Family and Friends Remember Jizelle - Pt 2
Pages: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5
TriniView.com Reporters
Recorded: January 07, 2009
Posted: January 19, 2009
Diamond Henderson of Corpus Christi College, Diego Martin:
DIAMOND HENDERSON: To tell you the truth, I really did not want to come but the teachers wanted the sports children in the school to attend this funeral because they thought it would be very good for us to attend. So I thought it would be good for me to attend.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think young people could learn from the life of Jizelle Salandy?
DIAMOND HENDERSON: She started boxing at a young age and continued until she was twenty-one and now she is a champion. Young people like me could learn from that because starting something from small and continuing it until you get older is a very good example and [she was a] good role model for people like us, especially women.
TRINIVIEW.COM: As a young person, what kind of challenges do you think young people are faced with today?
DIAMOND HENDERSON: That question covers a lot because there is peer pressure, crime and a lot more that I cannot think of right now. You just have to follow your mind and your heart and not take on people and the challenges would be like nothing for you. Just live your life and don't take on people.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Gospel singer, 'Jadee':
JADEE: First of all, we would like to send our condolences to Jizelle's family, friends, well-wishers and the public who just adore and respect all the work that she did since she was fourteen winning her first belt. I would say Jizelle made me a believer when it comes to sports and I believe that was hers and Buxo Potts's management team's vision as well, to bring people who weren't interested in boxing or who had no clue that boxing existed and bring them into a place where it existed. It is an exciting sport. That is the situation with me, never really interested in boxing. I met Jizelle doing Vision on a Mission work through public speaking; and I am always in public speaking. Wherever I sang, she was there as a young person to motivate and encourage the youth. She was always around; always on the field. When she was not in the ring boxing she was on the field encouraging these youths and when I am not on the stage I am also on the field and it was obvious that we would meet up from time to time. I would offer to sing at her fights... Maximus and I.
But basically, at the end of the day, it is a loss not only for the sporting world but for me and my immediate family because she was a real close friend. I had the opportunity to encourage her spiritually and in turn she had the opportunity to encourage me spiritually as well because she always wanted to get a relationship with the Lord and I believe she did. All I have to say is Laila Ali get away and I say that with a laugh because I know if she was here this is the thought she would have had as well... she get away. We thank God that in such a short time in her life she accomplished so much and we knew that she would have gone on to be the best in the 246, that is the division they were looking to take on Laila. She just came for a purpose and Trinidad and Tobago is just a blessed nation to have her... a daughter of our soil. We are just here to show respect.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Shelly-Ann Cupid of Fyzabad Composite School:
SHELLY-ANN CUPID: We came out to support Jizelle because she was a real nice person. I knew her from school and she was real inspirational. She used to talk to us and tell us to make something of ourselves. She came by me about two Christmases ago with my friends and she was so nice and welcoming. She was real cool and I will miss her a lot.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What inspired you the most about Jizelle Salandy?
SHELLY-ANN CUPID: How she didn't come from a real wealthy home. She didn't have a stable home and she reached so far in life. She went through real challenges and so on and she was real good. She made me proud and she gave me inspiration so that I could do something with myself to make me better.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think young people could draw from her life?
SHELLY-ANN CUPID: No matter what home you come from, whatever your background you could still be high in this life. You don't have to be wealthy to become someone in life because Jizelle wasn't wealthy and look at how far she reached.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Top female racing car driver Erica Jobity-Dinnoo:
ERICA JOBITY-DINNOO: So far, what I have been hearing is excellent. I think they are going to be doing much more for her. I was listening to a programme this morning and they will be having a lot of meetings to see how best they can handle the situation and to highlight her a bit. She was indeed an icon of Siparia where I come from and to the entire country.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think the nation could learn from her life?
ERICA JOBITY-DINNOO: Jizelle was devoted to her sport. I became close to Jizelle due to sport. I am in motor racing and with that we were able to exchange ideas. With Jizelle, being devoted to her sport, she spent a lot of time into it and I think this is one of the main things the youths could look forward to; that you can achieve your goals if you apply yourself and this is something that Jizelle definitely did every day. She lived it, she slept it. It takes you away from mischievous things; perhaps drugs and all these sort of things. The youths of today could take example from Jizelle, apply themselves to their school work and I think they will be able to have a future.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Member of Parliament and Calypsonian, Winston 'Gypsy' Peters:
GYPSY: I didn't know Jizelle in a personal way but I followed all her fights and any youth in this country who has done good for the country is a friend of mine. I met her before and we had spoken. The things she has done in her short life is amazing and she was an exemplar to all the young people of Trinidad and Tobago and an inspiration to not only the young people but people in the country in general and really and truly she has gone too soon.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think the nation could learn from her life?
GYPSY: The one thing that I feel we should learn is that we have to pay respect to the laws of the land; we have to pay respect to the laws of the road. We have to be careful and we have to do the things that are really within the ambits of your capabilities. We must understand that we have become a lawless country and I am sorry that Jizelle has gone too soon but I have this uncanny feeling that if she was a little more careful with what she was doing with the vehicle she might have been around today. It's too late for us to really cry about what happened to Jizelle. Our hearts hurt but the people that are left behind should use that as a springboard for us all to do better.
TRINIVIEW.COM: How do you think the nation should best remember Jizelle?
GYPSY: I think that we should best remember her by building a sports academy that bears her name, something that would last forever. Something that young people, every time they go in there to use the facility, know that it is a young person like themselves who brought about this whole awareness of this thing that they are into and we should build that sport academy with very quick dispatch.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Do you have any last words you would like to share?
