As of Monday, October 31, 2022

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Yolett McPhee-McCuin

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH a new contract signed, Grand Bahamian Yolett McPhee-McCuin is looking forward to building on the success of last year by her University of Mississippi Lady Rebels.

#Ole Miss, as they are commonly referred to, pulled off an impressive 80-38 victory against Delta State in an exhibition game played on Friday night.

#Now McPhee-McCuin and the Lady Rebels are looking forward to the start of the regular season that will include her first trip home to showcase her team in November.

#Entering her fifth season and the first of her new four-year deal at Ole Miss, McPhee-McCuin said despite the loss of First Team All- SEC centre Shakira Austin, they will have a pretty good season.

#“It’s a lot of newness, trying to figure things out,” she said of Austin, who is now playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association with the Washington Mystics. “Minus our pro player, we’re learning how to survive and function without her. That is our focus right now. So we’re trying to figure out what we want to do and be who we want to be. It’s a process, but I enjoy it.”

#Ole Miss women’s basketball has been picked to finish fifth overall in the SEC Preseason Media Poll released on Tuesday.

#The ranking is the highest preseason slot by the media for the Rebels in the poll since the 2005- 06 Ole Miss team was selected to finish fifth.

#The defending national champion South Carolina was voted to win the conference for the second straight season in a row, with NCAA Tournament teams in Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas rounding out the top-four.

#McPhee-McCuin said she’s going to build her team around what is available to her.

#“We’re going to look different and so we have to play differently,” she projected. “We’re going to have to play more of a community thing by committee for sure. But someone will emerge.”

#Aliyah Boston, who was once again selected as the Preseason Player of the Year, after earning the 2022 Player of the Year award as a junior, is one of the top players to watch for Ole Miss this year.

#Ole Miss heads into the 2022-23 campaign, coming off of one of its best seasons in programme history and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 seasons.

#The Rebels return a solid starting core in juniors Madison Scott and Snadda Collins with reigning SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year Angel Baker looking to make a mark in the starting lineup. Ole Miss’ winning percentage of 71.8% off of a 23-9 record last year, was the highest for the programme since 1993-94.

#Nine newcomers joined the Rebels including two freshmen and seven transfers, with three well-versed to the grind of the SEC.

#After leading the SEC in assists last season. Myah Taylor joins the Rebels from Mississippi State as one of the nation’s top point guards after earning a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List.

#Pitt transfer Rita Igbokwe also looks to shine on the interior, after blocking 68 shots last season as a junior to rank 20th in the country.

#“We just want to continue to build on the foundation that we already laid,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Now it’s putting those cornerstones in place so that we can be successful in the future.

#“Last year, I thought we did a good job setting the foundation and now we have to continue to build the house. The house isn’t complete until you win a national championship. So we have a lot of ways to go.”

#The Rebels will begin their regular season on Monday, November 7 at 5pm at home against Kennesaw State. They will play three more games on November 10 against Southeast Missouri State; Sunday, November 13 on the road against Little Rock and Wednesday, November 16 against Southern Miss.

#Then it’s here in the first for the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championships in their two games against Dayton on Monday, November 21 and Utah on Wednesday, November 23, “We’re looking forward to that. We’re excited about that,” McPhee-NMcCuin said. “I’m looking forward to coming back home personally because I’m from the Bahamas.

#“But for the team, we are going to be playing two great teams who will really put us to the test. So we definitely want to come down and put on a show for my Bahamian people.”

#Ole Miss is expected to come to town with a contingent of about 35 people, but McPhee-McCuin said they are expecting a large group of fans to accompany them to the Bahamas, just as they do whenever they play on the road in the United States of America.

#“We just want the Bahamian people to come out and support us,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I’m in the SEC so there’s pressure every time I step out on the floor.”

#McPhee-McCuin is a former Bahamian national team point guard and the first female player to sign a division one letter of intent when she went to play for the University of Rhode Island for her junior and senior years in 2003 and 2004 after she played for Miami-Dade Community College the previous two years. She went on to earn her first assistant coaching job at Frank Phillips College in 2004 before she moved on to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Pittsburgh and Clemson before getting her first head coaching job at the University of Jacksonville in 2013.

#“I’m pleased with where I am at. I love what I do. I’m coaching at the highest level. I’m able to recruit the best talent and I’m competing against the best players and the best coaches,” said McPhee-McCuin, who signed her first contract with Ole Miss in 2019.

