As of Friday, June 23, 2023

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TENNIS ACE MARVIN ROLLE.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#MARVIN Rolle remembers when he made his debut on the men’s Davis Cup team in 2001 at the tender age of 16. Now, as the elder statesman of over 20 years as a player/captain, he’s being honoured for his longevity.

#On Wednesday as the Bahamas competed in the American Zone III tie in Paraguay, Rolle was one of six persons recognised for their achievement by their respective countries by the International Tennis Federation.

#“It’s definitely an honour getting the award. It’s definitely an honour representing the Bahamas,” Rolle said. “I remember my first Davis Cup tie against Chile and Marcelo Rios and Fernando Gonzalez.

#“I teamed up with Mark Knowles sand Roger Smith and I think BJ Munroe. I could still remember that tie when I came out with this yellow cotton shirt. It was a funny shirt. They called me the bumble bee. That was pretty exciting.”

#During his tenure, Rolle has been nominated for a total of 26 ties. He has played in 62 matches and has amassed a 14-15 win-loss record in singles and 29-22 in doubles for a total of 43-37.

#The Davis Cup recognized Rolle for his 25th nomination to Team Bahamas, having played for 15 consecutive years. He was recognized for his tennis strength, skill and class.

#Rolle said he enjoyed his time as a member of Team Bahamas, either a a player or the captain. Now in his role as the player/captain in Paraguay, Rolle said he intent to play until he’s beaten out of the opportunity to make the team.

#As a second generation player, following in the footsteps of his father, legendary Leo Rolle, the 39-year-old Rolle said he never envisioned he would have had the incredible career that he had so far.

#“I’ve represented the Bahamas for so long that I’ve been there so many players,” Rolle said. “I’ve been through it all. I’ve played with so many players.”

#The list include Mark Knowles, Roger Smith, Mark Merklein, BJ Munroe, Lavaughn, Munroe, Dentry Mortimer, Devin Mullings, Timothy Neely, Jamaal Adderley, H’Cone Thompson, Jared Turnquest, Ryan Sweeting, Chris Eldon, Matthew Sands, Spencer and Baker Newman, Kevin Major Jr, Philip Major Jr, Rodney Carey, Jodi Turnquest, Justin Lunn, Justin Roberts, Donte Armbrister and Denali Nottage.

#“It’s been a pleasure playing with everybody. We had our ups and downs, but more ups than downs,” he reflected. “Just being on the team with those guys was a pleasure.

#“We had some fun times. If I had to do it all over again, I definitely would.”

#If there were any highlights for him, Rolle said it would have been going to so many different countries.

#“The highlight was having the Bahamas on your back because you’re not just representing yourself. You are now representing close to four hundred thousand people,” he pointed out. “So it’s definitely a lot of honor.

#“People might think it’s a heavy load to carry, but when you love your country so much, it’s pretty easy. So, definitely the highlight is always playing for the country.”

#When he got started, Rolle said he remember only having to worry sbout leaving his parents, Leo and Erica Rolle st home. Now he have his own family, including his wife, Jem, and daughter Sariyah,

#“The low points, there wasn’t much, except for losing some close matches. And spending long hours on the plane., Coming here to Paraguay, we had to spend eight hours on the plane and there is a six hour lay over. The traveling is a low point.”

As of Friday, June 23, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE I-BAP (Bahamas Athletic Pride) programme will host its fifth edition of The Show: All-Star Survival starting June 25 until July 2.

#The event is set to commence with an opening church service on Sunday to kick off the series of events for the All-Star week leading up to the Top 100 combine and All-Star series.

#The Top 100 combine and All-Star series will get underway at the Banker’s Field, Baillou Hill Sporting Complex for three divisions. This year’s divisions are 13 and under, 16 and under and 19 and under.

#The Top 100 event will be a first for softball in the country and will showcase the prowess of athletes while raising more awareness for illnesses and social issues.

