Month: September 2020

Freedom Farm Tourney To Mark 30 Years

Friday, March 22, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS a part of the celebrations for their 30th anniversary, Freedom Farm will hold a 12-and-under International Invitational Tournament next weekend at Freedom Farm.

#The tournament is scheduled to be held from Thursday to Sunday and will be played between Freedom Farm, the Junior Baseball League of Nassau, Legacy Baseball, Grand Bahama Little League and the visiting US Virgin Islands.

#“We thought that we would have a challenge between the Bahamas and the USA and then we decided to invite Grand Bahama, who will be bringing two teams,” said Greg Burrows Sr, the founder of Freedom Farm.

#“We also got confirmation from the Junior Baseball League of Nassau, who also decided that they will enter a team as well. So we have turned it into an international tournament.”

#Burrows said the tournament will also give Freedom Farm a chance to look at its players, who could have the potential to play in the Bahamas Baseball Association’s National Championships and the Carl Ripkin Little League World Series.

#“The US Virgin Islands team did very well in the qualifying tournament for the region last year, so I expect the competition to be pretty tough from those guys,” he said. “They also play well in Little League, so this will definitely give us a good indication of where we are as we try to assemble our team for the regional tournament.”

#Freedom Farm will be represented by the host team from Freedom Farm and their All-Star team.

#Games are slated to begin at 3pm Friday and continue all day on Saturday. The highlight of the day will be the match-up between Freedom Farm and the US Virgin Islands live on ZNS television at 2pm on Saturday.

#The final of the tournament, sponsored by Aliv, will be played on Sunday.

Bahamas ‘Testing Ground For First Ever Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships’

By Brent Stubbs

Friday, September 25, 2020

#TAKING full advantage of his new role in office, Caribbean Commissioner Greg Burrows Sr is working on bringing the regional Babe Ruth Baseball Tournament to the Bahamas.

#Less than three months after he was appointed in July, Burrows Sr revealed plans for the hosting of the event July 7-11, 2022 at the new baseball national stadium, featuring at least 10 teams in the acutual 11-12 championship series for the Caribbean and 15-and-under invitational tournament for teams around the world.

#“I will use the Bahamas as the testing ground for the first ever Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships,” Burrows Sr said. “With me being the commissioner for the Caribbean, I think it’s only fitting that we test the tournament here.

#“Once we host it here, we will allow the other countries to apply for the hosting of the tournament. Hopefully it will be a success and the other countries would want to put it on too.”

#The good thing about bringing the tournament here, Burrows Sr said they hope to utilise the new national baseball stadium that is under construction by the Bahamas Government. It could be the first major international event to be hosted in the facility in the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

#“This will give our young boys 15 and 12-year-olds the opportunity to play against some young boys in the region so that they can be scouted at the same time,” Burrows Sr said.

#“So we are very excited to bring this tournament here. I think it would be good for the Bahamas and the region.”

#“In two years, things might not be normal, but we expect that people will be travelling,” Burrows Sr projected. “So we feel that hosting the tournament in two years will give everybody the chance to prepare themselves to come to the Bahamas.”

#Burrows Sr said they also expect officials from the Babe Ruth organisation to be in town to view the tournament.

#The Babe Ruth League is an international youth baseball and softball league based in Hamilton, New Jersey. Founded in 1951, the league is named after legendary Hall of Fame baseball player George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth.

Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield Trade Rumours

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield. (file photo)

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield. (file photo)

By Renaldo Dorsett

f Friday, September 25, 2020

#The trade rumours surrounding “Buddy” Hield have recently ramped up on social media, but the new general manager of the Sacramento Kings revealed no immediate plans to move the Bahamian shooting guard.

#Kings GM Monte McNair singled out “Buddy” Hield at his introductory press conference to the franchise.

#McNair said that Hield is an “elite shooter” and his spacing is important for the team. McNair also made it clear that he wants Sacramento to up the pace next year.

#Hield has been the subject of trade rumours since the Kings’ season ended and his recent social media activity has seen those talks increase.