#“So for me, I’m excited about where I’m at right now. It’s just pretty much trying to complete the mission here. It’s going to take time. I just signed a new contract, so I plan to be at Ole Miss for a while and really build this programme up to one where it has national recognition.”

#McPhee-McCuin earned national prominence when she coached to lead the women’s national team to their first championship title in 10 years in a 55-51 victory over Jamaica at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation to qualify for the 2016 CentroBasket Championship.

#And during the 2021-22 campaign, McPhee-McCuin also became the first woman in Bahamian history to coach at the men’s national level, serving as an assistant with the Bahamas men’s senior national team during the World Cup qualifiers.

#Although she has coached one Bahamian guard Valerie Nesbitt at Ole Miss from 2019-2021, she’s looking forward to adding the second to her roster and that could happen very soon.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/oct/31/mcphee-mccuin-looks-build-last-years-success/?news

Chavano “Buddy” Hield and Deandre Ayton.

As of Monday, October 31, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Chavano “Buddy” Hield has enjoyed a hot shooting streak over the last four games while Deandre Ayton continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury to highlight play from Bahamian players in the NBA.

#Hield finished with a near triple double on Saturday night – 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists – as the Indiana Pacers won their second consecutive game 125-116 over the Brooklyn Nets. He shot 5-11 from three-point range (46 percent) in 38 minutes.

#The Pacers made a franchise-record 23 three-pointers. Their previous franchise record for 3s in a regular season game was 21 at home against Milwaukee on May 13, 2021.

#It was Hield’s third consecutive with at least five three-point field goals and his fourth consecutive game scoring at least 17 points.

#Over the course of that four-game stretch, Hield has averaged 21.3 points per game and shot 48 percent from three-point range.

#Hield’s streak began in an October 24 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers when he finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. He followed with 25 points and a season high seven three pointers in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on October 26.

#On October 28, he repeated his 25-point performance against the Washington Wizards and shot 5-9 from three-point range.

#On the season, Hield is averaging 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

#“Everybody’s voice is needed. We just have to learn quickly, and adapt,” Hield said in training camp. “We brought in a group of guys that are a great fit, have great personalities when you understand and like each other, it’s easier to have great vibes. When guys bring in their egos and go about things in different ways it’s not a good vibe. I think the guys we have in the locker room are a group of guys.”

#Ayton missed his first game of the season last night when his Phoenix Suns took on the Houston Rockets.

#In Friday night’s 124-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Ayton hurt his left ankle in the first quarter when he stepped on the foot of Pelicans centre Jonas Valanciunas.

#He got up and walked to the bench, but a few minutes later walked back to the locker room for further evaluation.

#He had four points and three rebounds in just eight minutes prior to the injury. Ayton’s ankle will be re-evaluated in a week, according to the Suns.

#Through four games, Ayton averaged 18.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 55 percent shooting from the field.

#He notched 30 double-doubles last year in only 58 games played and already has two in the first week of the season.

#He opened the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks and had 16 points and 14 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors.

WINNERS of the Grand Bahama Tennis Association’s junior tournament in Freeport, Grand Bahama, this weekend.

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022

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TOURNAMENT organisers share a special moment.

#THE tournament sponsored by FOCOL featured U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 participants and was held at the YMCA.

#The event was sanctioned by the BLTA and the results in the various categories are as follows:

#U10 Girls – Winner: Danielle Saunders. Runner Up: Marina Bostwick.

#U12 Girls – Winner: Kaylah Fox. Runner Up: Briana Houlgrave.

#U12 Boys – Winner: Patrick Mactaggart. Runner Up: Kingston Rees.

#U14 Girls – Winner: Briana Houlgrave. Runner Up: BreAnn Ferguson.

#U14 Boys – Winner: Jerald Carroll. Runner-Up Jackson Mactaggart.

#U16 Girls – Winner: Jalisa Clarke. Runner Up: BreAnn Ferguson.

#U16 Boys – Winner: Michael Major Jr.. Runner Up: Jerald Carroll.

#U18 Girls – Winner: Jalisa Clarke. Runner Up: Sierra Rodgers.

#U18 Boys14 – Winner: Michael Major Jr.. Runner Up: Dentry Mortimer.

#GBTA president Natishka Barrett congratulated the winners, runners-up and all the players who participated in the tournament (some of the winners and runners-up are pictured above).

