Gutierrez re-lives cancer fight
He cemented himself in the affections of the Toon Army on Sunday when he scored the goal which completed a vital 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory over West Ham in what seems likely to be his final game for the club. Gutierrez told the Shields Gazette: “Since I had the treatment the only thing that I was thinking was recovery. I was not really thinking about playing football, to be honest. “The chemotherapy is a harsh treatment. Your body really feels it. You lose your hair with all the medication going into your body. It was hard. After that when I finished with the treatment, and I started outside the medication, my body started its recovery. “It got nicer, because every day, my body was getting better. But, of course, during the chemo, it was hard watching your body in that type of state. “In those moments, you don’t think about playing football again. Then the doctor says, ‘You are okay, you can start again’. I started to think, ‘Oh well, let’s see what happens’. “I didn’t know how my body was going to react. Every day, I was improving. One day, I did a two-minute run, the next day four, and so on. Obviously, I got up to doing a marathon too! “The good thing is my body reacted really well to the treatment and the exercise. The doctor told me the fact I was a footballer, and fit already, was a big help to recover and come back. “You train all the days all year, so your body has memory of being well and fit. My body would feel it for a few days then get stronger.” Jonas Gutierrez has re-lived his battle with cancer after helping Newcastle secure their Barclays Premier League status. The 31-year-old had a testicle removed two years ago, but the cancer returned last year, leaving him facing chemotherapy and a long road back to good health. However, the Argentina international won his fight and returned to training, eventually pulling on the black and white shirt again for the first time against Manchester United on March 4. 
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West Virginia’s Big 12 home opener is Oct. 3 against Baylor.In-person classes at West Virginia start Aug. 26 for freshmen, graduate and some professional students, while upperclassmen will start classwork online. Masks must be worn on campus.The Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference are among six Football Bowl Subdivision leagues proceeding with plans to play this fall. The Big Ten and Pac-12 abandoned their fall season.___Napoli says forward Andrea Petagna has tested positive for COVID-19. August 20, 2020 “I wanted to use my diagnosis as another reminder that we are all susceptible,” he said. “It is critical we all follow CDC guidelines and state mandates and have a heightened sense of self awareness in order to protect each other.”___Torino says two players have tested positive for COVID-19.The Serie A club has not revealed their names but says both players are asymptomatic and are currently self-isolating.The positive cases were discovered from tests carried out before starting pre-season training. ___Pittsburgh Pirates President Travis Williams has tested positive for COVID-19 and says he is “on the road to recovery.” He says he knows of no other positive tests within the organization.He said in a statement Thursday he began feeling symptoms Monday night.“Fortunately, however, I followed the critical health and safety protocols that we have put in place, including wearing a mask as required, maintaining safe social distance.” He adds that he has started isolating and is getting further tests.Williams says the team has begun tracing to identify anyone with whom he may have been in contact. He adds that this does include players, coaches or support staff because the team had been on the road. The school said other athletes who were in contact with the six players also have been placed in quarantine. It was not immediately clear if any of the infected football players were reflected in the 11 positive tests the university reported Wednesday among the entire student body.___West Virginia’s season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 12. will be held without fans because of the pandemic.Athletic director Shane Lyons said Thursday the goal is “to have fans at Milan Puskar Stadium this season, but right now that is not possible.”The school said in a statement only essential game operations personnel and families of the players and football staff will be allowed to attend. Notre Dame announced five football players have tested positive in two rounds of coronavirus testing this week.The athletic department said the football program decided to test twice this week in light of the university’s decision Tuesday to move to remote learning because of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus. A total of 232 tests were done.The five players who tested positive are in isolation. Through contact tracing, six other players have been placed in quarantine.The football team has conducted 851 coronavirus tests since June 18, with nine positive results.The Fighting Irish did not practice for a second straight day. Another round of testing is set for Friday. The team said practices would resume based on the recommendation of the medical staff. The Latest: NC State still expecting to play fall sports
