Donald Thomas competes in the men’s high jump qualification at the World Athletics Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. (AP)

As of Sunday, August 30, 2015

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#From BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#in Beijing, China

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH NO team in the grand finale – the men’s 4 x 400m relay – Team Bahamas closed out competition at the 15th IAAF World Championships with two competitors in the men’s high jump final on Sunday at the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

#Donald Thomas soared to sixth place for the second consecutive championships at 2.29m (7ft 6in) and Trevor Barry, back in the championships since he won the bronze medal in 2011 in Daegu, ended up tenth with 2.25m (7ft 4 1/2in).

#The unpredictable showdown concluded with a jump-off between the three medallists after they finished in tie at 2.33m (7ft 7 3/4in).

#Derek Drouin, the Olympic champion and bronze medallist from the 2013 championships, won the gold with 2.34m (7ft 8in) and defending champion Bohdan Bondarenko, of Ukraine, and China’s colourful Guowel Zhang tied again for the silver at 2.33m.

#Thomas, the 31-year-old Grand Bahamian native now coached by Cuban world record holder Javier Sotomayor in Cuba, took a gamble when he passed at the fourth height of 2.33m and opted to go up to the fifth height of 2.36m (7ft 8 3/4in). But he missed all three attempts.

#At the third height of 2.29m, Thomas got his first knockdown and and Barry followed with another, However, Thomas cleared at the second attempt, but Barry missed his second and on his third, his right leg hit the bar and he was eliminated with five others.

#While Thomas remained with a clean slate at the second height of 2.25m, Barry moved into ninth spot with he cleared the mark on his first attempt. The first competitor to be eliminated was Konstadinos Baniotis of Greece, at the height.

#Again, Thomas had no problems going over the opening height of 2.20m (7ft 2 1/2in) but Barry had to go to his third and final attempt to avoid an early elimination. Only Barry and Baniotis had difficulties clearing the opening height. Baniotis cleared it on his second attempt to sit in 13th place with Barry at the bottom in 14th.

#Ryan Ingraham, the other member of the jumping trio for Team Bahamas, failed to advance to the final from the qualifying round on Saturday. Competing with a slight injury he sustained at the Pan American Games where he won bronze, bowed out with a best of 2.26m for a two-way tie for 25th place.

#The Bahamas were eliminated from the final of the men’s 4 x 400m relay for the third consecutive championship. This time, on Saturday, Michael Mathieu had a lane violation on the second leg as the team of Steven Gardiner, Alonzo Russell and Ramon Miller, who finished second, were disqualified.

#The Bahamas finished tied with Trinidad & Tobago and Ukraine for 20th spot in the medals table with the one silver from Shaunae Miller in the women’s 400m and the bronze from Jeffery Gibson in the men’s 400m hurdles.

#Kenya, surprisingly, held on for the top spot with seven gold, six silver and three bronze for 16 medals. Jamaica surged into second with seven gold, two silver and three bronze for 12 and the United States rounded out the top[ three with six gold, six silver and six bronze for a total of 18 medals.

#And in the placings table, the Bahamas was 19th overall with a second, third and sixth place for 16 points. The US, however, turned the tables by winning with 214 points, compared to Kenya’s 173 for second and Jamaica with 132 for third.

#The focus now switches to London, England, for the 16th IAAF World Championships from August 5-13, 2017. Next year the athletes will compete in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, from March 17-20 and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5-21.

#See Monday’s edition of The Tribune for full wrap up and photos of the championships.

Donald Thomas competes in the men’s high jump qualification at the World Athletics Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. (AP)

Monday, August 31, 2015

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BEIJING, China — With no team represented in the grand finale in the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay, Team Bahamas closed out competition at the 15th IAAF World Championships with the men’s high jump final at the Bird’s Nest Stadium last night.

#With two of the three men qualified, Donald Thomas soared to a sixth place for the second consecutive championships at 2.29 metres or 7-feet, 6-inches and Barry, back in the championships since he won the bronze medal in 2011 in Daegu, ended up 10th with 2.25m (7-4 1/2).

#The unpredictable showdown concluded with a jump off between the three medallists after they finished in a three-way tie at 2.33m (7-7 3/4).

#Derek Drouin, the Olympic champion and bronze medallist from the 2013 championships, won the gold with 2.34m (7-8) and defending champion Bohdan Bondarenko of the Ukraine and China’s colourful Guowel Zhang got the silver and bronze respectively at 2.33m (7-7 3/4)..

#Thomas, who voiced his disappointment in the men’s 4 x 100 or 4 x 400m relay team-mates in the stands cheering them on, took a gamble when he passed at the fourth height of 2.33m (7-7 3/4) and opted to go up to the fifth height of 7-6 3/4). But he missed all three attempts.

#At the third height of 2.29m (7-6), Thomas got his first knockdown and Barry, who followed with another. However, Thomas cleared the second attempt but Barry missed his second and on his third, his right leg hit the bar as he got eliminated with five others.

#While Thomas remained with a clean slate at the second height of 2.25m (7-4 1/2), Barry moved into the ninth spot when he cleared the mark on his first attempt. The first competitor to be eliminated was Konstadinos Baniotis of Greece at the height.

