Marion visits schools, says farewell
Today was the last day in what will go down in history as the week Marion Jones conquered Belize. This morning after working out at the stadium renamed in her honour, Marion did a tour of four Belize City schools, beginning with one very dear to her family’s heart.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
A groundswell of support for Olympic champion Marion Jones. But this moment in time was an especially proud one for the elder Marion who graduated from the all-girls institution thirty-seven years ago come June. Although she usually visits her alma mater when she comes to Belize, this is her first visit since her daughter catapulted to Olympic fame.
Hulse-Toler says going back to Pallotti High School with her daughter was a happy homecoming.
Marion Hulse Toler, Mother of Marion Jones
“I always knew this day would come. I would dream this. If I were in the shower, I would see myself standing up here before each of you, telling you about it. (Crowd roars) That day has come and I just want to say to each and everyone of to you, that for those of you who are fortunate to have resources such as mom and dad, a family system, a loving family system, run with that. Be grateful to God for that and share it. If you’ve got money that’s good too, but share it with those among you who you know do not have that loving family system and all the resources, that is you responsibility. For those of you who feel despair, know that that’s a temporary challenge, that you are going to get through it as I do.”
Young Marion saw her mother’s homecoming as a tribute to her as it all started at Pallotti.
Marion Jones
“From when I was very young I would hear my mom talk about going out to the basketball court to stand there and taking Spanish and doing the wonderful things here in high school. It’s a treat for me to actually come and see all of you and get a chance to walk around the school and get a feeling of how my mom grew up and where she studied and a little bit of her background. So for me, it’s a treat, so thank you.”
It’s also a treat for Sister Mary Benedict who taught big Marion Spanish.
Sister Mary Benedict
“It’s always a pleasure to welcome our alumnae and I’m extremely grateful to Marion the second for choosing to visit Pallotti High School.”
The treat continued when Marion was welcomed into the Pallotti family with gifts and the school medal given to honour students. Marion then pulled out her honours–the real mckoy and personally displayed the five medals to the girls.
Marion Jones
“These are the real thing. (Crowd goes wild) If you’d take your seats, I’ll come around with them.”
From Pallotti the team went next door to Belize Elementary School. Marion took time out to meet, greet and even run with a student
After her visit to B.E.S. Marion Jones and her party stopped in at St. Martin de Porres Primary and Sadie Vernon High. We bear no ill will to these south side institutions, but Channel 5 and the rest of the press was barred from accompanying the tour into the schools. Police and the Executive Director of the Sports Council said that these visits were a private matter. However, school officials expressed dismay that the elaborate welcomes they prepared would go unrecorded by the media.
All good things, as they say, must come to an end, and although it seems as though Belizeans would never get enough of the Marion mania, they have to. The Olympic track star, her mom Marion Hulse-Toler and brother Albert, left Belize on American Airlines this evening, but not before Marion summed up her visit at a press conference.
Marion Jones
“To briefly touch on a couple to highlights, just getting a chance to visit all the different districts and see all the school children perform and celebrate my performance in Sydney, it’s just outstanding. There was a school rally yesterday at the City Centre and once again, they did not disappoint to say the least. Every time I come to Belize the highlight is always getting a chance to spend time with my family, quality time. Sometimes that’s difficult when we live so far apart, but we definitely make the most of it.”
“In terms of bringing youth sports and youth athletics to the forefront in the world here in Belize, it would take way too long I think to touch on all the specifics. But I think the one thing that I take away is that I understand now that everyone is committed to one thing, and that’s improving the lives, the training facility and the coaches, and all of these different things for these athletes, so that’s what I take away from it.
Q: Would it be possible to assist us to set up linkages that perhaps some of our athletes especially in track and field would be able to maybe get transfers to universities in the United States and would you be willing to assists us in that?”
Marion Jones
“Yeah, we just touched on that a minute ago in terms of trying to find out ways and sources and links to provide scholarships. So all of that was brought out on the table for the past couple of days and we’re talking about it and we plan to move forward in the next couple of months on finding resources and just getting things moving in general, so that is a hot topic that we were talking about.”
“I told my uncle and my ma that I’m excited to be going home and not excited to be going home. I’m excited to go home and see my husband and get back to the normal routine, but not excited because I have to leave all of you and I have to leave parts of my family, so that’s a little saddening. But my trip here is one that I’ll remember forever and ever. It’s going to stand out in my memory as perhaps one of the best trips I’ve ever taken and one of the places I’ve been best received without a doubt.”
If you somehow missed the historic visit… or just want to see it again, Channel 5 will repeat Marion’s morning show and the awarding of the Order of Belize beginning Sunday afternoon at 2:00.