Torino says three other players who were in close contact with the duo in the past few days will be subject to further testing.Five other Serie A players have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two days.___Six UConn football players have tested positive for the new coronavirus, leading the school to suspend all team activities on Thursday. UConn canceled its football season this month, but the team still had been practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays and doing weight training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditThe Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___North Carolina State says it’s still “progressing with the expectation to compete” in fall sports as the school goes to online-only courses for undergraduates. Petagna is asymptomatic and had the test after his brother tested positive.Napoli signed Petagna from Spal in January but he remained on loan at the rival Serie A club until the end of the season.Roma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante said Wednesday that he has the coronavirus and Cagliari announced that three other players had also tested positive.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Associated Press The school’s athletics department issued a statement Thursday, shortly after Chancellor Randy Woodson announced the school would shut down in-person undergraduate instruction as of Monday.In an open letter, Woodson said the school won’t close on-campus housing. That came after the school identified three coronavirus clusters as well as reporting more than 500 students were in quarantine and isolation through “aggressive” contact tracing.The athletics statement says athletes can continue to hold practices and workouts while the school works with the Atlantic Coast Conference and health officials “towards the safest and most responsible course of action.”ACC rival North Carolina announced a move to remote instruction for undergraduate courses earlier this week.___
The sports business management sector continues booming globally, offering lots of opportunities to different segments of the sports business value chain. The partnership will help promote accessibility to quality education on sports management.Dr Enase Okonedo, Dean Lagos Business School, spoke on the agreement and said “This is a very timely and important development for LBS and Nigeria’s sports and educational sector as a whole. Lagos Business School is very passionate about organizing and offering sports related courses because we understand the huge contributions sports business management can make in the society. However, we cannot do it alone and that is why we are grateful to have the support of the best league in the world, LaLiga lending its voice and resources to support us in the cause of sports management”.Managing Director LaLiga Nigeria, Javier Del Rio, who also spoke at the event said “This is a strategic alliance which reaffirms our commitment to the development of not only football but education in this country. We are highly committed to each of our projects across Africa and partnering with Lagos Business School to offer sport management courses is a good step forward and in the right direction towards the growth and development of sports management in Nigeria. We couldn’t have found a better partner to do this with than Lagos Business School”The signing of this agreement reflects both institutions’ commitment to enhancing the sustainable development and growth of the sports business management sector in Nigeria through the exchange of intelligence and strategies.Share this:FacebookRedditTwitterPrintPinterestEmailWhatsAppSkypeLinkedInTumblrPocketTelegram L-R: Head of LaLiga Business School, José Moya and Dean Lagos Business School, Dr Enase Okonedo signing the MOU between both parties in Lagos, Tuesday. LaLiga, has entered into a partnership with the Lagos Business School to organize and offer sport management courses in Nigeria. The partnership was announced at the Lagos Business School where both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday, October 30th 2018.As part of the partnership, LaLiga and Lagos Business School will develop together different sports business programs, that will cover fields such as sports management, marketing, financing, leadership, technology, and innovation. Focusing on the critical success factors, these courses will offer students an understanding of the global context of sports business with an emphasis on business and investment opportunities in the industry.Head of LaLiga Business School, José Moya spoke about the agreement with Lagos Business School “We are once again thrilled to have the opportunity to spread the LaLiga expertise across Nigeria and Africa. This agreement reasserts LaLiga’s commitment to professionalising the sporting sector and, in tune with our slogan, ‘It’s not football, it’s LaLiga’, this puts us at the forefront of all leagues, not just in sporting terms but in educational standards too”.
