CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA – When former Oxford City Stars forward Marlon Williams flew out to the USA last week from London he could surely not have imagined the experience that would lie ahead.
Team Jamaica celebrate in the room
After being unable to get to trials for the Jamaican national team in Canada earlier in the year, Williams headed to Florida for a late trial of his own ahead of the team’s appearance in the Amerigol LATAM Cup, not sure if he would make the cut.
Taking a risk of a wasted 8,000 mile return journey, the hockey player and former ‘Come Dine with Me’ TV star, skated in a number of pre-tournament practices before getting the news he had been dreaming of – he was in.
“When I found out I was in the team it was a dream come true” explained Williams, who spent his childhood in foster care in England and has never had the chance to visit his mother’s homeland.
“My mum was from Kingston hence I’m eligible to play for Team Jamaica. Unfortunately she is no longer with us but I know she would’ve been so excited to see her son playing and representing the country she was born in.”
Despite being a new face to the squad, Williams was welcomed with open arms by his new team mates including former NHL Pittsburgh Penguins #6 draft Jaden Lindo.
“The team spirit was the most cohesive and positive I have ever experienced” said Williams, who has also iced with Nottingham Trent University and Birmingham Lions during his time in hockey.
From Oxford to Florida for Williams
“Even with the quality of players we had, there was not one ego in the dressing room and everyone had each other’s back. There was zero complaints on the bench and it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
“Most of the players had never met before and thanks to the coach CJ Bollers – also coach of the Toronto Marlboros Mn Mdgt AAA last year, team building sessions helped us bond very quickly.”
Jamaica faced Colombia, Argentina and Brazil in the opening round of the tournament, held at the Florida Panthers Den in Coral Springs. They then beat Mexico in the semi-final before triumphing in dramatic fashion over Colombia in the final.
“The atmosphere was great throughout” continued Williams, who currently skates with with the Oxford University team in his home city..
“Every time we played we had lots of people come out to watch us as we were a new team and they all wanted to know what we were all about.
“The standard was nothing like I’ve ever played in before either and the blistering speed our team had was incredible, everyone had so much talent I just felt inspired the whole tournament.”
“After we were presented with our gold medals we took it in turns to lift the cup, with the crowd cheering each time in the style of the Stanley Cup. There were more celebrations in the changing room as you can imagine before we got the coach back to our hotel then partied in the pool alongside the men and women’s Mexican team, who were also staying in the same complex.”
To top off a memorable few days, Williams and his Jamaican team mates also got to tour the Florida Panthers’ facilities, take in an NHL training session and look at the rehabilitation suites and cryogenic chamber.
Jamaica has a hockey team!
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a number of the squad, however the Jamaican team have loftier ambitions. Reportedly, Olympic hockey qualifiers is an aim, with the famous Jamaican bobsled team an inspiration. Success in the Amerigol LATAM Cup is a highlight that will do their cause no harm in the search for backing.
As for Williams, he returns back to the UK, but not without a desire to stay involved in the future with the Jamaican programme.
“Of course I would absolutely love to play for Team Jamaica again” he admitted.
“Between now and the next opportunity I will have to train extremely hard as I want to be best that I can be. I’ve been invited to Toronto by the coach and also my teammates to get training over there. So I’ll have to look into the logistics of making that happen too.”
“I’m looking for sponsors to help, and either way I want to be a part of this program for many years to come whether it’s on or off the ice.”
Contact the author davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
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