Living Heroes of Athletics in the Rupununi -Walker and Barker

Nov 26, 2019 Sports

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– Plans to revamp the Region nine Athletics Association on stream

By Zaheer Mohamed

The Rupununi has a reputation of producing outstanding athletes, despite the challenges that goes with staging an athletic event there.

The Region has a number of living heroes who are serving as mentors to the younger athletes and this has helped the athletes to develop.
Former Chairman of the Region nine Athletics Association, Kenrick Lewis told Kaieteur Sport recently that he is eager to resuscitate the Region Nine Athletics Association so that the talented athletes can be better harnessed and reach their full potential like those on the coastland.
Lewis said they are shortchanged because there isn’t a proper system in place as it relates to the movement of athletes from region nine to Georgetown for major competitions and also for them to be accommodated, adding that they cannot do it all by themselves, and support from the Government and business community is needed.
Lewis informed that there are a number of talented athletes there and the fact that they have excelled at the Schools’ National Championships bears witness. Among those who have represented the region with distinction are; Samuel Kaitan, former schools nationals 3000m gold medalist, but unfortunately the challenges faced there would have driven him away from the sport, Beverly Ignacio and Simona Lawrence both 10k champions, Matrim Martin who won gold in the 1500m U14 event and Dereck Mentis Jr who captured in the boys U18 high jump with a record leap of 1.84m at the recently concluded 59th Guyana Teachers Union Ministry of Education National Schools’ championships.
Lewis said that the athletes there have the potential for long distance races and of recent there are a number of high jump athletes coming out which is good to see.
The Rupununi has long been producing top athletes and has over the years contributed immensely to sports in Guyana. The youngsters there are sometimes being assisted by former athletes of the Rupununi who provide the motivation which helps to shape the youths mentally. Two names that readily come to mind are Derick Mentis and Philbert Barker.
Mentis also known as Walker started schooling at La Adventure Government School in Canal # 1. At age 13 he won his first 880 yards. In 1969 at Schools’ Nationals in Skeldon he won 1500 meters representing West Demerara while Philbert Barker also called Buckboy from the South Rupununi broke the games record in the 1500m. Barker earned himself a scholarship at Tutorial High School; he also broke the Gladstone Hopkinson Record.
In 1972 Mentis joined the Guyana National Youth Core and in 1973 he was engulfed into the world of athletics and became the youth core distance champion in 5000m. In 1973 he gained recognition at the Guyana Defence Force Annual Athletics Sport (Inter-Company Sports).
Mentis graduated from the Youth Core in 1974 and immediately joined the Guyana Defence Force. He commenced rigorous training as an athlete GDF. In 1974 Mentis went to the Guymine games; all athletics teams were invited with the longest race to be 800 m. They begged Mentis to take part; some top athletes present were Oliver Alves, Elton Barker and Anthony October, Mentis finally accepted the challenge and gave them all a big upset in the mining town of Linden and made the sports page of the newspaper.
Mr. Barker joined the Guyana Defence Force in 1975. Mentis and Barker became training partners. Both Mentis and Baker were transferred to Base Kanuku and they continued their training there. In 1975 Mentis represented Guyana in Barbados running a Marathon and came 7th among 52 athletes. He also represented Guyana in Trinidad at the TEXACO Games; came 4th in the 1500 m 6th in the 5000 m. In 1976 he represented Guyana in Grenada and came 2nd in both the 1500m and 5000m. In 1975 saw Mentis through to holding a National record in 3000m at Camptown Campbellville. In 1976 Barker went to Texaco games in Trinidad; ran half-marathon and came 3rd.
Subsequently both Mentis and Barker started families in the Rupununi. Mentis wife gave birth to a handsome son whom they called Dexter and Barker jokingly said to Walker he needed to get a girl baby to be a life partner for Dexter. Jokingly said and jokingly it came into reality. But little did they knew, that their respective union would have resulted in the birth of one of the Region’s top athletes. Barker’s wife gave birth to a beautiful girl whom they called Ebony. Ebony and Dexter got married and gave birth to a champion athlete Dereck Mentis Junior, the National Schools U18 high jump gold medalist and also a champion athlete in the Rupununi.
Dereck Mentis Junior is the result of double athletics impact from Mentis and Barker. He would have represented Guyana in the junior category at the Caribbean Union of Teachers Championship in Trinidad and Tobago.
Derick Mentis Senior and Philbert Barker are two former giant athletes within the Guyana Defence Force and who created widespread havoc in the athletics world. They are living heroes and deserve due recognition.
Lewis stated that he is looking at the possibility of resuscitating an ongoing (throughout the year) athletics competition that can feed the AAG calendar of activities.

 

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