#Dachye Stubbs, director of softball for the International Elite Sports Academy, talked about the importance of the top 100 combine set for June 29.

#“The Top 100 combine or showcase is typically where athletes showcase their athletic skills, including speed, power, strength and agility to identify the top players for the sport and in this instance, The Bahamas,” Stubbs said.

#She said it is also essential for softball players as it puts them in good standing for high-level recruiting, especially if their metrics are good.

#Each of the participants will compete in a number of drills and based on the criteria and their performances will be ranked 1-100 overall per age division and island.

#Although the event is staged to highlight the skills of softball players, since the start in June 2018 it is also hosted to bring awareness to illnesses and social issues in society.

#The director of softball said bringing awareness to these things prompts the children to know more about them as well.

#“We wanted to raise awareness to illnesses and social issues that affect women and children. As global minorities, there is a greater disadvantage for us, it prompts the kids themselves to do research about whatever they are representing,” she said.

#Stubbs said it also gives individuals suffering from these illnesses or social issues a beacon of hope and a greater sense of knowing that they are sane.

#Some of the team names this year will include teams breast cancer, lupus, autism, sickle cell, gender based violence, child abuse and mental health.

#Despite the last hosting of this event happening in May 2021, event organisers said that fans will be in for a real treat as the talent pool contains softball players from high school, and college.

#“Fans can expect high-level softball play and coaching as we move into the weekend where we play the talent filled all-star series…the talent pool is so good you can’t call it in advance each all star series comes down to the wire in determining a winner every year,” Stubbs said.

#The I-BAP softball program is a part of the International Sports Academy and has been responsible for securing professional sports contracts and collegiate scholarships for athletes and assisted high-school student athletes with financial aid.

#Over the years the program has expanded since its start with 26 girls and 6 coaches to 100 girls and over 20 coaches this year. The program has blossomed from New Providence to showcasing athletes from Grand Bahama, Abaco, Long Island, Exuma, and Eleuthera. The program aims to have at least one player and coach from each major island in the upcoming years.

#Individuals interested in witnessing the best youth in softball can watch the Top 100 combine and all star series at the Banker’s Field at a cost of $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and under.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas victorious over Panama 2-0 to stay in Group IIISports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 26, 2023 91 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After dropping their first three ties to start the Davis Cup tournament, The Bahamas found its winning ways and ended the tournament with its second straight win with a 2-0 victory over Panama in the promotional playoffs, to remain in Group III at the Club Internacional de Tenis in Asuncion, Paraguay on Saturday.

The Bahamas came into the day in fourth position in Group III Pool B with a 1-3 win/loss record. Panama was fourth in Pool A with a 0-3 record and did not win a set all tournament. The fourth-place teams in each pool were playing for a chance to remain in Group III since a chance to be promoted to Group II slipped away.

Playing on the clay courts, The Bahamas’ team of Denali Nottage, Kevin Major Jr., Donte Armbrister and Marvin Rolle ensured that Panama stayed winless in the tournament and did not let them win a set. The doubles team of Armbrister and Rolle was not needed on the court, as Nottage and Major were superb in the singles for The Bahamas.

Taking the court first in number two singles was Nottage. The rookie got his first Davis Cup match win on Thursday in the tie against Honduras. Saturday saw him playing against Luis Ching. He quickly disposed of the Panamanian in less than an hour when he came away with a 6-1 and 6-3 victory.

The Bahamian won the first four games in the first set to take a convincing 4-0 lead. Ching won the next game and Nottage won the next two games to take the 6-1 victory. The second set was more competitive as Nottage held a 2-1 lead after the first three games. Nottage then took a 4-3 lead before ending the set on a two-game win streak.

Nottage won 79 percent of his first serve points in the match. Nottage won 61 total points compared to Ching’s 37 points.

