Clad in green, gold, and black, Team Jamaica Bickle dominates the volunteer scene at The Penn Relay Carnival. The smell of ackee fish, callaloo, curry goat, and more is enough to make passersby empty their pockets. But no, this food isn’t for sale, it is being served for free to Caribbean athletes that have made the journey to the Penn Relays.
Anyone who has attended Penn Relays is familiar with Team Jamaica Bickle, the buoyant group that has been a participating sponsor of Penn Relays since 1999. “Bickle” means “food” or “meal” in Jamaican Patois. Founded by Irwine Clare and Blare Stoddart, TJB’s impact has been so significant that the Jamaican flag became the first foreign flag flown at the Penn Relays.
According to TJB Volunteer Coordinator Michele Bartley, TJB was founded with the goal of providing food that Jamaican athletes were accustomed to eating. Today, their mission has expanded to include athletes and coaches from all over the Caribbean and Caribbean students studying abroad.
But TJB does way more than just cook for their athletes; the organization creates a community of support from its arrival in Philadelphia to its departure. Its mission is to make the experience easy for athletes, supporting optimal performances on meet days. Between airport escorts, delicious meals, hotel and airfare subsidies, mentorship opportunities, and physical therapy, TJB track athletes receive attention and care in Philadelphia. Though not sponsored by Penn, TJB has its own reserved hospitality area in the Palestra for its athletes.
TJB creates a welcoming experience for athletes from around the Caribbean and encourages other groups of the Caribbean diaspora to volunteer alongside them. Other participating countries include Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Belize.
This year, the Bahamas Philadelphia Foundation will join TJB for the first time. Remy Duncombe, president of BPF, is excited to be part of this community of care.
“It’s been the volunteering efforts over the years that has preserved the overall experience, so people keep coming back,” Duncombe said. “I want to help them to come back again, and again, and pay it forward.”
This is more than a volunteer commitment for TJB members — it’s the cultivation of the next generation. These athletes receive state-of-the-art care at home, and TJB has taken it upon itself to recreate this environment in the States.
Vincent Heath, co-chair of TJB’s Philadelphia Organizing Committee, remembers aiding friends who hosted Jamaican athletes in their own homes, prior to TJB’s hotel subsidy initiative. TJB volunteers have been committed to supporting their athletes since day one.
While guests of the Penn Relays may be drawn in by TJB’s aromatic food, the hard work of these volunteers is essential to the experience of Caribbean athletes participating in the event.
“It makes us feel good that we can assist in their growth. Most of us can share stories of Olympians when they were attending the [Penn] Relays with their high schools,” Bartley said. “Many receive [scholarships] to attend [universities] in the USA and at home, something that probably would not have been possible otherwise.”
“As soon as I heard about TJB, I was interested in volunteering,” Bartley added. “I love track and field, and I saw it as a way of giving back and supporting my people.”