#“We acknowledge those double crown winners: Michael Major Jr winner of Boys U16 and U18 and Jalisa Clarke winner of Girls U16 and U18,” Barrett said.

#“We also congratulate the GBTA on another successful tournament. Briana Houlgrave and Jerald Carroll both captured the U14 crowns in the girls’ and boys’ categories respectively and they were also able to get runners-up awards in another division.”

#In attendance at the tournament were BLTA President Perry Newton and Abaco Tennis Association (ATA) President and BLTA Secretary Cameel McDonald. The presidents are also pictured with tournament director Danny Rigby.

#“In the 2022 junior tennis circuit, we saw some great competition and increased participation from all over The Bahamas,” Barrett said.

#“We encourage the juniors to continue to display their talents and we look forward to an even better 2023 by God’s grace,” said a press release.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/01/focol-sponsors-tennis-tourney-junior-players/?news

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s annual Youth Month celebrations in November will feature more activities throughout the country, while the National Sports awards ceremony will be postponed until January.

#In a press conference on Monday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg and members of his staff launched the month of activities. Sports representatives from Grand Bahama and the Family Islands also participated via Zoom.

#Coming off a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelsie Johnson, the acting director of sports, said the Ministry of Sports wants to include as much of the Family Islands in their month of celebrations as they prepare for the sixth Bahamas Games, scheduled for next year.

#Using the theme: “The Awakening Power of Sports,” the Ministry will worship at Mt Tabor Full Gospel on Sunday, November 6 and they are asking the general public to come out and share in the experience.

#Bowleg said during the month, they will host a number of sporting activities on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Andros and Eleuthera.

#“Sports is far reaching and as we celebrate sports and those who have contributed so much to its growth and development, we hope that Bahamians across the country join us in this month and experience the true power of sports,” Bowleg said..

#Each Monday over lunch, Johnson said the Ministry will include the media to sit down over lunch to discuss a number of topics regarding fitness, nutrition, injury, treatment and health. The sessions will also be carried live on Zoom.

#Additionally, at least 5-10 coaches will be honoured by the Ministry. Those coaches, according to Johnson, would not have been inducted into the National Hall of Fame, but would have made significant contributions to the development of sports in the country.

#This year’s National Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at 6pm on Wednesday, November 16 at the Baha Mar resort. The list of inductees will be released shortly.

#However, Johnson revealed that the National Sports Awards ceremony will be postponed until January because “we didn’t want to overshadow the praises that we will be bestowing on our Hall of Fame inductees.”

#The Ministry also introduced some of its new sports officers, Byron Ferguson and Sadie Bowe, along with Adam Miller and Pauline Davis.

#Norris Bain, the deputy director of sports in the Northern Bahamas, said there is an exciting month of activities being planned in Grand Bahama where they will be going into the schools, hosting a 3.5 mile walk/run race and a wrestling clinic.

#Bain, one of the country’s top high school basketball coaches, said they will also be recognising a number of coaches on the island as well as they will honour some of the players who have enjoyed a successful collegiate volleyball and basketball season so far.

#Brian Cleare, the sports officer for Andros, revealed that there are a number of activities planned, including a Sunfish sailing in Morgans Bluff on November 19, a basketball tournament in Mastic Point on November 26 and a softball tournament on November 27 in Nicholls Town.

#“The president of the Mastic Point Sailing Club, Patrick Romer, will be assisting us with that,” Cleare said.

#‘This past summer, we used the Sunfish Sailing as one of the youth programmes.

#“We also had the Sunfish Sailing as a part of our Fun Day out on the Regatta site in North Andros and we had a number of youth who participated in that event. At the moment, we have three ladies who are now sailing solo, so we want to try and sail as often as possible to get our young people more interested in Sunfish Sailing.”

#During the month, Cleare said they will also honour at least five local coaches and some of the former athletes who represented North in the Bahamas Games in the past.

#He noted that their activities will be used as a tune-up for the Bahamas Games.

#“At the moment, we are preparing some of the facilities here in North Andros to get us ready for the games,” Cleare said.

#Jermaine Adderley, the sports officer in Long Island, said they will host a series of softball and baseball games on Friday, November 4 and on Saturday, November 5, they will join the Cancer Society of the Bahamas in a walk-a-thon.

#On November 19, they will host a basketball tournament in preparation for the Bahamas Games.