Major was in action in the number one singles slot against Luis Gomez. He took down the Panamanian 6-3 and 6-4 to clinch the tie victory for The Bahamas. Major was efficient in dismantling his opponent coming away with 88 percent of his first serve points compared to his opponent who won 68 percent of his first serve points.

The first set saw Major jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead before Gomez tried to make it an interesting game as Major leading 5-3 as the two battled. Major won the next game to claim the 6-3 first set win. The second set saw Major facing a better version of Gomez as the match was tied at three games apiece. After the match was tied at four games each, Major put a stop to the match when he won 6-4 in that set.

Prior to winning their tie against Honduras 3-0 on Thursday, The Bahamas lost 0-3 to Costa Rica on Wednesday, which was a follow-up from a 0-3 loss to the host country on Tuesday. The Bahamians lost the first match on Monday, 1-2, to the Dominican Republic.

The tournament wrapped up on Saturday.

 Home|Sports|Champions crowned in baseball nationalsSports

Freedom Farm won three divisions

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 26, 2023 565 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After four days of action, the Bahamas Baseball Association National Baseball Championships are in the books and champions from six divisions were crowned as games were played at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium and the Blue Hills Softball Complex as action wrapped up yesterday. Action began on Thursday.

Freedom Farm won three out of five divisions as the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) and Grand Bahama won a division each. The 18-and-under (18U) division championship game between JBLN and Freedom Farm was not finished up to press time.

One of the tightly contested games of the day saw the JBLN 14U team emptying their bullpen to get the slim 11-10 victory over Freedom Farm to win that title on the weekend.

Jordan Miller was able to secure the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his heroics on the mound in stopping the Freedom Farm’s come back in the sixth and final inning.

Ken Adderley, manager of JBLN team, spoke about his team’s comeback victory.

“We just had to cut down on our errors because we played this team yesterday and we know we could have beat them once we had less errors,” Adderley said. “We needed to play the fundamentals, so we could beat that team. We just had to keep fighting and once we did that, we knew they were going to make the mistakes and errors.”

Freedom Farm led 6-0 at the end of the fourth inning and looked to be on the way to a shutout victory. A break in the game caused by an umpire change was what JBLN needed as they scored six runs at the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at six runs. Freedom Farm scored one run in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the 7-6 lead. The top of the sixth inning saw JBLN scoring five runs to take the 11-7 advantage.

JBLN needed to pitch and defend well to win the game. The pitching was off for JBLN early in that inning as Freedom Farm batters were walked with bases loaded. Miller took to the mound after JBLN led 11-9. He gave up one run before he found his footing to give his team the win.

The 12U game saw Grand Bahama taking home their only trophy to the second city with an 11-4 win over JBLN. The win also means that they will represent The Bahamas at the Caribbean Little League World Series Qualifiers set for July. Manager for the Grand Bahama team, Donovan Cox, was happy to take the trophy to Grand Bahama.

“These boys worked for this and the hard work paid off. My pitcher, Malique Israel, is a work horse and it shows – remember the name,” Cox said. “The plan was to represent The Bahamas and it feels great to get the opportunity. The work is not done and we have to get these guys ready.”

There was no doubt that Israel was going to be the MVP as he pitched all six innings and had 18 strikeouts and gave up just four runs. He also played a role on the batting side coming away 2-for-3 at-bat and had two runs batted in.

Freedom Farm walked away with the 16U division as they took care of Legacy Baseball League out of Grand Bahama 11-2. Freedom Farm’s manager, Ray Stubbs, was confident that his players were going to get the win.

“We had a great tournament,” Stubbs said. “The boys had a slow start, but they were able to play Freedom Farm baseball. The players know each other a long time and they fed off of each other and they gel well.”

Winning the 10U division was Freedom Farm. They blanked the Legacy team 12-0 in a dominating victory. It was a foregone conclusion after the first inning when they went up 9-0. They had six hits in the game.

The MVP was won by Freedom Farm’s first baseman Carmelo Wallace.

