-15 category and Jonathon Jean-Noel walked away with the first place trophy for the 16-17 category. Among the Girls’ Categories, the 11-13 first place trophy went to Eryn Blakely. Serena Mackenzie claimed the top spot in the Girls16-18 while Emily Odwin topped the Girls14-15.

In delivering remarks at the Open’s closing ceremony, David Robinson, General Manager, Wealth Management at Republic Bank encouraged the juniors to appreciate the broader value of this year’s tournament. Apart from the direct benefits that come from engaging in regional competition, he listed the development of stronger social, problem solving and leadership skills among the extended benefits the youngsters stood to gain from participating in the tournament. He added that these opportunities for multidimensional youth development are the driving force behind the Bank’s 17 year commitment to this event.

Robinson’s advice is in keeping with leading opinions on the advantages of participating in sport, especially for young people. Studies show that participating in sport can have significant physical, psychological and social health benefits on young people, with the most common being higher levels of health-related fitness and improved self-esteem and social interaction.

The sport industry is also expected to play a critical role in the diversification of our country’s economy. Sport management, sport entrepreneurship and sport marketing are all emerging as areas of the sport sector that promise to generate new sources of income and growth for the local economy.

Therefore, opportunities like last week’s open, that get the nation’s youth involved in sport, are not only an investment in the individual future of each athlete but in the overall stability and prosperity of the country.