Against the Odds, Orville Byfield Graduates from Cuban University
"You can get it if you really want…
you must try, try and try, you’ll succeed at last" - Jimmy Cliff
Orville Byfield
It was with tears of joy KC’s guidance counselor Sheila Hoo Sang received the news that 25 year old Orville Byfield had been awarded a BSc degree in physical education after five years of study from the Cuban university, The International School of Physical Education and Sports.
Mrs. Hoo Sang cried because Orville had come a long way. She wept because she knew his story.
Byfield’s biography is a history of struggle against odds; of setbacks and triumphs; of trials and tribulations and the indomitable spirit to overcome. He was a product of the inner city: Rockfort, to be exact. He entered KC in 1993 from Windward Road All Age School. He had to struggle in the formative years at the Melbourne campus and was constantly in trouble with his cohorts. He therefore turned to the “throws” to find an outlet and to substitute for his penchant for fisticuffs. His personality was to change over the next four years at Kingston College as he became more immersed in the school’s track and field programme. The affable giant was to be called “elephant” as he complemented weight training with the throw of the discus and shot putt..
Between 1966 and 1999, Orville Byfield was destined to join the illustrious list of KC throwers at Boys’ Champs. His name was to become synonymous with some of the greats such as Jack Manhertz, Errol “Jiggs” Ennis, Louis Ruddock, Dennis ‘Cranky” Thompson ,Gresford ‘Beefy” Priestly, Clinton ‘Fatman ‘ Clarke, Donald Turner, ‘Bigga’ Brown, Nesbitt, Dumbo, Donad Whittle, Kimani Kirton and Fabian Morgan. Under the tutelage of coach Michael Vassell, Byfield captured the double: discus and shot putt class II in 1997. In 1998, he was 4th & 5th in the respective disciplines and captured a discus bronze at the CARIFTA games.
Byfield was the recipient of KCOB Wilson Saunders Scholarship in 1999. The endowment, managed by the KCOBA NY Chapter, was a lifeline because Orville virtually had to fend for himself as his family was in dire financial straits. The stipend kept him in school and allowed him to hang on. In that year, he was named captain of the school’s track and field team and despite the odds hurled the discus to a record throw for 1st place at Boys’ Champs. He heaved the shot putt for 2nd place at the same Championships and was double silver medallist at the CARIFTA championships that same year. It was an example of true grit and “Elephant” was named “Sportsman of Year” at the school’s prize giving in 1999. About a year later, through the instrumentality of KCOB Teddy McCook, Byfield was granted a scholarship by the Cuban government to attend their prestigious International School of Physical Education.
Byfield was to rub shoulders with students from some 82 countries over the next five years at the International School of Physical education in the municipality of Havana. For the first two years of the degree programme, all the subjects were in the sciences, including sports medicine . The next three years included study in the disciplines of lawn tennis, badminton, table tennis, basketball, football, swimming, baseball, softball, volleyball, athletics and judo. Athletics was his specialty over the period with emphasis on the throws. After five years and some 56 subjects later , Orville “Elephant” Byfield was awarded the BSc degree in Physical education. During the holidays, Byfield was a regular fixtures at KC where he helped with the coaching of the athletes especially in the throws and jumps. For ‘Elephant’, the years in Cuba were challenging, but he persevered.
Now he is back on the island and looking to assist his alma mater, especially in the area of coaching the field events athletes.
When the ‘Elephant’ landed on the island, the first person he went to look for was none other than Sheila Hoo Sang. Her eyes were gleaming with triumph when she hugged the Wilson Saunders Scholar. In the words of James Baldwin, “Go tell it to the Mountain.”