#During the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National All-Star Tournament on November 12, Johnson said the Ministry will play in an exhibition game with two teams formed among the staff and on November 19, they will take part in a beach volleyball tournament.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/01/national-sports-awards-ceremony-postponed-annual-y/?news

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022

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MEMBERS of the local organising committee in their pitch to World Athletics for the return of the World Relays.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WHILE the World Athletics Council has decided to postpone the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 23 until May 13-14, a decision will be made by November 30 on the venue for the 2024 edition.

#The Bahamas made a strong bid to World Athletics to have the World Relays returned to its original home and the organising committee say they are optimistic that they will be successful.

#“We went through an expensive process. We submitted our documents on October 1. We did our video presentation that was submitted on October 28th, and we just completed our oral submission today (Monday),” said Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ president Drumeco Archer.

#“We are not sure what the results will be until December 1, but we have produced a first-class presentation. So, we will see what those results will look like later. But we are conservative, and we are very optimistic with our presentation for the World Relays to return home in 2024.”

#A committee included Archer, World Athletics’ councilwoman Pauline Davis, National Sports Authority’s acting manager Grafton Ifill Jr, Dr Daniel Johnson, Herbert Cash, Lateria Duncombe and Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper.

#The Bahamas served as host of the first three editions of the World Relays in 2014, 2015 and 2017. The Bahamas lost out in hosting the fourth edition in 2019 to Yokohama, Japan and the fifth edition that took place in Chorzow, Poland.

#However, due to the ongoing pandemic conditions, a decision was taken with the agreement of both the Guangzhou organising committee (LOC) and the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA), to delay the World Athletics Relays, scheduled for May 13-14 in China.

#The delay will have an impact on the qualification system for the relay events at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2023.

#Therefore, the World Athletics Competition Commission, upon approval of the Council, has revised the qualification system to include the top eight teams from the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and the top eight teams from the performance lists.

#The philosophy is to replicate a similar qualification system by still qualifying part of the field through direct competition and part through performance in the qualification period.

#“It is regrettable when we have to postpone an event,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “However, World Athletics and the local organising committee are both committed to the responsible planning and delivery of the World Athletics Relays, which includes ensuring that athletes from all international federations are able to participate in and enjoy an experience in a safe and healthy environment.

#“I want to thank our colleagues at the Chinese Athletics Association and the LOC for their efforts and cooperation in resolving this situation and look forward to 2025 when our hosts are able to stage a spectacular World Athletics Relays.”

#The host of the 2024 World Athletics Relays is set to be awarded by the World Athletics Council at their meeting in Rome, Italy, on November 30.

#With the 2023 edition of the World Relays being postponed, the 2024 World Relays will serve as the only event for relay teams to officially qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

#“We would expect that this would be the biggest World Relays yet and so we want it to come back home,” Archer said. “I’m very pleased with our presentation and we’re very optimistic that we will see the return of the World Relays to the Bahamas.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/01/push-world-relays-return/?news

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022

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#IN only its second year, “Baha Mar Hoops” will play host to the largest event in the sport of college basketball when 20 men’s and women’s teams play this Thanksgiving at Baha Mar – the leading resort destination in The Bahamas.

#The 10-day slate of games includes Oklahoma State, DePaul, UCF and Santa Clara playing in the men’s Baha Mar Hoops “Bahamas Championship” and five 2021 NCAA tournament women’s teams – Dayton, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Utah and Virginia Tech – highlighting the eight-team field in the Baha Mar Hoops “Pink Flamingo Championship.”

#The action concludes with the eight-team Baha Mar Hoops “Nassau Championship” featuring 2021 NCAA tournament participant Vermont, 2021 NIT participants Long Beach State, Missouri State and North Texas, and 2021 CBI champion UNC-Wilmington.

#In total, 24 games will be played across three events November 18-27 at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/01/baha-mar-hoops-horizon-nov-18-27/?news

TODD Isaacs Sr – Don’t Blink Committee, Gina Gonzales-Rolle – Don’t Blink Committee, Todd Isaacs Jr, Lucius Fox, Harrison Thompson – Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Ted Adderley – Atlantis, Shazell Rolle – Rev, Lynden Maycock – LOC.

As of Tuesday, November 1, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#The Don’t Blink Home Run Derby In Paradise continues to introduce new initiatives and will return to a familiar venue in 2022.

#Event organisers Todd Isaacs Jr and Lucius Fox officially launched the campaign to galvanise support for the fifth edition of the event, scheduled for December 13-18.