#Again, Thomas had no problems going over the opening height of 2.20m (7-2 1/2). Barry had to go to his third and final attempt to avoid an early elimination. Only Barry and Baniotis had difficulties clearing the opening height. Baniotis cleared it on his second attempt to sit in 13th place with Barry at the bottom in 14th.

#Ryan Ingraham, the other member of the jumping trio for Team Bahamas, didn’t advance out of the qualifying round on Saturday. Competing with a slight injury he sustained at the Pan American Games where he got a bronze, he bowed out with a best of 2.26m for a two-way tie for 25th place.

#The Bahamas got eliminated from the final of the men’s 1,600m relay for the third consecutive championship. This time, on Saturday, Michael Mathieu had a lane violation on the second leg as the team of Steven Gardiner, Alonzo Russell and Ramon Miller didn’t move.

#The Bahamas finished tied with Trinidad & Tobago and Ukraine for the 20th spot in the medal table with the one silver from Shaunae Miller in the women’s 400m and the bronze from Jeffery Gibson in the men’s 400m hurdles.

#Kenya, surprisingly, held on for the top spot with seven gold, six silver and three bronze for 16 medals. Jamaica surged into second with seven gold, two silver and three bronze for 12 and the United States of America rounded out the top three with six gold, six silver and six bronze for a total of 18 medals.

#And in the placing table, the Bahamas was 19th overall with a second, third and sixth place for 16 points. The USA, however, turned the tables by winning with 214 points, compared to Kenya’s 173 for second and Jamaica with 132 for third.

#The focus now switches to London, England, for the 16th IAAF World Championships August 5-13. Next year, however, the athletes will compete in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, March 17-20 and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-21.

Donald Thomas in training.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

#By BRENTSTUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#With just a little over a week left before the start of the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s (IAAF) 17th World Indoor Championships in “TrackTown USA” Portland, Oregon, Donald Thomas said he’s looking forward to making an impression at the Oregon Convention Centre.

#“I’ve been working hard on a lot of the minor stuff so that I can be in peak condition when I get to Portland,” said Thomas, who will be one of the nine athletes representing the Bahamas at the championships, scheduled for March 17-20.

#The 31-year-old Grand Bahamian will go into the championships with a personal best of 2.33 metres or 7-feet, 7 3/4-inches, which he posted to finish third in Banská, Bystricaon February 4.

#The performance is listed as the fifth best in the world with only Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy (2.38m/7-9 3/4), Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar (2.36/7-8 3/4), Chris Baker of Great Britain (2.36m/7-8 3/4) and Marco Fassinotti of Italy (2.35m/7-7 3/4)jumping higher.

#Thomas will join the other members of Team Bahamas, including Tynia Gaither (the only female) who will compete in the 60m, Adrian Griffith, who will contest the men’s 60m, Michael Mathieu and Alonzo Russell in the men’s 400m and the men’s 4 x 400m relay team that will comprise of Mathieu, Russell, Chris “Fireman” Brown, Shavez Hart, Ashley Riley and LaToy Williams.

#BAAA president and first vice president Rosamunde Carey and Tonique Williams are expected to travel with the seven- member delegation that includes team manager Julie Wilson, head coach Peter Pratt, assistant coach Rupert Gardiner, team doctor Keir Miller and team physiotherapist Khalid Hanna.

#There is a possibility that men’s triple jumper Leevan “Superman” Sands and Pedrya Seymour, the women’s 60m hurdler, could also make the trip. The deadline for athletes to make the qualifying cut was on Monday, but there’s some indication that the IAAF has extended an invitation for both Sands and Seymour to compete, if they are available.

#In preparation for the championships, Thomas said his training has been going very good and he’s just waiting on time to compete.

#“I’ve never got an indoor medal, so I would really like to get one here,” said Thomas, whose résumé includes the IAAF World Outdoor Championship title from 2007 in Osaka, Japan, the 2010 Commonwealth Games title from Delhi, India, Pan Am Games’ 2011 Guadalajara gold and 2007 Rio deJaneiro silver as well as the CAC Games gold from 2010 in Mayaguez.

#“So it would be a joy to get a medal at a major world championships like indoors. It’s definitely going to have the best in the world in my event. It’s different from the 100 metres where you have some of the big boys sitting out. In the high jump, all of the top jumpers will show up to compete. So it’s going to be a high level of competition.”

#With that in mind, Thomas said he just wants to go to Portland and represent the Bahamas to the best of his ability.

#“I’m not going to make any predictions or anything like that, but I’m in tip-top shape and ready to compete,” Thomas said. “I didn’t compete too much indoors. I mainly focused on training. This is my second year under the same programme, so I just wanted to limit myself to one or two meets.

#“I had some good jumps. I matched my PB (personal best) in my first meet and I went back to the drawing board to work on some stuff so that I can perform here (World Indoors).”

#The World Indoors will also help to propel Thomas to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August where he will also be going after his first Olympic medal.

