Omar’s legacy
Pain of schoolboy’s murder fuels desire to succeed
Published:Sunday | May 15, 2022 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
The year 2022 will be remembered by the St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) Under-16 football team for their success and for a painful loss. A loss that sportsmaster Conroy Omally hopes can be a call to stop the violence that is continually affecting Jamaica.
STATHS captured the ISSA Urban Area Under-16 schoolboy football title on April 29, defeating Kingston College 2-1 for their first schoolboy success at any level since 1987. The victory sent wild celebrations on the day at the Stadium East complex as well as on-campus when the team returned to school the following Monday.
It was also a bittersweet celebration as the school continued to come to grips with the loss of Omar Laing who died tragically on April 22, a week before their semi-final and final games.
The tributes that have flown from the footballing community after his death were heart-warming for Omally, but they also served the practical purpose of renewing the cries for peace, a call that he hopes will finally be answered.
“Omar’s death was something that the country on a whole looked at and thought that this would never happen and when they see it happen, it is a surprise to all of us. The mere fact that the population is running around and saying stop the violence, saluting Omar (with moments of silence and tributes), says a lot to us, and I want our unlawful people to recognise that this is not what Jamaica stands for,” Omally told The Sunday Gleaner.
“It is not what is good for sports. You have taken the life of someone who had a bright future.”
Omally said that the celebrations were made more special as they ensured that they honoured Laing in their own way.
UNIQUE CELEBRATIONS
“The celebrations were unique with the love and the vibes that went on the street. We didn’t even expect our boys to come back to school but they did. It showed that they wanted more celebrations,” Omally said.
“It was the school spirit that we were trying to bring back and it really felt like it came back to us, in spite of what was happening.”
For goalkeeper Jaheem Williams, winning the title became more than just an aspiration, but a desire to bring life back to the school which was still grieving Laing’s loss.
“We had to do it for Omar, the fans, the coaching staff, and everybody at STATHS,” Williams said.
Omally hopes that Laing’s legacy will have a lasting impact on the school, not just for their immediate success but for the ones to come after. With some of the players also featuring in this year’s semi-final Manning Cup run, he believes that the Manning Cup title is within reach.
“Some of these boys who represented the Under-16 are members of the Manning Cup team and I think that paved the way for this Under-16 championship to happen,” Omally said.
“I think they are going to speak aloud to the Jamaican public as to what Omar would want them to do. I know that he would have wanted to lead this charge and he was ready to lead this charge. It will be enough to motivate them to carry on for his sake.”