The 8U coach pitch division also went like the 10U with Freedom Farm winning convincingly. This time, they took care of JBLN with an 11-3 victory. They did most of their damage in the first three innings scoring three, five and three runs, respectively.

Freedom Farm’s Christian King won the MVP for that division. He went 3-for-3, had three RBIs and one run.

Next year’s edition of the baseball nationals will be held on Grand Bahama.

 Home|Sports|BCF hosts exciting Warren Seymour Chess ClassicSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 27, 2023 37 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The results of the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic demonstrate that the future of chess in The Bahamas is bright. The Warren Seymour Classic is an open tournament at which junior and senior players square off against each other. The open category in chess refers to a competition in which anyone can participate regardless of age or experience. The Warren Seymour Chess Classic is the first of four qualifiers in the Bahamas Chess Federation’s (BCF) 2023 Open Chess Series.

The tournament took place over the weekend. Round one kicked off Saturday morning, followed by an intense three rounds of competition that afternoon. Rounds four and five continued on Sunday. The event was sponsored by the Sports Center and Colina Insurance.

Noah Albury seized the title of winner of the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic for the second year in a row, winning all of his games. His win qualified him for the 2024 Bahamas National Chess Championship. Shawn Barker finished second, also qualifying for the 2024 nationals. Curtis Pride Jr. placed third.

The Warren Seymour Classic took place in a five-round Swiss format, a game in 60 minutes plus five seconds per move. The Warren Seymour Classic is FIDE (International Chess Federation) rated. The 2024 Bahamas National Chess Championship is scheduled to be held in January 2024.

The 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic was also a qualifier for the Pan American Youth Chess Festival in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and the CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Youth Chess Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. The first place finishers in the junior sections (under-8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18) qualified to attend the prestigious international global tournaments.

The Warren Seymour Classic is named in honor of Bahamian Warren Seymour. Seymour committed over 30 years of his life to growing the sport of chess in The Bahamas and contributing to the development of hundreds of young Bahamians. During his prime, Seymour selflessly visited over 30 schools per month, training young men and women in critical thinking and helping them to develop good decision making skills. Without any financial gain, he also taught chess at correctional facilities and assisted in the rehabilitation of prisoners.

“Congratulations to all our players,” said Curtis Pride, first vice president of the Bahamas Chess Federation (BCF) and director of tournaments. Pride continued: “It is encouraging to see so many of you come out to compete. There is a lot of work to do at the federation level but we are committed to hosting more local tournaments and also providing support for our players to travel to compete in international competitions. Travelling to international competitions is particularly important for local players as we have such a small pool of chess players locally. Our players have to travel in order to increase their ratings, compete for titles and move The Bahamas forward in the sport of chess. With the help of parents and Corporate Bahamas we will achieve our goals.”

International Arbiter Andre White served as chief arbiter for the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic. National Arbiter Angel Pride served as assistant arbiter.

Albury won with five points, and was also the top junior and finished first in the under-18 division. Jayla Cargill was the top female, finishing with three and a half points.

In the open section, Shawn Barker was second with four points. Curtis Pride Jr. placed third with three and a half points.

Caerwyn Turnquest won the under-eight category, Danica Rolle finished first in the under-10 category, Adrian Dean was first in the under-12 category, Chika Pride won the title in the under-14 category, and Avian Pride came out on top in the under-16 category. Albury won the title in the under-18 category.

 Home|Sports|CAC Games get underway in El SalvadorSports

Taylor, Gibbs finish seventh in men’s 100m free and 50m breast, respectively

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJune 27, 2023 103 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games is underway in San Salvador, El Salvador, and The Bahamas will be competing in a number of sporting disciplines.

A five-member swim team commenced action at the Complejo Acuático Ciudad Merliot in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, over the weekend.