#“That’s the ultimate goal, but I have to get past this one first and then I will focus on Rio,” he said. “Right now, this is the main focus, so I’m putting all my energy into this, making sure that I am in the right condition. But I’m set and ready to compete in Portland.”

#The men’s high jump will be a straight final contested at 6:22pm EST on Saturday, March 19.

#Athletes will get to compete for prize money, ranging from $40,000 for first place, $20,000 for second, $10,000 for third, $8,000 for fourth, $6,000 for fifth and $4,000 for sixth place. The relay teams will share the same figures. A bonus $50,000 will be awarded for any world record accomplished.

Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands

As of Thursday, May 19, 2016

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ELITE Bahamian horizontal and vertical jumpers Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands and Trevor Barry, preparing for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, competed at the IAAF World Challenge at the Beijing National Stadium in China yesterday.

#Sands, in his comeback trail since he was injured at the last Olympics in London, England in 2012, was seventh in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 16.22 metres or 53-feet, 2 ¾-inches at the famous Bird’s Nest where he won a bronze at the 2008 Olympics.

#China’s Bin Dong (17.24m/56-6 3/4) and Shuio Cao (16.98m/55-8 1/2) took the two spots respectively ahead of Cuba’s Alexis Copello, who did 16.93m (55-6 ½) for third place.

#Sands has qualified for the Olympics after he won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games on July 24 last year in Toronto, Canada with a leap of 16.99m (55-9). The qualifying mark is 16.85m (55-3 ½).

#He trails Latario Collie-Minns, who has posted the best mark so far of 17.18m (56-4 ½) on May 16 last year in Starkville, Mississippi.

#Dong is the IAAF World Indoor champion from March in Eugene, Oregon.

#Barry, one of three Bahamian qualifiers for the Olympics in the men’s high jump, soared 2.20s or 7-2 ½ for eighth place, tied with Brandon Starc of Australia.

#Majd Eddin Ghazal of Syria was the winner with 2.36m (7-8 ¾) for a world leading mark.

#Barry has the third best qualifying height of 2.29m that he did at the World Championships in Beijing on August 28 last year.

#The top two qualifying jumps have been posted by Donald Thomas with 2.34m (7-8) on July 7 last year in Hungary, and Jamal Wilson, who did 2.31m (7-7) in Linz, Austria on February 12 this year. The automatic qualifying height is 2.29m (7-6) and Ryan Ingraham, the other elite Bahamian jumper, is sitting just outside with a best of 2.28m (7-5 ¾) that he did on June 27 in winning the Bahamas national title last year.

#However, only three athletes will be allowed to compete in an event for a country unless there is an athlete who was given a wild card or an exemption as the reigning champion.

By Brent Stubbs

Friday, September 11, 2020

#EVEN as a late bloomer in the sport, Grand Bahamian Donald Thomas has surged on top of the Bahamian chart as a high jumper, having won every medal possible except for the Olympic Games.

#And while the Bahamian national record has also been excluded from his résumé, the former basketball player is eager to resume his season next year in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

#Thomas, 36, is currently in Auburn, Alabama where he’s working out for his return to competition after he had his setback last year with a third degree hamstring on his jumping leg that hampered his performance at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. “Everything is on slow go because you have to be cautious with what you are doing so you don’t endanger yourself,” Thomas said.

#“For the mot part, I’m getting out there, still training.

#“I really don’t go anywhere unless I go to train or to the grocery store. I’m back to 100 per cent since the hamstring in May, which prevented me from training and competing the way I wanted to last year. I couldn’t put in the work that I wanted to.”

#With track and field put on hold since March when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world of sports, Thomas said he was looking forward to heading back to Doha to compete in his first meet this year and then another one in Rome.

#After Doha was cancelled, Thomas opted just to make the trek to Europe for the one meet in Rome.

#It would have been a good confidence booster for Thomas. But he decided to just focus on preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games, which was postponed in July to 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

#“It gives me more time to prepare because the high jump is a confident event to compete in,” Thomas said. “Coming off an injury, you’re not just going to jump high. You have to work yourself back into jump shape.

#“I’m just determined to get back there. So the delay has given me more time to prepare for the Olympics.”

#At present, Thomas is being coached by Luis Pinilo from Cuba. While he normally spends a couple months in Cuba under the supervision of Pinilo, Thomas video taped his training in Auburn and sent it to his coach to be critiqued. “I’m a veteran jumper, so I can take instructions very well,” Thomas noted. “That was one of the reasons why I’ve been so successful in the time that I’ve been competing in the sport.”

#While attending Lindenwood University as a member of their Lions men’s basketball team in January 2006, Thomas was faced with a dare from one of his team-mates that he couldn’t clear the high jump bar. Once he did, the 2002 Freeport Anglican High graduate decided to venture further into the sport and the rest, as they say, was history.

#Thomas, a four-time Bahamas national champion, went on to secure a medal in just about every major international competition he’s entered starting with a silver at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic after he placed fourth at his debut at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

#The year 2007 was Thomas’ breakthrough with his first national title as he went on to pick up a silver at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before he claimed the title at both the World Championships in Osaka, Japan and the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

#After a deflated season in 2009, Thomas returned with vengeance with his second national title and his first Central American and Caribbean Games crown in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

#Additionally, he claimed the Commonwealth Games title in New Delia, India and capped off the year with a silver at the World (Continental) Cup in Split, Croatia.