#“Five years of hosting anything in life is a blessing so we’re truly grateful, truly humbled and truly honoured, humbled and blessed that God gave us this opportunity to bring this vision to fruition, but not just for us baseball players but for The Bahamas in its entirety,” Isaacs said.

#“Today under the current administration ‘Sports In Paradise’ is one of their main mandates and it aligns so perfectly with our mission – to inspire the youth, give them opportunities to let sports lead them to the four corners of the world. Through the sports we have an opportunity to highlight The Bahamas for what it is, the beautiful beaches, the warm weather, and the welcoming people.”

#The only home-run derby in the world where players hit into the ocean, the unique concept showcases the natural aesthetic of the Bahamas and the country’s young baseball talent.

#The first three editions were hosted at the Montagu foreshore, before last year’s event shifted to the grounds of the Atlantis resort.

#This year’s event will relocate to its original location.

#“This is our favourite time of the year. We are here again and we are grateful that we get to put this show on for our Bahamian people,” Fox said. “We’re also excited that we will be moving back to Montagu. This is where we started, it’s easily accessible to the people and we look forward to them coming out, packing the beach and bringing out that love. Hopefully one day this will be the best event in the world.”

#In addition to the derby, the event has expanded to include a week-long schedule of activities. Players and guests will arrive December 13 and the following day will be the second edition of the Celebrity Softball game featuring derby participants and local influencers on December 14.

#On December 15, the participating players will host the annual kid’s clinic.

#Saturday, December 17 will be the main event at the Montagu foreshore.

#A new initiative to the week of festivities will be the Prayer to Praise event, featuring a concert by former minor league prospect turned gospel singer, Todd Delaney.

#Fox added that the organisation continues to expand its reach by partnering with several organisations, including the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Players Alliance.

#“We joined forces with MLBPA, executive Tony Clark and the members of his team. The MLBPA acts as the voice for all players in the game of baseball. We also have the Players Alliance,” he said. “This group is so special because they work hand in hand in minority communities to provide assistance, equipment and leadership to the youth. They make baseball accessible to all races and they give everyone a fair playing chance to learn the game, get introduced and hopefully make the most out of it. They have been instrumental in the United States so we look forward to what they can do here in The Bahamas.

#“The group was founded by Edwin Jackson, their President is Curtis Granderson and their Vice President is CC Sabathia. Accompanying them will be a list of legends and Hall of Famers that paved the way for us to play the game of baseball and we don’t take that for granted.”

#Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays won the inaugural event in 2018 and repeated as champion in 2019. Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson captured the title in 2020 and Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez was the most recent winner in 2021.

#“Our goal of the event is to always use this as a platform to highlight our Bahamian baseball players, our Bahamian athletes, and just show what the Bahamas consists of – our natural beauty and these beaches. We have the best beaches in the world,” Isaacs said.

#“Being a baseball player, you wanted to really bring the two elements together. The most exciting part of the game, the home run, and then the most beautiful part of us being from The Bahamas, the beaches. So we decided to do something extremely crazy. Set up a stage and hit balls into the water.”

#Event sponsors include the Government of The Bahamas, the Ministry of Tourism, the Atlantis Resort, Rev TV, Chandler Bats, Bahamasair, Bahamas Waste, Heritage Seafood, Cancer Tratment Centers of America, A Sure Win, M and E Limited, Balso, Global Sun Intergration Management, Family Medicine Center, Triple A Marine, Harmony COnstruction, BBG Baseball Generations, Prime Shipping, Happy Healing Homecare, and C3 Propane.

#“It’s amazing for us to get this far. Everything is moving so fast, just having these sponsors believe in us and trust these young men to put on this event.

#“Just hearing us out was a plus for us. Just having our sponsors buy in to make this event bigger and better every year,” Fox said.

#“Sports has changed my life. It took me places I never knew existed. With more baseball being played, it creates more opportunities and more kids that can change their lives so we just want to inspire as many people as we can.

#“You can accomplish anything you put your mind to and there are different avenues to do that. Whatever we can do to impact this country we plan to do our best to do that.”

#The event has grown in stature to be showcased prominently by several international media outlets, including the MLB Network, and features both minor and major league prospects from around the league.

#Even organisers announced that the 2021 event garnered a reach of over eight million viewers through live streaming and various social media networks.

#“We play a sport that allows us to go places, see places, but, you know, at the end of the day, you have to really come home and use that platform to make it a better place. There were people before us, athletes before us, famous celebrities before us and their respective platforms that didn’t use their platform to build a bridge. We get to raise money, we get to do cool things. But the most important thing for us was to always find ways to get back in the community,” Isaacs said.