Grand Bahamian Lamar Taylor was in action in the heats of the men’s 100 meters (m) free. He finished seventh in the final after qualifying seventh overall out of the heats, in 50.38 seconds. He swam 50.49 seconds in the heats, and was just off his personal best (PB) time and national record of 50.25 seconds that was set at the Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s National Swimming Championships last year.

In the women’s 100m breast, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson touched the wall in fifth place in her heat and qualified 10th overall in 1:15.52. She was just off her PB time of 1:15.45. In the ‘B’ final, Thompson swam 1:17.21 and finished tied for 11th overall.

There were a couple Bahamians in action in the men’s 100m breast. Emmanuel Gadson finished fifth in his heat and was 17th overall in a PB time of 1:05.87. Luke-Kennedy Thompson was one spot behind Gadson, finishing seventh in his heat and 18th overall in a new PB of 1:06.71. His previous PB was 1:07.88.

Taylor was back in the pool in the heats of the men’s 100m back on Monday. He was third in his heat and finished ninth overall in 58.19 seconds.

In the women’s 100m free, Thompson finished fifth in her heat and was 13th overall in 59 seconds flat.

The Bahamas’ final swimmer to experience action, Rhanishka Gibbs, competed in the women’s 50m breast final last night but the result was unavailable up to press time. She was third in her heat and qualified seventh overall in 33.26 seconds.

Taylor and Gadson were back in the pool, competing in the men’s 50m fly. Taylor was third in her heat and finished 10th overall in 24.96 seconds. Gadson was eighth in his heat and finished 23rd overall in a new PB time of 25.89 seconds.

In boxing, the only Bahamian to win a fight was Rashield Williams. Williams won his opening bout against Donnel Phillip, of Trinidad & Tobago, prevailing 4-1 at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de El Salvador, to advance to the quarterfinals in the light welterweight category.

In the quarters, Williams lost a unanimous decision to Cuban Erislandy Alvarez, 5-0.

Veteran Carl Hield took on Jhonatan Arboleda, of Colombia, in a light middleweight bout and lost a unanimous decision on points, 5-0.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up on July 8.

There are 51 athletes representing The Bahamas in 11 sporting disciplines – athletics, swimming, water polo, men’s basketball, women’s softball, boxing, equestrian, archery, beach soccer, judo and triathlon.

There are 20 officials for Team Bahamas.

 Home|Lifestyles|Grand Bahama News|Michael Strachan Football CampGrand Bahama News

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 27, 2023 18 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Last week, Grand Bahama was pleased to host Michael Strachan, wide receiver with the Indianapolis Colts, who was here on his home island to hold his first football camp with his sponsor Playtime Sports. Much to the delight of the 120 children who attended the free, one-day camp, Strachan brought with him two other National Football League (NFL) players, Tarik Black from the Baltimore Ravens, and Kemoko Turay from the San Francisco 49ers.

Strachan grew up in Freeport and is one of only four Bahamians to play in the NFL. He was a college football and track athlete at Charleston before being selected by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.  

The one-day camp ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The children were given lunch and a backpack of goodies from the organizers.  

Strachan also took time the day before to sign autographs for fans at Playtime Sports.  

Kudos to Michael Strachan, his family and sponsors for helping him give back to the Grand Bahama community. It’s great to see “sons of the soil” returning to support their country and, we hope, future players, too.

 Home|Sports|Bahamas Games tickets and merchandise available for saleSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 27, 2023 186 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

With just two weeks from the opening of the Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games, tickets and merchandise are now officially on sale. The Bahamas Games will be held from July 7-15, with the opening ceremony on Saturday, July 8.

There will be 14 sporting disciplines contested, and tickets are available online at thebahamasgames.org and in person at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting received the baton on behalf of Eleuthera, home of the Eleuthera Adventurers, as the stick continues to make its trip from island to island leading up to the opening ceremony for the sixth edition of the games.

The Bahamas Games, established in 1989, under the then-sports minister Peter J. Bethell, was the first of five games. The following games occurred in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 2001.