#The Instagram account Embiidfeed reposted a tweet from The Hoop Central which stated that the 76ers have expressed trade interest in Hield (via Legion Hoops Ross).

#Hield was tagged in the post and followed by liking the post. When a user commented “Trust the Process”, Hield replied “big facts.”

#Several NBA blogs and media outlets picked up the activity on the potential trade after it was interpreted as a pro-76ers comment.

#A possibly tenuous situation between Hield and the Kings front office this offseason begun during his exit interview.

#Following the Kings’ regular season finale, Hield spoke with reporters on several topics, most noteworthy was his reply when asked whether he would be content to continue his role off the bench next season.

#“Y’all know me, y’all know how I talk, y’all know how I feel with a lot of stuff, y’all can read me well, so I’ll let y’all answer that for yourselves,” Hield said.

#Hield played sparingly in several of Sacramento’s seeding games, including a season low 11 minutes in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged just 14.3 points per game on 43 per cent field-goal shooting in Orlando.

#“I just have to work on my game, stay locked in, focused on what I got to do and just remember where I came from, what got me here in the league and how I can stick around for a long time,” Hield said.

#Just days after Hield’s comments, both Kings general manager Vlade Divac and assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic resigned from their roles in the organisation.

#Joe Dumars will take over as interim executive vice president of basketball operations.

#Hield’s development was one of the many issues Divac discussed with the Sacramento Bee following his resignation. “He didnt like the role he was in. I support his feeling…he has to look in the mirror and see what he does right and does wrong,” Divac said.

#“He is an elite shooter….but he has to provide that (more consistently). He has to do a better job defensively.”

#In 72 games this season, Hield averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and three assists per game. He shot 43 per cent from the field and 39 per cent from three-point range.

#He started 44 games this season before he was moved to the bench in favour of Bogdan Bogdanovic on January 24.

#The Kings went 13-7 once Hield moved to the bench, prior to the league’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

#Last November, Hield concluded his contract negotiations with the Kings and reached the most lucrative deal ever signed by any Bahamian athlete when he agreed to a four-year, $94 million contract extension.

#During the same time period, the Kings offered Bogdanovic a four-year, $51 million deal which remains unsigned.

#Third year point guard De’Aaron Fox will be eligible for his max extension next year and 2018s second overall pick, Bagley, the following year.

When Can We Resume Sporting Activities?

By Brent Stubbs

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

#While they have seen the return of sports around the world, with and without fans in most cases, local sporting bodies are trying to find out exactly when they can resume their activities.

#Mario Bowleg, president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation, said sooner rather than later, the Bahamas Government will have to realise that sports will have to resume in the country, with or without the fans.

#He is calling a meeting of the minds to try and find the best solution to manage the way the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic in a sporting setting.

#“While all leagues and associations would like to get some type of normalcy back and begin playing sports like they are doing in the United States, either in a form of a bubble or without fans like football and other sports, it’s just a wait-and-see game as to what this government will do,” he said. “I understand that they want to flatten the curve, but at the end of the day, we have to lie with this thing. This ain’t going nowhere. We just have to make up our minds how best we are going to deal with it within our sporting programme.”

#Sporting activities in the country were halted in March when the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture was forced to call off its National High School Track and Field Championships at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

#Since then, the Bahamas Government has called for all activities that drew any large gathering to cease as well. All sporting facilities were subsequently closed.

#Periodically, during the phased opening of the country, parks and beaches were allowed to open, but all sporting facilities are still closed, including gymnasiums, spas and weight-training facilities.

#Bowleg, whose federation had to pull out of preparing its boys and girls teams for an inaugural skills competition that was being staged by the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA), the governing body for the sport around the world, said life has to go on and the country has to live with this virus.

#“We just have to find a way to control it in the different sporting disciplines they are playing in. I don’t think that would be a difficult thing to do. We just need the Competent Authority (Prime Minister Hubert Minnis) to give us the okay to proceed. “We just need to get back to doing the things that are important to us and I’m not just talking about sports, but high schools when the students return to the classes. So sports has to get back on track, all sports. We must commence playing as they are doing it in the United States. We need to get rolling.”