#Isaacs recently completed his second season in the Frontier League and is set to join a new cub – the Lake Eerie Crushers – in the 2023 season.

#In 50 games with the New Jersey Jackals, he totalled .327 batting average with 70 hits, including nine home runs, 34 RBI, scored 45 runs, with 22 stolen bases, slugging .505 with a .300 OBP.

#One of the seminal moments of the MLB season came on April 10 when Fox made his debut with the Washington Nationals to become the ninth Bahamian to reach the Major Leagues.

#In the final week of Spring Training, Fox was recalled from the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate (Rochester Red Wings) to the big league club and had an immediate opportunity at the opening week roster after several injuries to veterans in the Washington middle infield.

#When the Nationals hosted the Miami Marlins on April 27, Fox and Jazz Chisholm Jr became the first pair of Bahamas-born players to appear in the same MLB game in over 50 years.

#According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other pair of Bahamians to play in the same game were Andre Rodgers and Tony Curry, who faced each other six times during the 1960 and 1961 seasons.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/01/dont-blink-home-run-derby-set/?news

As of Wednesday, November 2, 2022

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#KENTON Roker came to town from Grand Bahama and won the New Providence Cycling Association’s Catch Me If You Can Cycling Road Race on Sunday in Clifton Pier.

#In the last official road race for the season, Roker was too much to handle as he wasn’t caught by the rest of the field.

#Jeff Tynes was second, Barron Musgrove Jr was third, Felix Neely fourth and Kevin Daley rounded out the top five.

#NPCA president Barron ‘Turbo’ Musgrove said although they experienced their share of challenges this year coming out of the COVID-19 restrictions, the cycling community was very supportive in making it an exciting season.

#“We had a very good year. In New Providence, we saw a lot more people coming out to cycle,” Musgrove said.

#“So we are trying to target those people in terms of getting them into cycling. The New Providence Cycling Association wants to be more innovative to get more cyclists involved.

#“Next year, we want to have more community rides, more fun rides and we want to get into more parts of the islands so that we can attract cyclists from different parts of the island. So we will be speaking to more of the community leaders, neighbourhood watch and some of the MPs to join us as we do these rides.”

#Musgrove said the NPCA and the Bahamas Cycling Federation, headed by Roy Colebrooke, will now switch its attention to mountain bike cycling where they will be able to go into different turfs off the road to compete.

#“Hopefully we can see even more participation because the bikes are even more cheaper than the road bikes,” Musgrove said. “We also don’t have to deal with all of the traffic on the streets. So we’re looking at having more off road bikes with the mountain bikes in racing in areas like parks and other areas.

#“We started off the year strong in road racing and we finished strong. That is the main point.

#“We hope to do the same thing with our mountain bike racing.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/02/kenton-roker-wins-catch-me-if-you-can-cycling-race/?news

As of Wednesday, November 2, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the P1 AquaX Bahamas World Championship will return to the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island this weekend.

#Dubbed the GOAT or the Greatest of All Time by friends, colleagues and fellow competitors, the three-day event is scheduled from Friday to Sunday and will conclude the P1 AquaX personal watercraft race season with a mix of more than 30 professional and amateur riders from North America, the Caribbean and Western Europe.

#According to Jason Spencer, the vice president of marketing, special events and entertainment, the championships will begin with a series of qualifying races on Saturday starting at 11am with the gates opening from 10am and will wrap up on Sunday with the finals scheduled to start at noon and the awards presentation at 7:30pm.

#“The site is looking very great and there is a lot of excitement on the property and around the island,” Spencer said. “The contestants and the drivers are on property. We expect that this will be a great weekend.”

#Veteran rider Chris MacClugage, considered the sport’s most decorated and highest winning world champion, will be one the favourites at this year’s P1 AquaX and Pro Enduro champion Jimmy Wilson from North Carolina..

#Jimmy Wilson’s Broward Motorsports team-mate Dustin Farthing from Georgia and 2021 Pro class champion Erminio Iantosca will also be serious contenders at the event, according to AquaX. Thomas Favolini “The Flying Frenchman” , will also return to Nassau after the 2019 World Championship where mechanical problems knocked out his ski, while Jay Finlinson from Northern Indiana will be vying for the Amateur International Cup in the AM 300 Class. The event will be broadcast in the United States on the Bally Sports Regional Networks and CBS Sports Network, with international coverage on leading sports channels in more than 100 million homes in over 50 countries.