It’s the way every USC athletics program was meant to end its season: playing UCLA.That’s what the USC women’s soccer team has in store tonight when it takes on the No. 2 Bruins (14-1-3, 7-1-2) in Westwood. And for the Women of Troy (7-12-0, 4-6-0), it’s a chance to end a subpar season in a special way.“We’re always pumped up to play UCLA,” senior forward Ashley Freyer said. “At this point, records don’t matter because we’re going to leave everything out on the field.”Final farewell · Senior defender Ashley Freyer looks to end her USC career on a high note and lead the Women of Troy to a victory at UCLA. – Jaideep Chadha | Daily Trojan That just about sums up the juxtaposition of these two teams’ seasons. Both opened the season in the top-25 — UCLA at No. 16, USC at No. 25. But while the Women of Troy lost their opening three games and 11 of their first 14, the Bruins surged. UCLA did not lose for nearly the first two months of its season before falling to No. 1 Stanford. The Bruins have won games by staggering scores, including 4-1 over Fresno State, 6-1 against Arizona and, most recently, 8-0 at Colorado.“They’re one of the best teams in the country,” USC coach Ali Khosroshahin said. “No other way to say it.”Bruin forward Sydney Leroux is one of the premier forwards in the nation with 14 goals in 18 games. To put that in perspective, sophomore forward Elizabeth Eddy leads USC with four goals. As a team, the Women of Troy have just six more goals than Leroux does individually.“We’re really going to have to handle our business well in the back [against Leroux],” Fryer said. “But if we play the way we can then we will.”The Bruins’ goal-differential is plus-28; USC’s is minus-10. The Bruins allow exactly half a goal per game — good for 11th nationally — and score 2.1 goals per game. USC, by contrast, scores slightly more than once per game and concedes 1.6 goals each contest.“We know it’s going to be a challenge for us,” Khosroshahin said. “But this whole season has been a challenge. The ladies have battled through a lot.”Obviously this season has not gone as expected for a team ranked in the top 25 to start the season. After an 0-3 start, the Women of Troy appeared to get back on the right track with three straight victories, including a 3-1 win over No. 18 Illinois. But things turned south.The Women of Troy completely outplayed No. 2 Oklahoma State at McAlister Field in their own tournament in early September and took a tough 1-0 loss.“That one really sticks with me,” Khosroshahin said. “We showed we could compete with anyone in the nation and win the stats with anyone in the nation. But we didn’t win the most important stat that mattered.”Just two days later, the Women of Troy were only 10 minutes away from a big 1-0 victory over Texas. Instead, the Longhorns conceded a late equalizer and later fell in double overtime.Those two losses kicked off a stretch of eight straight losses spanning more than two months. But six of those losses came by just one goal. In fact, of the Women of Troy’s 12 losses, just four have come by multiple goals.“We’ve been so close this whole season,” Khosroshahin said. “Just a bounce here or there and things would be completely different.”But those bounces haven’t been there, and that means tonight’s matchup takes on a greater importance.USC has never beaten the Bruins in Westwood in 13 trips there, and USC is just 4-19-1 all time against its crosstown rivals.Tonight’s matchup kicks off at 7 p.m at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.
Follow Darian on Twitter @dariannourian24 The USC men’s water polo team enters the 2013 season the way they ended the last, as the No. 1 team in the nation, at least according to the preseason Collegiate Water Polo Association poll. After winning their fifth consecutive NCAA championship last year with a dramatic 11-10 win over crosstown rival UCLA to cap off a perfect 29-0 record, the Trojans have renewed expectations of a national title under 12-time National Coach of the Year Jovan Vavic.With the opening matches right around the corner, Vavic can’t wait to begin the quest for a sixth consecutive championship with yet another loaded team at his disposal.Head above water · Senior two-meter Jeremy Davie (2) earned All-American Honorable Mention and was named All-MPSF First Team last season after scoring 29 goals for the Trojans, good for fifth on the team. – Daily Trojan file photo“I feel pretty good about our team since we have a strong recruiting class and a strong group of seniors with the majority of our starting unity coming back,” Vavic said. “We also have a good amount of experience now playing against top-notch international competition.”The program, which hasn’t lost a match since 2011, kicks off its season at the UCSD Triton Invitational this weekend in La Jolla, Calif. USC will be playing six matches over the course of two days and will be facing some premier opponents.Five of their first six matches come against teams that are currently ranked or were ranked in last year’s NCAA Division I polls.“We are going to take no one lightly and everyone’s going to be after us so we are just going to have to take it game by game,” senior utility player Mace Rapsey said. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. [We’ll] stay focused and see what happens.”After carrying such a large target on their back in previous years, the nation’s other top water polo teams won’t have to wait long to get a shot at dethroning the defending champions. The Trojans will have two early-season tests as they take on UCLA and California, who were second and fourth, respectively, in the preseason CWPA poll. Stanford, another Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference foe, is currently third in the rankings.Though both of these matches are being played as scrimmages, they will be great indicators of whether a top-ranked team will be able to even compete with USC, which brings back five All-Americans and four of its five top scorers from last year. Reigning National Player of the Year Nikola Vavic scored 83 goals last year and stands just 48 goals away from the USC’s all-time record.UCLA and Cal finished second and third, respectively, in the NCAA Division I rankings at the end of the 2012 campaign.UCLA returns four starters, led by all-conference honoree Paul Reynolds, who ranked third in goals scored (41) for the Bruins last season.California senior Collin Smith, one of the Bears’ five returning All-Americans, led his team with 61 goals and 31 assists.Though UCLA and Cal are the notable matches of the weekend, the Trojans will also take on Cal Baptist and Loyola Marymount on Saturday, followed by Air Force and Redlands on Sunday.With six games jam-packed into 29 hours, Vavic expects many underclassmen to get some playing time.“At this point, this team is experienced, but we need some younger players who haven’t played a major role these last few years to step up,” Vavic said.Vavic’s words apply to freshman Jon Walters, who led Mater Dei High School to two CIF titles and will have to prove he’s ready for the collegiate game this weekend.“I’m spending a lot of time learning our system and our plays, and I’m just going to continue to work hard in order to play a role on this team somehow,” Walters said.Nagging injuries commonly derail a team’s championship aspirations. Fortunately for USC, there are no injuries to worry about right now.“Everyone is good to go,” Vavic said of the team’s health.The Trojans will play their first game of the Triton Invitational and of the season against Cal Baptist on Saturday at 1 p.m. and conclude the weekend with the scrimmage against the Bruins at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Share StumbleUpon Submit Romania’s ONJN adds 20 sites to blacklist August 14, 2020 Share Earlier this year, Gamingtec set itself an ambitious goal of making significant headway in the B2C sector, which doesn’t come without its own set of challenges.Heading up Gamingtec’s B2C division is Alberto Alfieri (pictured), who will lead the way for the company’s expansion into additional European markets.Discussing plans for his new role, Alfieri looked back upon childhood lessons learned from his father which he hopes will help him establish an internal culture of continuous research for excellence and satisfaction.Aims for the new role“At Gamingtec, we are very close to launching a new exciting locally regulated brand in Europe and will share more news soon,” he said. “We want to be acknowledged by our clients and by the industry for the quality of our products and for the attention to the entertainment service. I also would like to do this while creating and developing an internal culture of continuous research for excellence and satisfaction.“As in any service industry, when you work to offer something to someone else, I believe that aiming at excellence is the way to win any challenge and achieve all goals. As my father used to tell me when I was a kid, never settle for mediocrity.”Overcoming challengesOver the last few months, the gaming industry has dealt with a series of challenges when it comes to limiting the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and increased regulatory activity across the more mature markets. But as the world begins to try to restore a sense of normality, Gamingtec is bracing itself to deal with the longer term impact that COVID-19 has had.Overcoming these issues, according to Alfieri, requires ‘healthy’ relationships with clients and continual communication between regulators and other operators coupled with the right diversification of products.He continued: “The latest and biggest challenge is the Coronavirus. The global hiatus on all sport activities for a few months could happen again. And while the online activity in other sectors (media entertainment like Netflix or ecommerce like Amazon) saw an increase in usage and engagement, the online gambling and the sport betting in particular suffered a drastic drop in terms of revenues, while costs were the same as pre-pandemic levels.“We need to learn how to cope with any similar occurrences in the future and I believe the answer is aiming at offering an always wider range of entertainment options. From specific games to new verticals, which has been particularly evident with esports that has seen increased engagement from users with no previous contact with these sorts of games.“Another challenge we are seeing is terms of regulation and advertising. I am of the opinion that advertising must be regulated, especially when it comes to protection of under age and problem gamblers.“Since the sector demonstrated some lack of discipline in certain countries, what has happened is intervention from the authorities. But what happened in Italy, UK, Sweden and more recently to Spain is that regulators made hasty decisions to impose a full ban on advertising, sponsorships and harsh limitations on gaming, which has had a negative effect on the whole of the industry.