#In 2011, Thomas ascended to the to of the podium as the Pan American Games’ champion in Guadalajara, Mexico with a leap of 7-feet, 7 1/4-inches.

#After a dismal showing at the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, England, Thomas came back and was ranked at number six in the world in 2013 after he finished sixth at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia with a performance of (7-7 1/4).

#Although he didn’t get any international acclaim in 2014, Thomas still posted a season’s best of 2.25m (7-4 1/2).

#In 2015 at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, Thomas earned a bronze medal (7-5 3/4) and the following year in 2016, he regained the national title (7-5 1/4), but faltered at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where he placed seventh (7-6).

#After getting a third place at the Doha Diamond League in 2017, Thomas suffered the chicken pox at the Paris Diamond League, which put a damper on the rest of his season.

#But a rejuvenated Thomas fourth placed at both the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Great Britain (7-2 1/2) and the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia (7-5 1/4) before he clinched his fourth national title (7-3 3/4).

#That led to his second gold at the CAC Games in Barranquilla, Colombia (7-5 3/4); third placed at the NACAC Championships in Toronto, Canada (7-5 3/4) and his triumph at the World (Continental) Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic (7-6 1/2).

#Having produced a lifetime achievement of 7-9 1/4 outdoors in 2016, which is off the Bahamian national record of 7-9 3/4 by Troy Kemp in Nice, France in 1995 and indoors of 7-7 3/4 in 2007 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, compared to Kemp’s record of 7-8 3/4 in 1994 in Nice, France, Thomas said last year’s off season after the injury was to propel him back to stardom in 2020.

#But with the world’s biggest sporting spectacular being delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus, Thomas said he’s rejuvenated in getting back to the top of the high jump world.

#“The Olympic Games is the one medal that I haven’t earned yet,” he said. “That’s one of the medals that I need. So the plan is to just continue to train straight through the rest of the year to be ready for next year.

#“Before the injury, I was a consistent 2.30m (7-6 1/2) jumper year in and year out. That injury last year was a humbling experience for me. I’ve learnt from it and I’m looking forward to getting past this.”

#There’s talk about the Bahamas Government preparing to slash the subvention to athletes due to the state of the economy in the country because of the coronavirus

#But Thomas said he feel the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture under Minister Lanisha Rolle and Director of Sports Tim Munnings are doing all they could to assist the athletes in preparation for the Olympics.

#“I believe they are doing their best to make sure that the athletes get the assistance that they need,” he insisted. “As athletes, I feel we just have to go out there and perform so that they can get give the assistance that we need.”

#As a native from Grand Bahama, Thomas said it’s even more of a strain on the government having to assist people who were adversely affected.

#“The key is to stay patient and listen to those in authority,” Thomas stressed. “They are the ones with the data, so we have to listen to them. You can’t just think about yourself, but rather your family members, especially those who are more venerable than you are.

#“We have to protect them and stay out of the way of the persons who are in charge. We are all in this together and we need to come together and work as one to combat this virus.”

#Additionally, Thomas said there are still a lot of people hurting from the effects of Hurricane Dorian last year, including his family members and friends, some of whom were killed.

#“We, as Bahamians, are very resilient, so we’re doing the best we could to cope with all of this year,” he charged. “We will be back.”

#And like the Bahamian people, Thomas wowed that he will be back at full strength to pursue his elusive medal at the Olympics next year.

#“It’s the only medal I’m missing,” he pointed out. “I got Commonwealth Games, World Championships, CAC, Pan American, World Cup, World Athletic Final, World Tour, NACAC, multiple Pan Am and CAC medals.

#“So whatever it take, I want to go to Tokyo and win the only medal at the Olympic Games that is missing from my trophy case.”

Brent Stubbs

#By BRENT STUBBS

#IT IS not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

#• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

#THE WEEK THAT WAS

#IT was an early Christmas present for Tahnaj Thomas as he inked his name on a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians baseball organisation on Tuesday.

#The Grand Bahamian native signed the deal presented by Koby Perez, the director of Latin American Scouting for the Indians, with his sobbing father Sidney Thomas on his side and his deceased mother, Michelle Thomas, looking down from above.

#Thomas, 17, was also surrounded by his adopted parents Kristy and Castino Sands. Also present were executives, coaches and teammates from the Max Development Programme.

#For Thomas, it was a great transformation for a player who came to New Providence at the age of 13 to further enhance his skills with Max D, an organisation that has paved the way for at least six local players to make the step to the minor leagues in the past few years.

#Thomas’ story was clearly articulated by his father, who could hardly hold back the tears as he related how he and his wife made the decision to send their teenage son from Grand Bahama to New Providence.

#Considering that Thomas has been an accomplished softball coach in the women’s programme in Grand Bahama, he admitted that he trusted the operators of Max D to take care of his son.

