NEW YORK – Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) marks 20 years of service to Jamaican athletes at the Penn Relays this year— a milestone of which they are extremely proud.
This has meant 20 years of a hospitality initiative, (1994-2014), benefiting contingents of athletes from across the Caribbean; one which saw its genesis in a desire to provide a “home-away-from-home,” atmosphere for Jamaican athletes.
The effort started with the provision of meals and expanded overtime to include transportation, medical and chiropractic care, and the negotiation of favorable hotel rates, resulting in what is essentially a team hotel for the entire Caribbean contingent.
“The idea to provide some creature comforts for the athletes was not met with widespread enthusiasm,” according to Irwine Clare, Snr., “ it was scoffed at; maybe the name was not so endearing as ‘Bickle’ is not universal language but [we] Jamaicans get it, so that familiarity appealed to us. It was grassroots. We are happy we were persistent and are proud of what we have been able to accomplish.”
Twenty years later the program has grown from providing for dozens to (now) hundreds of athletes. Additionally, the ‘Bickle’ umbrella now covers several other Caribbean nations and [some] US based Jamaican athletes who compete for various colleges. “They see the Bickle tent, the familiar colors, hear the sweet strains of the music and it says ‘home’ to them, further many of them had already passed through the ‘Bickle’ system,” said Clare.
TJB’s sponsorship and presence at the relays has also opened the door for several Jamaican brands who were introduced to an event with [arguably] one of the largest gathering of Jamaicans in the Diaspora. TJB is proud to see the ascent of the Grace Brand to the position of lead sponsor at these prestigious relays.
Proudly sharing in this milestone is Mr. Vincent HoSang and [his] entities, Caribbean Food Delights, Royal Caribbean Bakery and the Vincent HoSang Family Foundation. He embraced the vision then and now anchors the operations in Philly.
TJB is also in expansion mode with plans currently in the works to have both a medical and dental center in the TJB village. The medical center will be named in honor of the life of Cavahn Mckenzie, the young St. Jago athlete, who died in competition while representing his country in Trinidad & Tobago. More details will be announced soon.
The lead up to the Penn Relays will be a busy one for the team with events planned for Jamaica, New York and Philadelphia. On Monday, March 31st, (6pm-9pm), in a private reception at UTECH, TJB will honor individuals and entities that believed in the dream and opened doors for the organization.
The Team Jamaica Village at Penn
Olympian Dennis Johnson CD, will be honored at its annual reception in New York, Thursday, April 17 (6pm-9pm), at St Francis College auditorium, Downtown Brooklyn. Johnson’s trailblazing accomplishments for Jamaica both on the track and through a life devoted to its development have helped to raise the profile of Jamaica and elevate its standing on the world stage. Johnson will also use the occasion to launch his foundation.
Sponsors for this year’s program are, founding partner, Caribbean Food Delights, Western Union, Grace Kennedy, Grace Kennedy Remittance Services, Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Trans Continental Shipping, Dennis Shipping, Tower Isles, SuperWings, Union of Jamaica Alumni Association (UJAA), and Young Friends of Team Jamaica Bickle.