“Our sector is already highly regulated, therefore legal and transparent, and should not be penalised when it comes to advertising and marketing. It seems incoherent to say the least, that operators pay license costs and taxes but cannot advertise their activity like any other legal and tax paying business.”Motivations for joining GamingtecLeading Gamingtec, Alfieri will draw upon a wealth of experience in the iGaming industry, having amassed over 12 years in the sector from a range of different operators.“I joined the iGaming industry about 12 years ago,” Alfieri continued.”I consider myself lucky enough to have had a wide range of experiences, spanning from bet365 to Mr Green, and from Redbet to Bet.pt.“In the last five years I have held C-Level positions for operators active in Europe and Latin America with both .com and locally regulated markets. I am convinced there is a high compatibility between the ambitions of Gamingtec and mine.”Discussing his previous experience in the industry and the decisions which led him to join Gamingtec, Alfieri highlighted the ‘very dynamic yet stable technology’ as a motivating factor for joining the company.He explained: “One of the biggest issues that operators, including the ones I have worked for, have to face when they begin is that they need to use turnkey solutions for their platform. If things go well, after a couple of years the operator is in a completely different situation and the turnkey solution is no longer adequate to the business needs. At that point, a custom-tailored solution is what an operator needs.“At Gamingtec, thanks to a very agile framework, we can easily implement, adapt and scale our technology for any type of market, including the most complex regulated jurisdictions.“We have a very dynamic yet stable technology with no legacy, which we can benefit from for our B2C projects and therefore avoid all that painful path that new operators usually go through. This was definitely a key factor for my decision.“The modern vision and approach to technology of Gamingtec, together with the ambition of entering regulated markets, with all the challenges that this may bring, was the cherry on the cake since there is no fun if there is no challenge for me.”Gamingtec’s technology, Alfieri says, gives the company a competitive edge when it comes to product, entertainment and expansion across Europe and additional global markets.He concluded: “Entering a European regulated market with our own B2C project is already a challenge per se, since gambling is a very mature sector in our continent and finding space in the market is always more difficult.“But thanks to our technology I believe we will have an advantage and we will be able to achieve our objectives, which by the way are not limited to Europe.“In more general terms the main challenges will be related to product and how to entertain the public, since life and cultures are changing, due to events and also natural shifts in generations. Thankfully, at Gamingtec we also have a good series of creative assets and I am sure we will contribute to the industry in a positive way.” Related Articles EU research agency demands urgent action on loot box consumer safeguards July 29, 2020 Sweden: Soft2Bet CEO Chaikin on prospering in igaming’s brave new world August 18, 2020
Michael Carrick, Andy Carroll and Kyle Walker have been left out of the 23-man England squad named by Roy Hodgson for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.Carrick has paid the price for a poor season with Manchester United while West Ham United striker Carroll has been named on the standby list after a season ravaged by injury. Tottenham Hotspur defender Walker misses out due to a pelvic injury.As expected, teenage left-back Luke Shaw makes the cut ahead of Ashley Cole, who retired from international football on Sunday night after being told he had not made the squad. Rickie Lambert, who has scored 14 goals this season, gets the nod ahead of Carroll.Former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, who now plays for Toronto FC, is only good enough for a place on the standby list. Carrick rejected the chance to be on the standby list for UEFA EURO 2012, but he has accepted the same position this time around. Carrick is joined in Hodgson’s contingency planning by Tom Cleverley, who has not made the 23 despite starting nine consecutive games under Hodgson at the start of the 2012/13 season.Hodgson has selected just four strikers for the tournament in Brazil, which kicks off on 12 June. Wayne Rooney will be the leading striker, with Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Lambert in support. Frank Lampard, 35, makes the cut, but otherwise there is a youthful look about England’s midfield selection.Ross Barkley, 20, has been selected, alongside Liverpool teenager Raheem Sterling. Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere are in the 23 despite their recent injury concerns.Adam Lallana, who has three caps, has been rewarded for a fine year with Southampton by being included. James Milner is also favoured ahead of the likes of Adam Johnson and Ashley Young – neither of whom made the squad or standby list. England squad:Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Fraser Forster (Celtic)Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United)Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)Attackers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United) Standby: John Ruddy (Norwich City), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), John Stones (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Andy Carroll (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC).* Squad lists are only official once they have been confirmed and published by FIFA on 16 May at 12:00 CET.