#Thomas gave a lot of high praise to coaches Geron Sands and Greg Burrows Jr, as well as professional baseball players Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright Jr for the role they all played in his son’s success.

#But Thomas said so much credit must also be given to Kristy and Castino Sands, who opened their home to accommodate his son. They acted as if he was their own son and the elder Thomas said he will be earthly grateful for the role they played in his son’s development.

#Perez, overseeing the signing of the contract which would allow Thomas to get a free education at a college of his choice when he chooses to enrol, joined in the chorus in expressing his appreciation to Max D for the development of players like Thomas.

#Max D, which was founded under the premise of trying to get as many of the local players as possible in the pipeline of major league baseball, has lived up to its obligation, despite the fact that there is no active senior baseball league for the players to hone their skills after they are finished with Freedom Farm or the Junior Baseball League of Nassau.

#To have scouts coming here from time to time to monitor the progress of the youngsters is a feat within itself for Max D. But they continue to provide the opportunities for as many of the players as possible.

#And to have the assistance of both Richardson and Cartwright, who started a resurgence of Bahamian players in the pro ranks in the past decade or so, is a feather in the cap for the Max D programme.

#Richardson and Cartwright were the first two players to participate on Great Britain’s team at the World Baseball Classic the past two years. This year, they were able to get a total of seven local players in the line-up.

#Hopefully, in a year or two, with the continued improvement of the players out of the Max D programme, the Bahamas could very well field a team to carry the 242 into the classic.

#Let’s give Max D a lot of credit for the role they are playing in pushing the baseball movement forward here in the Bahamas.

#While there’s still a debate going on about who has and should hold the sanctioning rights for baseball in the country, Max D is quietly making its contribution to get as many players off to the next level.

#Tahnaj Thomas is the latest in the growing list of players and, if Max D has its way, they could end up producing even more players in the pipeline in the future.

#THE WEEK AHEAD

#Christmas is fast approaching and there are some rumours that a number of athletes will have their subventions slashed when the presents are presented.

#Between now and January, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture has indicated that they intend to either reduce or remove some of the Bahamian Olympians on the list because of their performances in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

#It’s obvious that the team performance was not up to par while the Bahamas collected a pair of medals from Shaunae Miller and the men’s 4 x 400 metre relay team.

#But does that mean that athletes on the team should have their subventions slashed or removed from the list all together? How can an athlete go from making the Olympics to being listed as a developmental athlete?

#Speaking to a number of athletes, there is a lot of concern about the subvention programme because they are not being properly informed about their status.

#This was certainly not a good showing for the Bahamas at the Olympics, but it wasn’t for the entire Caribbean. So there’s no reason why athletes should be penalised by having their subventions slashed or removed from the list because of their performances.

#I think we need to show a little more appreciation for our athletes when they get to the Olympics. Not everybody gets to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

#So when they do, we should cherish them and look at rewarding them rather than chastising them because there are a lot of things that must be in place for athletes to succeed when they get to that level.

#Christmas is coming. Let’s make this a joyous occasion for our athletes on subventions and those who are expected to join the list for the first time in some of the other sports.

TAHNAJ THOMAS has signed with the Cleveland Indians.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Tahnaj Thomas (left) shares a special moment with his father Sidney Thomas, who holds up a pin in memory of his late wife Michelle Thomas.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Tahnaj Thomas, a Grand Bahamian native who moved to New Providence at the age of 13 to further enhance his skills, is the latest Bahamian to sign a professional baseball contract.

#Yesterday, Thomas signed his name on the dotted line with the Cleveland Indians. Koby Perez, the director of Latin American Scouting for the Indians, conducted the historic occasion in front of Thomas’ family and executives and players from the Max D Baseball Academy.

#“It’s a long time coming. I just want to embrace the moment and enjoy it. It’s a pretty good feeling,” said the 17-year-old Thomas with tears in his eyes. It’s great to be called an Indian.”

#Thomas, who began his early education at Hugh Campbell Primary and Sister Mary Patricia High in Grand Bahama before he transferred to Leadership Academy and Max D in New Providence, said when he first got the call that he was going to sign the deal, he couldn’t believe it. Even now that he’s done it, he said he still doesn’t believe that it is a reality.

#“All of my dreams of becoming a professional baseball player have finally come through,” he said. “It didn’t matter which team that selected me. I just wanted to get into the system.”

#Although he’s a shortstop, the six-foot, 4-inch Thomas was recruited as a pitcher. But he said it doesn’t matter because he’s getting the opportunity to help the Indians win a World Series after they fell short to his favourite team – the Chicago Cubs – this year.

#“It wasn’t shortstop, but they signed me at the two positions,” Thomas said. “I think moving on, they are looking for me to be developed as a pitcher so I’m really excited about that.”

#Thomas thanked God for the opportunity that he has received from the Indians.

#He expressed his gratitude to his deceased mother, Michelle Thomas, who passed away on April 17; his father, Sidney Thomas; his house parents in New Providence, Kristy and Castino Sands, as well as his coaches in Max D., including Geron Sands, Greg Burrows Jr, Albert Cartwright and Antoan Richardson and his teammates in Max D.

