Former ward of State pushes for glory

Anthony Ellis lost his mother when he was very young. His father had difficulty taking care of him, and he entered foster care when he was seven years old.

"I went to live with Ms Marcia Frost, and she has been my mother from that time until now. She stood by me through everything and is supportive," Ellis shared.

Ellis said Frost helped him to raise his high school average from the 40s.

"I used to wake up early in the morning, like three or four o'clock and because my mother was a teacher, she would be doing her lesson plan while I was studying, and she got my grades up. So I started going into 60 to 70 average moving into grade 10," he said.

Ellis' hard work paid off, as he was the regional top boy for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency's (CPFSA) north-east division in 2019. He also achieved six Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects. To date, he is still receiving support from the CPFSA, under its Transitional Living Programme.

Ellis told JIS News that the opportunities and support he received while in State care helped him to not be resentful towards his father.

"I still keep in touch with my dad... . He explained to me what really took place, and I told him that it's okay because that's the best he could've done. If I had stayed with him, maybe I wouldn't be the person I am now. So, I said thank God for what he has done," Ellis said. "He's so proud of me [and] I always tell him that one day I'm going to take him out of where he's living and buy him a nice house."

Now 21, the former ward of the State is determined to rise above his childhood hardships and excel in bobsledding to support his father and make his country proud. He is a member of Jamaica's Bobsled Team and is pushing towards bringing the country glory in the sport. Ellis currently trains as a brakeman on the team while attending the GC Foster College in St Catherine, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical education.

"I want to develop myself to get a better understanding of how to help bring Jamaica to probably a first-world country, and to develop the young men to find a better path in life," he told JIS News.

On March 24 and 25, he competed in the North America's Cup in New York for the first time on the national team since he joined in 2022. Ellis said that being new to the team and experiencing ice for the first time deepened his interest in the sport, especially "knowing from where I came, to where I am now".

He said that his love for sports began through track and field while attending primary school. However, after he transitioned to GC Foster College, he was introduced to bobsledding by the principal. He tried out for the team last year and was accepted. It was a rough introduction to the ice.

"While going down the track, I wasn't used to the pressure. That was the only challenge that I had because the pressure was pulling my neck down. But then coach explained to me what was happening and I pulled through [until] it was fun and my body got used to it," Ellis said. "I see myself going forward in bobsled. I'm going to focus more and build up my skills as a brakeman and, hopefully, one day I will become a driver as well, and see where it takes me from there."

The team is currently training for upcoming competitions and preparing for the 2024 Olympics. In the interim, Ellis is trying to keep his grades up.