#Not to mimic what is being done in the United States, but Bowleg said basketball is staging a successful bubble with the National Basketball Association, and the American Football League and Major League Baseball are playing without fans.

#The International Tennis Federation as well as World Athletics has resumed with competition as they are slowly getting back to some sort of normalcy, but Bowleg said they are hoping that there will be some provisions made for the return of sports in the country. He noted that there were some discussions by some of the sporting bodies to engage in meetings with the proper authorities, then they can chart the way forward.

#“Life has to go on and we have to look at ways to control how we deal with this COVID-19,” Bowleg stated. “I think all sporting bodies would like to resume competition, even if they have to do it without any fans.”

Junior Jumpers Put Their Skills To The Test

As of Wednesday, December 11, 2013

#Junior Jumper riders put their skills to the test at the Equestrian Bahamas Jumper Show I at Mariposa Stables on Sunday.

#The day was an exciting and instructive day for all, combining learning and competition for the riders. 

#The show featured jump courses designed by Canadian course designer Evie Frisque. Grouped according to level, riders met in the ring as a group to discuss the elements of their course then returned one-by-one to ride the jumps.

#“Showjumping is an Olympic discipline, competed on professional circuits through Europe and the Americas, but it’s not the kind of jumping our young riders normally do,” said Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre, of Equestrian Bahamas. “Neither the horse nor the rider is ‘judged.’

#“Showjumping is easier for the spectator to follow, because the winner is the one who clears the course in the fastest time, and knocks down the fewest jumps. In reality, however, a showjumping course is far more difficult to ride.”

#Equestrian Bahamas is committed to furthering equestrian sport in the Bahamas. The goal of the federation is to field a team of Bahamian riders to compete in showjumping on the regional Caribbean circuit next year, as well as for the Junior Pan Am Games in Toronto in 2015.

#EB’s calendar of events continues with a clinic featuring US. Olympic Chef d’Equipe Bernie Traurig at Camperdown Riding Club January 4-5, 2014.

Carisa Brogden, 15, Star Of The Day In Horse Show

Thursday, February 2, 2017

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CARISA BROGDEN and Sterling Silver in the Bahamas Junior Classic.

#THE Bahamas’ newest crop of budding junior equestrian athletes were on display in two days of fierce competition at the Mariposa Winter Horse Show, held last weekend at Mariposa Stables in western New Providence.

#The show marked the third leg of the equestrian horse show season, and dozens of junior riders met to test their skills in varying classes of competition. 

#Classes ranged from the very beginner “Leadline” classes, featuring competitors as young as five years old, to more technically demanding classes in the Jumper and Equitation Divisions. Saturday featured the Equitation classes, which are judged on the elegance and effectiveness of the rider over a series of ‘tests’. 

#Carisa Brogden, aged 15, was the star of the day, riding Mrs Kim Johnson’s Sterling Silver to win the qualifying class of the Bahamas Junior Classic.  The Bahamas Junior Classic is a national event featuring the country’s best junior riders. Qualifier rounds are held throughout the horse show season, and riders must amass 10 or more points in order to qualify for the Classic Final, which this year will be held in March.

#On Sunday the watching crowd cheered excitedly for the Jumper events, which are based on the ability of horse and rider to clear a course of jumps in the fastest time. 

#“Jumper events, or showjumping, is the Olympic discipline that people may be used to seeing on television,” commented Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre, president of Equestrian Bahamas. “Showjumping is easier for the spectator to follow, because the winner is the one who clears the course in the fastest time, and knocks down the fewest jumps.

#“In reality, however, a showjumping course is far more difficult to ride. Equitation classes, like the ones held on Saturday, serve as the technical preparation needed for young riders to compete in the Jumper ring. Equestrian Bahamas is committed not only to providing competitive opportunities through horse shows, but to developing technical excellence in the sport so that our riders can successfully compete abroad.”