#To his teammates in Max D, who are waiting on their opportunity to follow in his footsteps, Thomas advised them to just keep their head high and don’t try to rush anything.

#“Just go with the flow. Things may not be the same and they may not go the way you want, but just thank God and be patient,” he stressed.

#Perez said they had Thomas under the radar for more than a year and because he has the ability to play two positions, they feel the sky is the limit for him.

#“I think Geron Sands, Greg Burrows and Albert Cartwright have done a fantastic job in making this kid a ball player and we hope that he is a future Major Leaguer for the Indians,” Perez projected.

#With his contract signed, sealed and delivered, Perez said Thomas can now pack his bags and get ready to travel in January to Arizona for their spring training complex and a strength camp to get him acclimated to professional baseball.

#“Right after Christmas and the New Year, he will be heading to Goodyear, Arizona to begin his professional career during the second week of January,” Perez disclosed. “After January, the spring training will begin, so he will stay in Arizona and extended spring training.”

#During spring training, Thomas will get to join Todd Isaacs Jr before a decision is made on where they will eventually play in the minor league in their quest to get to the major league.

#“It’s going to take a lot of hard work for him to get to the top, but we think he has all of the ingredients as far as his physical ability and baseball smarts,” Perez said. “Most importantly, he has a lot of great people around him who can help him to develop into a major league player.”

#After spending a week in the Dominican Republic, Perez said Thomas has been given his instructions as to what the Indians will be looking for him to do next year.

#In his contract, which encompasses a scholarship programme, the Indians would pay for Thomas’ tuition whenever he decides to go to school while he is playing or even if he choses to go to college and then come back to play.

#With tears in his eyes and showcasing a button of his deceased wife, Michelle, women’s national softball coach Sidney Thomas said his son couldn’t had gotten a better Christmas present.

#“I’m really happy for what we have accomplished today and I’m looking forward to seeing a big and bright future for my son Tahnaj,” he said.

#Having undergone one of the toughest decisions he had to make in sending his son to New Providence at the age of 13, Thomas said he always knew he had a big heart and he loved the game of baseball and doing whatever it takes to make it work.

#“I always knew that he would make something happen playing baseball,” the senior Thomas said. “I’m just happy to be at this road right now.”

#And as he now embark on the next level in the United States, Thomas said he has advised his son to look at it as him leaving to attend college.

#“You’re just going to play ball now,” he pointed out. “So it’s something different. You have to go there and do what you have to do. If you go to college, you want to get the best out of the education opportunity.

#“But I want him to go there and make the best of whatever opportunity is presented to him. Be respectful to the people and do what they ask him to do.”

#In the absence of his wife, Thomas said he want to thank everyone in New Providence, who would have played a role in his son’s life because if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn’t hesitate.

#“They did a wonderful job,” said Thomas as he started to cry. I want to thank Mrs Kristy Sands and Mr Sands, who opened their home for him to stay in and treated him as their son. I really appreciate that.

# “The coaches, Geron Sands, Greg Burrows and Albert Cartwright, they did a wonderful job. I can’t thank these guys enough for what they did. My wife could not be here today, but I know she’s looking down and smiling. This is what she wanted to see. This was God’s plans and I followed those plans.”

#Thomas is now the sixth player in the past two years that have been able to sign a contract out of Max D. He joins Dale Davis, who is a free agent after playing in the Texas Rangers organization; Larry Alcime with the Pittsburgh Pirates; Jasrado Chisholm with the Arizona Diamonbacks; Henry Thompson with the Cincinnati Reds and Lucius Fox of the San Francisco Giants.

#Todd Isaacs Jr, who is also a part of the Cleveland Indians and Anfrenee Seymour with the Atlanta Braves were both affiliated with Max D, although they didn’t sign out of the organization like the others mentioned above.

#“Seeing Tahnaj’s progress as a 13-year-old coming out of Grand Bahama makes this very special for me watching him sign a professional contract right now,” Sands said.

#“The hard times he went through over the past year, he was able to overcome them and now I know his mom is looking down and smiling at him. This is something that he has always wanted to do.”

#Sands said he spent countless nights conversing with Thomas on the best route to get his son on the professional ranks and now the beat goes on.

#“It’s just showing us that we are doing something the right way and we can only get better,” Sands said. “We just want to give ourselves a little tap on the back to see that we are trying to help our country and our community.”

#Sands said they will continue to push forward because they have t least 3-4 players who they are working on getting them into the pro ranks when they stage their next showcase next year.

#“We have some 13 and 14 year players coming up, who we hope to get of as well,” Sands said. “So we are looking at sending players of as much as we can. Once the scouts come looking, we hope to have the players ready to go.”

Friday, May 20, 2016

Henry Thompson

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT’S not very often that you hear stories of a player coming from one sport to another and going on to become a professional player.

#Henry Thompson defied the odds when he passed up the game of basketball to rekindle his interest in baseball, a move that has landed him a job in the Cincinnati Reds’ minor league baseball organisation.

#On Thursday, Thompson became the fifth player of the Max D Baseball Programme to sign a professional contract in the last two and-a-half years and just the second in the group to secure a deal with Cincinnati.