#This is the second year that the championships will be staged at Paradise.

#But after taking a two-year break after the initial championships in 2019, Spencer said they are looking forward to putting on another amazing event for the world to see.

#“We plan to put on an unique offering that guests don’t get to see on a normal basis,” Spencer said. “The P1 AquaX Bahamas World Championship is one of those events. So our guests are excited about this event. “In addition to watching these exciting races, our team here does an amazing job just setting up that area out there and having the food trucks and beverage outlets, so it’s going to be fun. We look forward to hosting it again this year.”

#All of the racing can be viewed free of charge.

#For Spencer, it’s a significant event for Atlantis as it continues to be labelled as the leader in hosting major international competitions in the Bahamas.

#“It’s special for Atlantis and just for the Bahamas in general to continually be recognised as an ideal and targeted destination for these types of events where everyone across the world can come and enjoy the Bahamas,” he stated.

#“This is a beautiful place. We have a great infrastructure and staff to host these types of events and we are seeing this more and more with these types of events coming to the Bahamas and particularly here at Atlantis.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/02/p1-aquax-bahamas-world-championship-returns-atlant/?news

OAKTREE Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer Don Deveaux presents a $300,000 cheque to BAAA president Drumeco Archer as other members look on.

As of Wednesday, November 2, 2022

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OAKTREE Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer Don Deveaux speaks about their sponsorship.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH the return of the CARIFTA Games in April to the Bahamas for the ninth time in 50 years, the Oaktree Medical Center came on board as the major sponsor with a donation of $300.000.

#The presentation was made by Oaktree Medical Center’s Director Sr Don Deveaux and his wife, Kristi, the general manager, made the presentation to the CARIFTA Local Organising Committee’s chief executive officer Lynden Maycock.

#Among those present were Mike Sands, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC), under whose jurisdiction the games fall under; Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and Rev. Harrison Thompson, a consultant at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

#After prayers were offered by Pastor Vaughn Cash and a rendition was made by Nikita Thompson, Deveaux made the cheque presentation, saying that while it appears to be a “large amount of money, saying the lives of our youth is priceless.”

#He noted that he and his wife stand as strong advocates of sports and youth develop and the CARIFTA Games embodies strength, unity and team work. He noted they are not self-made and have crossed the finish line on their own, but they stand on the shoulders of so many who have selfishly helped to make this archipelago a world-class gem.

#“When thinking about making a sound investment, some may say, why not technology, why not other important areas,” Deveaux said. “For us here at Oaktree Medical Center, we believe, not only in caring and providing compassionate medical care, but most importantly we believe in investing in the human capital, investing in the human soul, which to us represents the youth of this nation.”

#Sports, according to Deveuax, has the power to change lives, so they want to start with the youth.

#“If we don’t pour into them, how can we build the future,” he asserted. “The social decadence that we have seen throughout the country over the years is contributed to the lack of youth development, so why not change that.”

#Since the games got started in 1972, Deveaux said founder Austin Sealy started something that caught a fire and since 1977 when they honoured him, the Bahamas has won eight of the Austin Sealy awards as the most outstanding athlete for each of the past 48 editions of the games.

#He congratulated Maryann Higgs-Clarke (1978), Lavern Eve (1982-1983), Pauline Davis-Thompson (1984), Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (1995), Anthonique Strachan (2011-12) and Shaunae Miller-Uibo (2013), who are strong women and four of them were St Augustine’s College alumnus like himself.

#“This donation truly represents a sacrifice,” he said. “Many people see the success, but the sacrifices that goes on behind the scene. My wife Kristi and I believe that success requires faith, hard work and dedication. We believe that through God, we can heal this nation through life-changing events like the CARIFTA Games.”

#He said Oaktree Medical Center is a community centre and as the Bahamas has struck gold in hosting the 50th anniversary of the games, they are delighted to work with the organising committee and the government of the Bahamas to see the event become a success.

#“Thanks again for the partnership. Our team here at Oaktree is ready and excited for this event to come together,” he said. “We invite the country and corporate Bahamas and Caricom to support this initiative.

#“Together, we are limitless. God bless the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Come go with us. Let’s cross the finish line together.”

