Former Ward of the State Pushes for Glory

Member of Jamaica’s Bobsled Team and former ward of the State, 21-year-old Anthony Ellis, is determined to rise above his childhood hardships and excel in the sport to support his father and make his country proud.

“I want to develop myself to get a better understanding of how to help bring Jamaica to probably a First-World country and to develop the young men to find a better path in life,” he told JIS News.

This, he noted, is a dream he holds dear, while he pushes to become a high-quality athlete in the non-traditional sport.

Mr. Ellis currently trains as a brakeman on the team while attending the GC Foster College in St. Catherine, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

From March 24 to 25 this year, he competed in the North America’s Cup in New York for the first time on the national team since he joined in 2022.

“We did well on the first competition day, but on the 25th it wasn’t that way. It wasn’t what we expected. We crashed but we weren’t upset because it was a great experience,” he said.

Mr. Ellis said that being new to the team and experiencing ice for the first time allowed him to deepen his interest in the sport, especially “knowing from where I came, to where I am now”.

He said that his love for sports began through Track and Field while attending primary school. However, after he transitioned to GC Foster College, he was introduced to bobsledding by the Principal, and decided to try out for the team.

“I went to trials, I think about in November [last year]. I got qualified and then I made the team,” Mr. Ellis recounted.

He pointed out that learning to manoeuvre the ice and the pressure of the wind while sledding was his biggest challenge.

“While going down the track, I wasn’t used to the pressure for the first time. That was the only challenge that I had because the pressure was pulling my neck down but then Coach explained to me what was happening and I pulled through [until] it was fun and my body got used to it,” Mr. Ellis said.

“I see myself going forward in bobsled. I’m going to focus more and build up my skills as a brakeman and, hopefully, one day I will become a driver as well, and see where it takes me from there,” he added.

The team is currently training for upcoming competitions and preparing to participate in the 2024 Olympics.

In the interim, Mr. Ellis said that keeping his grades in good standing is a priority. “I still keep my grades up and try to get As and Bs and I try to focus more,” he said.

Mr. Ellis said his mother died when he was very young and because his father had difficulty taking care of him, he entered foster care when he was seven years old.

“I went to live with Ms. Marcia Frost, and she has been my mother from that time until now. She stood by me through everything and is supportive,” he shared.

Ms. Frost’s sister, Audrey Williams, according to Mr. Ellis, also played a pivotal role in his development.

“She was my motivator and helped grow me in every way. Those two people were the main people in my life growing up. They pushed me through everything,” he told JIS News.

Mr. Ellis said his foster mother, who is also a teacher by profession, helped him to improve his high-school average from the forties.

“I used to wake up early in the morning, like three or four o’clock and because my mother was a teacher, she would be doing her lesson plan while I was studying, and she got my grades up. So, I started going into 60 to 70 average moving into grade 10,” he said.

Mr. Ellis’ hard work paid off, as he became the Regional Top Boy for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) north-east division in 2019. He was awarded at the Educational Achievement Award ceremony after passing six Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects.

To date, he is still receiving support from the agency, under its Transitional Living Programme (TLP).

The agency is responsible for protecting the nation’s children and promoting child-friendly policies and programmes to strengthen families.

He told JIS News that the opportunities and support he received while in State care helped him to not be resentful towards his father.

“I still keep in touch with my dad… . He explained to me what really took place, and I told him that it’s okay because that’s the best he could’ve done. If I had stayed with him, maybe I wouldn’t be the person I am now. So, I said, thank God for what he has done,” Mr. Ellis said.

“He’s so proud of me [and] I always tell him that one day I’m going to take him out of where he’s living and buy him a nice house,” he added.

Mr. Ellis praised the CPFSA for its role in his development, providing him with a “better chance at life”.

“There are so many youngsters out there who would be so happy to be in the spot I am right now. People at the agency would get up in the middle of the night to make sure we, the kids, were okay. They do a lot and I ‘big them up’ for that,” he said.