#He joined the list that includes Dale Davis and Lucius Fox. In July, Max D is hoping to sign another three to professional contracts.

#“I feel pretty good. My whole life was based around playing professional sports, so I feel pretty good about signing this deal,” said Thompson as he was flanked by his mother Lona Thompson, Geron Sands and Greg Burrows Jr, co-founders of Max D along with Cincinnati’s Bahamian recruiting agent Brian Armbrister, as he signed his name on the dotted line.

#“I’m just looking forward to becoming another pitcher on a minor league roster. My game is coming around after moving from basketball to baseball. My specialties have really helped me out.”

#Thompson, 21, began playing baseball at the age of 11 to 12 years. He attended Charles W Saunders and St Anne’s High School before leaving for the United States in 2010 to continue his high school education and then on to college before he returned home.

#Once he got back here, Thompson decided to switch to play basketball where he starred as a 6-foot, 2-inch player in high school and college.

#“It was a quite transition, one that was unexpected,” said Thompson, a big fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James as well as the New York Yankees and Robinson Canoe. “Playing basketball was not easy. Definitely playing baseball wasn’t easy as well. The transition wasn’t easy. It just wasn’t expected at all.”

#Armbrister welcomed Thompson to their organization, calling him one of the unexpected raw talented players he ever came across.

#“I think it’s a great look. Max D was about to convert him back to the sport that he started playing at a young age,” he said. “For him to be able to throw 90 miles per hour and don’t have a regiment says a lot bout what the guys are doing at Max D.

#“We have to give a lot of kudos to them for doing their part and just like any other system, you have to start somewhere and just continue moving up. Over the last few years, these guys have put in a system where they are getting the guys off to the next level. So I know the guys in the Reds are just waiting for him to come.”

#While the formal deal was just completed on Wednesday, Thompson spent all day Thursday securing all of the necessary arrangements for him to travel today to the Dominican Republic where he will play in their instructional league.

#“When guys sign and they haven’t been playing in a system, they try to get some reps, so he will be going to what we call primary school baseball, get his workout regiment where he will be able to have an understanding of what is required of him so that when he move on to A ball and Triple A, he will know how to conduct himself as a professional athlete.”

#Just how long Thompson will remain in the Dominican Republic will depend entirely on how quickly he develops his game so that he can join Grand Bahamian Rashad Munroe, the other Bahamian in the Reds organization who is now in Arizona.

#Armbrister, a former minor league player in the Reds organization, thanked Max D and all of the other leagues in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera for the role they are playing in preparing the next generation of players to play professional baseball coming right out of the Bahamas.

#Sands said from the day Thompson came into Max D, they realized his potential and they immediately began to work on developing his skills.

#“I told him that he’s welcomed to come to Max D. He was a hard worker, one who never complained about anything. He only wanted to set his goals to play in the big league,” Sands said.

#“That’s something that we look for in baseball, how bad you want to play baseball and how bad you want to be a professional baseball player. With him having a basketball background, I checked up on how competitive he was and we realized that he had that edge that could get him to the next level.”

#Burrows Sr said it’s a great honor to see another Max D player go off.

#“Henry came on to us as a basketball player with a raw talent to throw the baseball with a 90 mile per hour range,” he said. “We showcased him, worked out with him and now he has the opportunity to fulfill his dreams with the Cincinnati Reds.

#“They are happy about him and excited to have him. It just goes to show that you might think a sport is your sport, but your natural talent might lead you into another direction and you never know when that might be. So we are very happy for him.”

#No one was more elated about his accomplishments than his mother, Lona Thompson.

#“I never doubted him once,” she said. “I knew he had the capability to make it in baseball than basketball. I watched him play baseball from a very young age and I saw the passion that he had for it.”

#She said she is very pleased with the progress that Max D has made and enabled her son to play professional baseball. She said she hope this will inspire his younger sister Lolita Thompson, who is a pitcher on her softball team at Linsley High School.

#The siblings inherit their sporting skills from both parents – their father Brando Thompson was a high jumper for the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine and a member of the Kentucky Colonels basketball team, while his mother was a versatile athlete who played all sports for the Aquinas College Aces.

#“I just wish my son all the best. I know that he’s going to do very well,” Mrs Thompson stressed. “He’s a good guy.”

Monday, March 9, 2020

Anthony ‘Poker’ ‘24’ Huyler

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#The sporting community came together to pay their last respects to the late talented baseball/softball player Anthony ‘Poker’ ‘24’ Huyler as he was laid to rest on Saturday at the Church of St Mary the Virgin Anglican Parish.

#Huyler, 72, was remembered as a sporting icon, who was drafted to play at the professional level, but didn’t make it. He returned home and went on to excel locally where he played on several national teams and was inducted into the National Hall of Fame.

#A number of dignitaries and sporting greats showed up to play their last respect to one of the Miami Dolphins’ greatest fans and a walking sporting historian. Among them were former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, former Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe and Major Leaguer Ed Armbrister.

