Digicel marketing executive, Mark 'Bones' Martin, shakes hands with Reggae Boy Tyrone Marshall, while goalkeeper coach Aaron Lawrence looks on, at a dinner hosted for the team at Norma's Restaurant, Devon House, on Tuesday night.- Contributed
On Tuesday night, the Reggae Boyz, at least the group that played the Canada game they won 3-0 on Wednesday at the National Stadium, spent precious moments together, dining in the quiet, serene setting of Norma's Restaurant, Devon House.
Candles lit, lights dimmed, they appeared one big, happy family while sharing a joke-filled, nerve-popping moment ahead of their defining World Cup qualifying clash, in the company of several representatives of the sponsors, Digicel.
"The players always eat at the hotel the night before the match, but this time we thought a more relaxed environment would do them good as a team,"explained coach Theodore Whitmore, a star from the historic '98 team that qualified for the World Cup Finals in France, 1998.
Bringing vibes
He added: "This is something we used to do when we were qualifying for World Cup '98 and it worked then, so we decided to bring this tradition back.
"A dinner like this, in a setting like this, helps with building a team spirit. We all laughed and chatted and it was a nice little chill vibe. It brings a unity to the team, which I think is important. It's all about a positive vibe before a match and we need this more than ever. We would love to do this before every big match. Thanks again to Digicel for helping us make this possible."
The team's captain, Ricardo 'Bibi' Gardner, added his bit: "The dinner was great. It was good to get everyone together to sit and have a laugh and chat. It's always good to be united and last night (Tuesday) really did that ... it was a good tension-breaker."
And, according to Paula Pinnock-MacLeod, Digicel sports sponsorship manager, "...It was a great evening. The Boyz got an opportunity to relax as a team in a way that they would not normally have a chance to do because of their overseas commitments.
Show appreciation
She noted that "The Reggae Boyz' success is no small accomplishment and we are happy to have had the opportunity to show 'Tappa' and the Boyz how much they are appreciated not only by Digicel, but by the entire country. Digicel and 'Tappa' Whitmore have a long history built not only through the Reggae Boyz, but through his involvement in the Kick Start Programme (sponsored by Digicel across the Caribbean) and now with the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Championships."
Jamaica will host the Digicel Caribbean Cup finals in December and there is no doubt that the Reggae Boyz will be looking to share more nerve-popping moments like that on Tuesday night.