#In Sunday’s Jumper classes, top honours were shared by Carisa Brogden, on Sterling Silver, and Siena Holowesko, riding Erika Adderley’s Gandolfe. Brogden and Holowesko were co-champions in the Hopeful Jumpers Division. The guest judge of the event was Jill MacRae of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. MacRae is an accomplished rider, coach and judge, having trained horses and riders for many years.

#She was the team manager and leader for the Canadian Equestrian Team at major international competitions, including past Olympic, Pan Am and World Equestrian Games. 

#MacRae was impressed by the level of riding on display, and at the close of the show encouraged all riders and their trainers to continue their efforts to excellence.

#The next competition on the Equestrian Bahamas calendar will be held at Camperdown Equestrian Centre February 11-12.  Admission is free and all are invited.

Horse Show Was A Blast In Camperdown

YOUNG riders at the interschool ribbon presentation.

YOUNG riders at the interschool ribbon presentation.

As of Wednesday, November 13, 2019

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Elle O’Brien placed 1st in the Bahamas Junior Classic qualifier.

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Mila Sands and Double Take – Children’s Equitation Champions.

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Future champion Madison Miller in her first horse show.

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Alexis Neymour and Entourage won the Marshall and Sterling children’s medal.

#THE second horse show of the Equestrian Bahamas 2019-2020 season took place last weekend at Camperdown Equestrian Centre. Saturday’s events included equitation classes at all levels while Sunday’s competition featured the first show of this year’s Bahamas Interschool Equestrian League (BIEL) series.

#The Interschool Equestrian League continues to grow. Sunday’s event was the largest in the three-year history of the series, with seven teams competing for the first time.

#Each year three interschool events are held culminating in a championship event in the spring. The show was judged by USEF ‘R’-rated judge Scott Hofstetter of Ocala, FL.

#Talented Bahamian junior riders such as Mila Sands of Camperdown Equestrian Centre and Elle O’Brien of Mariposa Stables took top honours in Saturday’s equitation divisions. Lyford Cay International School fielded the winning team in the interschool competition, with Windsor School beating Queen’s College for second place by just one point.

#St Augustine’s riders posted an impressive fourth place despite a team of just two riders. Tambearly School and St Andrew’s School placed 5th and 6th.

#The league is designed to make equestrian sport accessible to all young Bahamians by offering competition opportunities in a collegiate format at no cost to riders.

#The next competition is all set to be held at Mariposa Stables December 7-8.

#Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend the show.

Team Bahamas Set For Inaugural Interscholastic Equestrian Invitational In Georgia On Saturday

Friday, February 14, 2020

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Team Bahamas will be coached by Kimberley Johnson with Erika Adderley-Coello as the trainer.

#EQUESTRIAN Bahamas is all set to record another historic milestone in Bahamian sport when it fields its first team to an international event this weekend.

#Peyton Wong, Elle O’Brien, Mila Sands, Maya Tilberg and Nicholas Astwood are expected to compete in the inaugural Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) International Invitational, scheduled to be hosted this Saturday, February 15 in Conyers, Georgia.

#The team will be coached by Kimberley Johnson with Erika Adderley-Coello as the trainer.

#The group is an upper school team that will compete in both fences and flat classes. The International Invitational will be held in conjunction with the IEA Zone 4/Region 1 finals at the Georgia International Horse Park.

#The team was selected based on their performances at the IEA along with Bahamas Interschool Equestrian League (BIEL) Hunt Seat Invitational and Selection Trials hosted last December.

Elle O’Brien 12th At The Marshall & Sterling League National Finals

Trainer Erika Adderley-Coello enjoys a smile with Elle O’Brien, who placed 12th out of 76 riders in the Marshall and Sterling 2’ 6” Children’s Medal Final in Saugerties, New York. O’Brien is shown riding My Way, owned by Stacey Vertullo.

Trainer Erika Adderley-Coello enjoys a smile with Elle O’Brien, who placed 12th out of 76 riders in the Marshall and Sterling 2’ 6” Children’s Medal Final in Saugerties, New York. O’Brien is shown riding My Way, owned by Stacey Vertullo.

