Local News Sports Kickstart Rush to participate in US youth football tournament Barbados Today04/07/20240403 views Kickstart Rush Under-12's, Barbados. (Renaldo Gilkes) Kickstart Rush has been invited and will attend the 2024 edition of Rush Fest, an annual event held in Colorado in mid-July that brings together U12 boys and girls’ teams and players from Rush clubs from around the world. The week-long festival of soccer joins competitive games, training sessions, classroom sessions, and a host of social events. Teams compete against one another in morning games and afternoon training, including keeper specific training, and classroom sessions run by top coaches from within the Rush Soccer family working with the players and team coaches. Barbados’ Kickstart Rush touring team comprises 16 players, and will be captained by Aiden Gill of St. Paul’s Primary, who recently earned the valedictorian award for his outstanding performance in the Common Entrance Examination. Gill, an early sitter, will be heading to Harrison College in September. The squad also includes Brent Lashley of the St Michael School, who recently broke the 400m record at the Barbados National Track Championships; Milan Maynard of West Terrace, currently the leading goal scorer in the NSC football competition with 23 goals; as well as Omari Carter, who is the captain of defending champions and current semifinalist St Cyprian’s Boys School. This is the club’s debut at Rush Fest, and is the second Rush Soccer event, after the U16 team participated in the Rush Cup last November and finished in third position. Coach Renaldo Gilkes told Barbados TODAY that he and his team have been very pleased with their Rush Soccer collaboration: “Since our marriage with the Rush institution, we have made the effort to expose our coaches and players to every opportunity available to improve their skills and knowledge, while supporting their ambitions,” he said. “Kickstart Rush’s aim is to support the football association and national development via educational and athletic opportunities through the Rush Soccer platform.” The Squad: Aiden Gill (Captain) Omari Carter (Vice Captain) Brent Lashley Cruz Harrison Zavier Barker Xander Alleyne Finn Buttler Joshua Browne Hugo Vermeulen Avery Boyce Atticus Corbin Blake Corbin Damari Haynes Aamir Layne Jonathan Andrews Milan Maynard Coaches: Renaldo Gilkes Cliff Gooding-Edghill Manager: Sienna Gollop (RG)