#Maycock, playing a rendition of a song that will be the war cry for the Bahamas as they go after the Jamaicans and the Trinidadians at the games and he ensured Deveaux that the Lord will enlarge his territory because of the tremendous donation that he made to the LOC for CARIFTA 2023.

#“Dr Deveaux would have given 10 percent of what the team will be receiving this year in sponsorship,” Maycock said. “That sponsorship level is three million dollars from corporate Bahamas.

#“November 30th, those financial statements will be posted for the Bahamian people to see where their money will be spent. So for the first time the people of the Bahamas will be able to go to the CARIFTA website page and see how their monies will be spent.”

#Maycock said they anticipate the Bahamas government providing funding for the capital works, but the support of corporate Bahamas will take care of the operations of the games, which he described will be like none ever held.

#“Oaktree Medical Center is a world-class medical facility that provides high quality, holistic patient centred, affordable medical services,” Maycock said.

#“As the emblem of their logo, the Oaktree represents strength and resilience. Oaktree Medical Center is a shade for those who need help and support.”

#Sands said he’s delighted to be a part of the historic presentation by Oaktree to the LOC for CARIFTA 2023.

#“In my knowledge, this is the first time that a medical institute has come on board to the extent that Oaktree has come on board,” Sands said. “Again, I want to thank you on behalf of NACAC, which encompasses 36 nations in the region.”

#He noted that he found one of the original founders of CARIFTA, which came out of Caricom, and he intends to introduce the Trinidadian to the Bahamas when the games are held here in April, along with Austin Sealy, whom many regard as the founder of the games.

#“This is going to be the most exciting CARIFTA Games that we have ever had,” Sands stated.

#“I’m satisfied that these CARIFTA Games will be the best ever and I want to congratulate the LOC executive officer Lynden Maycock and his team for the tremendous work that they are doing.”

#Archer said while we live in a country whenever you turn on the television, there’s always a report about crime and the heinous events that take place in what he calls the Goliath of our day. But he noted that the Deveauxs have become the David in their commitment to the country. “He (Don) has an amazing story and if he had to tell you his story, he was a troubled boy, who was put out of school from the Bahamas Baptist College and he went to St Augustine’s College, but his family had financial challenges attending SAC,” Archer said.

#“It was a time in his life when things went very low and he has emerged from being hopeless to seeing a ray of hope. Through hard work, we all can achieve it. Track and field is no different. It’s a sport rich with culture and heritage, but it is also a sport where we attract the grassroot every day.”

#With the assistance of companies like Oaktree Medical Center, the BAAA is able to carry out its mandate to assist in the development of these athletes and he commended the Deveauxs for making their contribution to CARIFTA 2023.

#Rev. Thompson, in joining in the chorus in saluting the Deveauxs and Oaktree, called it a tremendous blessing on their behalf to support the young people and the country’s athletes.

#“If ever a time we need corporate citizens to come on board and support the athletes, the time is now,” Thompson said.

#“So on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture and by extension, the government of the Bahamas, we want to say sir, congratulations.

#“And as we go into our 50th anniversary of the Bahamas and the 50th anniversary of the Bahamas that the Bahamas will bring home gold this year in our golden anniversary.

#“To our friends in the Caribbean, we invite you to come. We want you to come and enjoy the scenery and everything, but you will get beat.”

#“Golden Girl” Tonique Williams, who heads the media team for the LOC, said she had met the Deveauxs and the entire Oaktree team and she was very impressed with the work that they are doing.

#“He spoke extensively about his work here and Oaktree Medical. There’s so much that he’s doing, but he was able to share from his heart. When I heard that Oaktree Medical was the title sponsor, just reiterated what I already felt,” she said.

#“This is a business, led by Don and his wife, who have a heart for people and they have a heart for the youth. So I’m proud to stand beside him as he donates this cheque to CARIFTA where I tell people I got my start right here at CARIFTA in 1992. CARIFTA was what really propelled me in track and field and so I want to say congratulations to you and your entire team.”

#An emotional Kennedy Knowles, a student of St John’s College and a member of the Red Line Athletics Track Club, headed by Tito Moss, said it’s just an honour to be a part of the track and field and hopefully the team that will represent the Bahamas at the games.

#“I feel having the games here is going to be very exciting. We haven’t had it since 2018, so I’m looking forward to running in the trials and hopefully I can make the team,” she said. “It’s here, so I believe our athletes will show up and show out. So I’m really excited that it’s going to be here.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/nov/02/oaktree-medical-center-hops-board-carifta-title-pa/?news