For this sixth edition, everyone is encouraged to show their national pride by wearing Bahamian colors during the games or sporting their favorite island team colors.

Bowleg provided an update on the Bahamas Games last Thursday, stating that over 3,000 athletes were registered and ready to participate.

According to the minister, patrons of this year’s games will be former Prime Minister Perry Christie, a former national track and field athlete, and Beverly Wallace-Whitfield. 

Chancellors of the games will include Craig Flowers and Dr. William Thompson.

Bowleg thanked all the staff of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Bahamas Games Secretariat, the sporting federations, volunteers, and both Bahamasair and Western Air, which will be providing air transportation for all of the athletes and officials from across The Bahamas, for their continued patronage and support.

Presently, more than 600 volunteers have signed up to assist with the successful execution of the games.

According to Bowleg, the Bahamas Games Secretariat and Independence Celebration Secretariat are working together to ensure that there will be no conflict with the events and activities scheduled for the 50th Golden Jubilee celebrations.

All morning sessions beginning at 9 a.m. will be free to all attendees. Evening sessions will start at 3 p.m., and relevant packages are available for purchase at the Kendal G. L. Isaacs National Gymnasium, along with merchandise.

Bahamians are encouraged to support their team of choice and come out and support the upcoming games.

The 10 teams forming the individual islands or grouping of islands include the Abaco Survivors, the Andros Chiccharnies, the Bimini and Berry Islands Marlins, the Columbus Isles Arawaks (Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador), the Eleuthera Adventurers, the Exuma & Ragged Island Navigators, the Grand Bahama Lucayans, the Long Island Sheep Runners, the MICAL Flamingoes (Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay) and the New Providence Buccaneers.

The upcoming games reflect the national theme for the nation’s 50th anniversary of independence, one of unity and progression as one people, as stated in the Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games’ slogan, “Our Nation, Our Islands, Our Games”.

The excitement for Bahamas Games 2023 is building, and everyone can participate and learn more about the games by going to the Bahamas Games website – thebahamasgames.org – or by following, liking and subscribing on social media for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @thebahamagames, or TikTok and YouTube @thebahamasgames.

Every Tuesday at 6 p.m., the public is encouraged to tune into the “Hype Tuesday” show streamed live on the Bahamas Games’ Facebook and YouTube channels to represent their island and team and show their support for who they feel will win the upcoming games.

For more information on how to participate in the games, or general information on the games, persons can call (242) 322-1029/69 or send an e-mail to info@thebahamasgames.org or bahamasgamessecretariat@gmail.com.

 Home|Sports|Abaco well represented at baseball nationals; treated to Fusion afterwardsSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 28, 2023 8 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The sport of baseball is alive and kicking on one of the most northerly islands in The Bahamas.

Abaco, the second largest island in The Bahamas, is best known as a yachtsman’s paradise, but this past weekend, youngsters from that island were swinging for the fences and making names for themselves at the Bahamas Baseball Association’s (BBA) Andre Rodgers National Baseball Championships.

The championships, which were spread out over four venues due to disruption from rain, was completed on Sunday. The Freedom Farm Baseball League won three of the six divisions – the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) captured two and the Grand Bahama Little League (GBLL) secured the other.

The Abaco Youth Baseball and Softball League played in two bronze medal games and had great representation in two others. They competed in the 10-and-under (10U), 12-and-under (12U), 14-and-under (14U) and 16-and-under (16U) divisions.

They played for the bronze in the 14U and 16U divisions, losing out to GBLL and JBLN, respectively.

“We’re so proud of those boys. They went out there and competed against the best competition in The Bahamas and they held their own against them,” said Troy Feaste, president of the Abaco Youth Baseball and Softball League. “For a lot of them, this was their first set of competition for the year, other than what they face in Abaco. It remains a work in progress with them.