GYPSY: The last words are to Jizelle's family from myself and my family. Our deepest condolences and to the people of Trinidad and Tobago by extension and wherever she is, may God rest her soul in peace because she has done great for the country. Well done my good and faithful servant.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Jizelle Salandy's father Selwyn Toby:
SELWYN TOBY: Jizelle is my daughter. I was married to her mother, Maureen Salandy and we had three kids; Jason, Josanne and Jizelle. I left and went abroad to play music. Maureen died, but in the process I told her to send the kids passports for me so that when I get straight they could also get straight. She came and died within the process but she had the passports. Her uncle who was living in New York came down here and I told him to bring the passports for me after she died. The grandmother, Marjorie Salandy who now has Alzheimer's, turned and said that her grandkids are not going anywhere and that is how I don't have my three children with me in the United States. So all of them who are saying they are Jizelle's father, tell them I say they are talking bulls**t because I have good proof and I have people that I could call. I am Jizelle's father. If they are looking for money and all this kind of thing, that is not what I am after. I am not even after the fame, just the natural truth of who is Jizelle's father.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Tell me your thoughts on the vast contributions of your daughter to Trinidad and Tobago.
SELWYN TOBY: It's immaculate, it's grand. I used to stay in Florida and read on the internet. When I spoke with her sometimes I would ask her if she was controlling her money. There wasn't anything I could have done because she was already an adult. When I asked her if she was controlling her money she would tell me, "Yes daddy, I could handle my stories." She even told me about the sister before her. She said, "I am different from my sister because my sister always have arguments with the neighbors and cussing and fighting, but I don't cuss, I don't do these things." We talked from time to time. She had very few words to say as always.
TRINIVIEW.COM: How do you feel on this occasion?
SELWYN TOBY: This is very sad. It's a great loss to the nation and to me as a father, although I wasn't there one hundred percent for them, I know that for a fact. I wouldn't tell anybody that I was always there for them, I wouldn't say that because I wasn't always there. But the truth of the matter is, that is my child.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think the nation could learn from her life?
SELWYN TOBY: Men, just do the right thing. Be positive and head in the direction that is always prosperous. Progress is the key to long life and prosperity. Being honest, being truthful and being strong when you need to be strong. Here today, gone tomorrow.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Do you have any last words you would like to share with us?
SELWYN TOBY: The last words I would like to share are: my daughter did a great deed for the country and I love her very much although I hadn't been around her as I should. All those who made money off her, God bless them.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Mc Kenzie Granger, professional referee and judge of boxing: as a person involved in the boxing arena, what are your thoughts on the contributions of Jizelle Salandy?
MC KENZIE GRANGER: It was magnificent. Over the years that I have known Jizelle, her performance in the ring and outside of the ring was a lot. As far as I see, she is an inspiration to a lot of young people coming up, but God took her very soon, it happens all the time. Knowing Jizelle from in the boxing world, I know her as a very good person.
TRINIVIEW.COM: What lessons do you think the nation could take from her life and her contributions?
MC KENZIE GRANGER: The nation, especially the youths today, they should take a lot from her as she is a guiding light. In fact, she was a guiding light to a lot of people and that feeling will always be there for many years to come and that's how I see it.
TRINIVIEW.COM: How do you think we can best remember her?
MC KENZIE GRANGER: By putting something in her honour like a school or some building as a place where they can contribute to young people because right now, young people need a lot in life to get there. A lot of people need the people who can guide them along on the right path and Jizelle was a person who was showing them the way.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Do you have any last words you would like to share with us?
MC KENZIE GRANGER: Concerning her family, I wish them the best of everything. I know they had a great loss and I hope in the future they will see boxing from a bright point of view because of the contribution that Jizelle made.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
Professor Don Jacob Founder and CEO of The Purple Dragon Don Jitsu Ryu System:
DON JACOB: I think the contributions of Jizelle Salandy are the greatest. I've looked at a montage on the television set of all the different things that she has done and my thoughts are that if before the media and the powers that be showing Jizelle in that light that they are showing her now that she is dead, she would have been more famous alive than dead. I would say that any of the up and coming boxers, martial artists or cricketers, we should do a montage to show people the work while they are alive and not when they are dead only. It touched my heart just now when I saw the police officers out riding in front of the coffin and putting the traffic aside and I said to myself, "Why wasn't this girl getting that kind of royal treatment when she was alive? Now that she is dead she is getting it?" I am saying that most of the martial artists and the cricketers and the Brian Lara's should get all these things while we are alive; so that is my contribution.
Jizelle is unstoppable, that is why I came with my karate team today to give her support and I would hope this place is going to have footballers, boxers, sprinters and everybody in their gears. That is why Purple Dragon came in our gears; to support sports. Jizelle Salandy is just a queen. She is the greatest dead or alive as far as Purple Dragon is concerned and we will try to work along with boxing or anybody who wants to help boxing to find a next female Jizelle Salandy. She is the greatest, she is a queen, she is just the number one. There are no words to express Jizelle Salandy's contribution to Trinidad and Tobago and we hope any young lady out there will pick up the mantle and start to move forward and do something.
TRINIVIEW.COM: You deal with a lot of young people; what lessons do you think we can take from her life?
DON JACOB: A lot of lessons. Train hard, be drug free, make a contribution, love your country sometimes more than you love your own self which is what she demonstrated. She was a hundred percent Trinidadian. I think her name was Trinidad and then her name was Jizelle Salandy but she didn't know her name was Trinidad. She just thought her name was simply Jizelle Salandy but she is Trinidad and Tobago and we love her. May her spirit, her soul and her body rest in peace. Thank you so much.
TRINIVIEW.COM: Thank you.
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