Memphis scored twice and set up an injury-time third for Marouane Fellaini as Manchester United beat Club Brugge 3-1 in the Champions League play-off first leg at Old Trafford.Louis van Gaal’s side, playing their first match in Europe for over year after failing to make the Champions League under David Moyes in 2014, will now be favourites for the second leg after Belgium international Fellaini gave his side a two-goal cushion to take to Bruges next Wednesday with a far-post header at the very moment German referee Deniz Aytekin was lifting his whistle to his lips to blow for full time.But the headlines will all be about Memphis, the £25m summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, who scored two excellent goals in the first half and seemed to finally gel with main striker Wayne Rooney after a pre-season tour of the United States where the pair struggled to adapt to each other’s game.The Belgian Cup holders, who played the final 11 minutes at Old Trafford with ten men after Brandon Mechele was shown a second yellow card, are by no means out of this tie thanks to an eighth minute away goal.Michael Carrick could only deflect a Victor Vazquez free-kick into his own goal, but United goalkeeper Sergio Romero must share some of the blame for his poor positioning as the set-piece came into the penalty area.– Follow Joy Sports on Twitter: @Joy997FM. Our hashtag is #JoySports
The B&H tennis team will advance to the second round of the Euro-African group of the Davis Cup after they led 3:1 against Greece.The decisive point was made by Damir Džumhur, who after three hours of play beat Alexandros Jakupovic with 4:6, 3:6, 6:2, 6:3, 6:4.B&H took a 1:0 victory on Friday after Mirza Bašić beat Jakupovic, followed by Damir Džumhur’s defeat by Markos Kalovelonis from Greece.In the doubles match, Mirza Bašić and Tomislav Brkić beat Jakupovic and Kalovelonis with 2:1, and Džumhur managed to return for a win against Jakupovic for the third point for the B&H team.B&H tennis players will play against Finland in the second round, which beat Bulgaria with 3:1.Results:-Friday:Mirza Bašić – Alexanrdos Jakupovic 6:3, 6:2 6:2Damir Džumhur – Markos Kalovelonis 5:7, 5:7, 6:3, 2:6-Saturday:Mirza Bašić/Tomislav Brkić – Alexandros Jakupovic/ Markos Kalovelonis 5:7, 6:0, 6:4, 7:5-Sunday:Damir Džumhur – Alexandros Jakupovic 4:6, 3:6, 6:2, 6:3, 6:4.(Fena)
It’s far too soon to describe the ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championships winning streaks by Calabar High School and Edwin Allen High School as dynasties. Both have a long way to go before their respective series of consecutive Champs wins rival the record streaks of 14 by the Kingston College machine of 1962-1975 and by the Vere Technical juggernaut in the 1979 to 1993 period. More than that, there’s no absolute guarantee that Calabar and Edwin Allen will win this year.However, both schools have looked so good in recent years that the thought of them dominating for years to come is blowing in the wind.With ace coach Michael Clarke still at the helm, Calabar turned into the New Year with a fifth straight Championship title as their target. That would separate this green and black aggregation from the group coached to victory by legendary Gerald Claude Foster in 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1933. Arch-rivals Kingston College also have the second longest run of Champs wins, with a line of success from 2001 to 2007.Edwin Allen have won twice in a row. That’s no streak … yet. While Calabar survived a stern test by Kingston College last year, the Edwin Allen girls won easily – by 100 points – in 2015 with coach Michael Dyke quietly predicting continued success. Aside from the 15 years of dominance by Vere, Holmwood Technical won season after season from 2003 to 2011, with Excelsior High and St Jago High scoring four consecutive wins. Excelsior did it from 1970 to 1973, with St Jago doing the same from 1996 to 1999.In a season that starts at the Purewater/JC meet today, Calabar will face fine teams from KC, second in 2015 by just 15 and a half points, and the 2011 champion boys’ school, Jamaica College. Edwin Allen will have to keep a close eye on the rising Hydel High, consistent St Jago and the resurgent Holmwood Technical who finished second, third and fourth last year. If the reigning champions win again, the D-word whispers will get louder.n Hubert Lawrence has attended Champs since 1980.