“The important thing is that they are developing, and we could see the improvement. The level of competition they faced this past weekend is welcomed. Overall, they played very well. They gave it their all and competed fiercely against more established leagues like Freedom Farm and JBLN. We were able to evaluate them and we could see where they got better. We’re already planning for next year,” he added.

After completing four days of competition, the 50-member crew from Abaco were treated to Sunday brunch at Fusion Superplex by Buttons Formal Wear, a past sponsor of a team in local baseball league play. Buttons Formal Wear won four senior national baseball titles in the 1990s.

Tommy Stubbs, who played the catcher’s position on all of those teams and his team at Buttons Formal Wear, provided the treat for the young Abaconians on Sunday. His wife, Makeva, brother, Danny, and daughter, Ashley, greeted the youngsters at Fusion Superplex.

“Tommy Stubbs, thank you for your support and hospitality at Fusion on Sunday night,” said Feaste. “Our boys had a good time after participating in the Bahamas Baseball Association’s nationals. We, in the Abaco Youth Baseball and Softball League, salute Buttons Formal Wear and we appreciate your support.”

Feaste also offered thanks to Fusion Superplex for accommodating them.

As for the baseball nationals, he said that Abaco will be well represented again next year when the event is held in the nation’s second city – Freeport, Grand Bahama.

 Home|Sports|All-Pro Weekend camp receives huge supportSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 28, 2023 25 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The second Bahamas All-Pro Weekend Instructional Football Camp took place on Saturday, receiving an overwhelming support from the campers who showed up and enjoyed themselves at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

Several current and former National Football League (NFL) players including Bahamian and Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Michael Strachan and Arizona Cardinals’ cornerback Rashad Fenton, who has Bahamian roots, served as instructors. Also serving as an instructor was Graham Knowles, son of Bahamian tennis legend Mark Knowles’, a quarterback who recently committed to play at Georgia Tech after his final year of high school.

One of the organizers of the camp, Arthur Johnson, said that they wanted to give the participants a very good experience at the one-day camp.

“It is a tremendous effort, thanks to the help of BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company) and other sponsors who all came together to put this event together. This camp is a chance for the Bahamian kids to get a true NFL experience with NFL players. I hope that it helped to develop their skills for them to see if this is something they truly want to pursue. There is not that many camps for this sport in The Bahamas,” Johnson said.

The campers had a lively warmup from former Boise State lineman Alex Guerrero, which included a 40-yard dash. They were then broken up into stations that included one for quarterback drills, another for receiver techniques, one for defensive back drills and another for running back drills.

Strachan, who was in Grand Bahama hosting his own camp the day before, said that he was happy to be in New Providence to see all the kid putting in work.

“It is exciting to see the kids out here ready to work. We worked with them and showed them the techniques and fundamentals of the game. Giving back in general is important and I’m from The Bahamas so it is always in my heart to give whether on or off the field,” Strachan said.

He added that he hopes to see the sport played in high schools in The Bahamas one day.

Guerrero did the warmups with the campers and brought a lot of energy to the camp. Now in his second year with the camp, he likes the athleticism and work ethic that he saw again.

“I want them to fall in love with the sport the same way I fell in love with it,” Guerrero said. “This is a way for me to pass on my blessings. There is tremendous talent and energy. The Bahamian people have the athleticism and work ethic. I think it takes an opportunity that Strachan and Fenton had. It takes commitment, so this is one more step for these guys to achieve what their dreams.”

The younger Knowles did the passing drills at the quarterback station.

“I am very grateful to bring football to this community and showcase how much fun the sport is. I wanted to teach them the basics. I taught them some drills and how to be a god player and respond to situations,” Knowles said.

Fenton said he was happy to be back to his roots with an opportunity to share his knowledge and time with young Bahamian kids. He taught them how to play defense from a defensive back position.

“I taught them the regular defensive positions and how to get into a stance. I taught them how to operate moving backwards instead of forward,” he said.

For some of the campers it was their second time at the camp, and they enjoyed working with the instructors. Both male and female campers were in attendance.