As of Tuesday, September 17, 2019

#RISING equestrian star Elle O’Brien shone brightly at the Marshall & Sterling League 2019 National Finals, held this week in Saugerties, New York.

#O’Brien finished as one of 12 finalists in the competition, placing 12th out of 76 riders in the 2’6” Children’s Medal class.

#O’Brien was invited to compete as a league finalist by virtue of having accumulated qualifying points in competitions throughout the year. She was accompanied to the competition by her trainer, Mrs Erika Adderley-Coello of Mariposa Stables.

#Riding Stacey Vertullo’s bay mare “My Way”, O’Brien was the 28th rider to enter the ring, facing a jump course designed by Rian Beals. Under the watchful eye of the judges Mrs Paddy Downing-Nyegard and Mrs Amy Nunnally, O’Brien and My Way jumped a crisp and stylish clear round to earn a place in the final testing phase. In the end, the pair rode proudly into the ring to claim 12th place.

#Equestrian Bahamas President, Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre praised O’Brien’s accomplishment in placing so highly at such a prestigious competition, and noted the important role played by her trainer.

#“The Marshall & Sterling Insurance League is one of several international organisations with which Equestrian Bahamas currently partners to provide competitive opportunities for our riders,” said Ramsingh-Pierre. “Elle’s success at the League Finals is a testament to the abilities of our Bahamian riders, and to the competency of our training programmes here at home in the Bahamas.”

#Trainer Erika Adderley-Coello also praised O’Brien’s performance, noting that although there is always room for improvement, to gain a ribbon in such a large, competitive field was a notable accomplishment. “12th out of 76?” she said with a broad smile on her face – “I’ll take that!”

Equestrian Achieves Historic Partnership

Friday, September 18, 2020

#It has been a year of achievements for Bahamas Equestrian. This summer the National Equestrian Federation achieved another milestone by expanding its youth scholastic riding programme to partner with the US-based Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) and become the first international regional affiliate in the IEA’s history.

#Bahamas Equestrian considers it a tremendous honour to have been chosen by the IEA as their first international partners.

#Both organisations emphasise promoting riding as a sport for all and as a pathway to educational opportunities. The launch of the partnership was originally scheduled for October 2020, but unfortunately has been postponed until the 2021-2022 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#The IEA is the largest interscholastic equestrian league in North America with over 14,500 members in 46 states. The Bahamas has been designated Region 13 of IEA Zone 4 (which covers Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee). Local trainers Mrs. Erika Adderley-Coello of Mariposa Stables and Mrs Kimberly Johnson of Camperdown Equestrian Centre were appointed as Region President and Region Vice-President, respectively.

#Unfortunately, this exciting development faced a major roadblock with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the IEA competition season already underway in the United States, The Bahamas region officials were forced to make the difficult decision to postpone participation until next season.

#“We were disappointed to have to cancel this year’s participation in the IEA as the new Region 13 due to COVID,” said Region President Erika Adderley-Coello.

#“We are grateful that IEA officials agreed with us [in] postponing our start to next season.”

#Through its affiliation as an IEA Region, riders in the Bahamian Interscholastic Equestrian League will travel each year to compete against riders from all over North America.

#The relationship opens the way to multiple educational opportunities, such as access to thousands of dollars in IEA College Scholarship Awards, and participation in the USEF Equestrian College Search Programme.

#One young rider, Mila Sands, has already benefited from the Equestrian Bahamas-IEA partnership.

#Sands, a 10th-grader at Queens College, was a part of the Bahamian team that rode at the IEA Zone 4 Invitational in Conyers, Georgia, in February.

#Her sterling performance earned her the Steward’s Award: a fully-paid, week-long summer experience at the prestigious Chatham Hall School in Chatham, Virginia. Sands was unable to attend this summer because of the pandemic but was granted an extension to attend in 2021.

#Equestrian Bahamas and the Interscholastic Equestrian Association continue to share a common mission of promoting equestrian sport to school-age riders and providing competitive and educational opportunities. Riders and coaches look forward to participating in the IEA next year!