#In and outside of the church, many softball and baseball players turned up, some wearing their team uniform tops while some adorned tops with Huyler’s ‘24’ printed on them. It was truly a great farewell for a player many came to respect as one of the greatest infielders to ever play the game.

#In an emotional address, long-time friend Ed Armbrister came to tears and had to be consoled as he talked about his relationship with Huyler.

#Armbrister, who played in the Major League during a five-year sting from 1973-1977 with the Cincinnati Reds, recalled the days when they grew up playing sports together. He also noted that when he playing professionally, his only regret that he spent more time ensuring that his career was prematurely ended like some of the other Bahamians in the minor leagued that he didn’t inform the powers that be of players like Huyler, who was home.

#As close as they were, Armbrister said he was never interested in football as Huyler was and so when there were opportunities to go to the club to watch the Dolphins play or to discuss football and other sports in general, he never went with Huyler.

#Wilchcombe, the former Member of Parliament for West End and Bimini, said Huyler not only played the game at the highest level, but there was nobody who loved the Dolphins, or knew more about sports than Huyler. He said one could never win an argument with Huyler because he was that knowledgeable about all sports.

#And George Wilson, in his tribute, called Huyler a “sporting icon”. He said his childhood friend was one of the mot talented players he’s ever seen, but he felt he never got the credit or the accolade for his accomplishment. the Virgin. He was interred in the church’s cemetery.

#The eulogy was delivered by Thed Rev’d Fr. Dwight M. bowe, Rector of The Church of St Mary

#Huyler, however, was inducted into the National Hall of Fame. Although he was drafted to play professional baseball, he never made it. But he returned home and made his presence felt in every league in softball and baseball during the 1960s to the 1980s.

#As a talented first baseman, who could hit the ball, Huyler also went on to represent the Bahamas at various international competition, including the Central American and Caribbean Games where the Bahamas won the gold in 1977.

#Additionally, Huyler played on the national teams that played in Wichita, Kansas in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and at the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1979.

#Huyler left to mourn his wife Annalee; children Antonasio ‘Timmy’ Huyler and Rashad Symonette; his father Basil T. Huyler Sr and a host of other relatives and friends.

Monday, September 7, 2020

Lloyd Bowleg Sr

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE baseball and softball community is mourning the loss of former national team player Lloyd Bowleg Sr.

#Bowleg Sr, 75, died on September 1. He left to mourn five children and a host of relatives, including his sisters Naomi Ellis and Evangeline Bowleg, two former softball players.

#During his prime, Bowleg Sr played shortstop and second base with St Bernard’s and the Schultz Beer, while in softball, he played with BEC, the company whom he also worked for with versatile sprinter/basketball and baseball player Rudy Levarity.

#“Lloyd was a very loyal player. He wasn’t all that vocal, but he always played hard,” said Levarity, who played first base. “He was always aggressive on the bases.”

#Lloyd Sr, who also played second base, was considered a nice person off the field as well, according to Levarity of their association that transcended on the work force.

#“I read many years ago somewhere where Lloyd went to work at BEC as a messenger at the age of 14 when he had to take care of his family and he worked there until he reached the retirement age of 60,” said Levarity, who previously held the Bahamas national records of 10.18 and 20.62 seconds respectively in the 100 and 200 metres and was a former men’s national basketball team player in 1972, 1975, 1977 and 1979.

Lloyd Bowleg Sr with some of his family members.

#“He may have put in at least 45 years at BEC, but only in the last 5-10 years that he was there, I realised that he was working there. He was working mostly in the control room and my department didn’t have any connection with that department and so I really never knew who was working there.”

#One of his sons, Lloyd Jr, who attended many games as a youngster, said he couldn’t ask for a more caring and loving father.

#“He was never a bad person. He was a good provider. Whatever he did, he did to the best of his ability,” Bowleg Jr said. “It showed in his baseball and softball activities.

#“He was loving to his wife and his children. Whatever we needed, if he had it, he gave it to us. He really provided for us. He made sure we were well taken care of.”

#Nobody, however, could better describe Bowleg Sr than his sister, Naomi Ellis. “He was always a very quiet person at home, but very sociable,” she said. “He was a likable person, who loved softball and baseball. He couldn’t stay away from the ball field. I didn’t know how we got into softball and baseball, but that was the love of our lives.”

#Ellis was referring to the connection with her sisters, Vangy Bowleg, July Allen and the late Carmetta Christie and Mavis Whymms, all of whom had an impact on the game of softball during their heydays.

#As one player to the next, Ellis, who was inducted into the World Baseball Softball Confederation – Softball Hall of Fame in 2009, said Bowleg Sr’s game was one to emulate.

#“He was a heck of a ball player,” she reflected. “He was like me. He made the national team. He was a very good shortstop. I used to like to enjoy him playing, not just because he was my brother, but because he could play.”

#Ellis, not a slouch when it comes to playing the game, said it’s a difficult time for her family as the day after her brother passed away, her daughter, Natasha, lost her father, Gregory Ellis, an advert softball and baseball fan.

#“You used to hear his mouth around the park like a lot of people,” said Ellis, who noted that he had a stroke and eventually went blind. “He just loved the game and he knew the game, but he never played.”