ONCE you get close to Kingston College there is no mistaking where you are.

Purple and white surround and protect you. No other colour seemed to matter as the hundreds of boys milled around at the LIME pep rally recently. The vibes and the atmosphere were unquestionably reminiscent of a prize fighter ready to be unleashed.

Principal Dave Myrie was clear as to who will make Champs a fun place to be at.

“KC is really the vibes school when it comes to Champs,” Myrie said without reservation. “If KC doesn’t come to Champs, it would be as dead as anything. The vibes has started here already; we are going to lead a march from north Street on Friday and you know that as soon as we get inside, we are going to beat our drums and cheer on our team and have a good time.

“We are quietly confident. There is a good spirit, good camaraderie and there is also the feeling that we want to get it started and get the job done. We are looking for a great competition,” Myrie said.

The principal said the pep rallies “build vibes going into the competition”. He said they have been building a spirit within the schools leading into Champs and this will be sustained going into the event, which started yesterday.

President of the Parent-Teachers’ Association, Stewart Jacobs, an old boy himself, was on hand to witness the event. He liked what he saw.

“LIME is bringing a different dimension to the atmosphere at Champs,” he opined. “Right now there is a pre-Champs feel, which will add to the excitement at Champs.”

Jacobs went further. “It shows that although LIME is a brand for Champs itself, they are not just looking at what they will do on the day but how you prep the students and athletes going into Champs.”

He said he was very impressed with the “huddle” of the team members who belched out the school pledge with gusto. “This invokes the school spirit going into Champs. It brings a consciousness going into Champs. It brought out to the students that they can go into the stadium and have fun whether the school wins, loses or ends in a tie. It is athletics on show, not necessarily the purple and white, green and black, blue and white or maroon and gold, it is Jamaica’s athletics on show,” he concluded.

Myrie closed by focusing on the funds given to the school.

“The funds that LIME has been giving to the schools is highly significant and appreciated,” he said. “I appreciate it immensely. I didn’t give LIME any money to put down for KC. It’s expensive to run a programme and anything we get, be it one, 10, 100 or 100,000, is highly appreciated. It plugs a lot of gaps in the programme.”