As of Friday, May 5, 2023

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PRO boxer Carl Hield.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#As the lone ranger representing the Bahamas at the International Boxing Association’s World Boxing Championships, Carl Hield’s run didn’t last past his first bout.

#Competing in the 67-71 kilogram or light middleweight division, Hield went down 5-0 on points in the split/majority decision to Boniface Manina of Kenya on Wednesday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

#“After three action-packed rounds, to his stunning surprise, his opponent was declared the winner,” said Boxing Federation president Vincent Strachan. “Being fully aware of the scoring process, I have no doubt that he should have won.”

#Veteran Hield, making his third appearance at the championships, was originally scheduled to travel with Rashield Williams and Tyrone Oliver. But the federation removed Williams from the team because of disciplinary actions and Oliver was recently shot to death.

#Hield said despite not having any other Bahamian travelling to support him, he patted himself on his back for having the ability to rise to the occasion and compete at such a high level considering all he went through. He was referring to the fact that his mother, who was his number one supporter, passed away at the beginning of the year and he had to rally himself in the gym to continue to fight in her memory.

#“To be able to recover from that situation with my mom passing and to get myself ready to get back into the gym a month later to get ready for this tournament, I feel pretty good about myself,” Hield said.

#However, he said without the support of God, he would not have been able to step into the ring and perform the way he did.

#“I executed the way I should. I set up my game plan, but I didn’t get the decision,” Hield said. “I will just use the rest of my time here to prepare for the Central American and Caribbean Games in June so that I can get some sparring from the other boxers around the world.”

#After the fight, Hield said he had an opportunity to lodge a protest, but because he didn’t have any other representative from the Bahamas, as a boxer, he was unable to do so. “I still feel happy that I was able to carry the flag,” Hield said. “I just have to prepare for the CAC Games and the Pan American Games. Hopefully I will be able to perform much better than I did here. I mean, I performed very well, but I just didn’t get the decision.”

#As he looks ahead to the two other major tournaments on the horizon, Hield said he’s anticipating getting in some more matches so that he can be able to withstand any pressure that is applied to him in the ring at the major championships.

#Hield will remain in Uzbekistan training until May 15.

http://sportsinthebahamas.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

ON THE FAST TRACK: Primary and high school students compete in the Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association’s two-day track and field meet at the original Thomas A Robinson stadium yesterday. Photo: Tenajh Sweeting

As of Thursday, May 4, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#The Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association (BSAA) hosted a two-day meet at the original Thomas A Robinson stadium which ended yesterday.

#Teleos came out on top of the high school division and Kingsway Academy emerged victorious for the primary schools. Teleos Christian School led all combined scores for another BSAA championship win with 1,097 points after two days of action.

#Greenville Prep Academy secured the second place position in the competition with 794 points. Third place belonged to Believers Faith Christian Academy who collected 627 points. This year’s BSAA championships included an under 7, 9, 11 and 13 for the lower schools and the under 15, 17 and 20 divisions for the high schools.

#Emerett Taylor, secretary general of BSAA, talked about this year’s track and field championships.

#He said this year’s championships had some stiff competition between the schools as the teams really battled hard to see who would be crowned champions.

#He added that it’s always good to see the athletes of the smaller schools compete at the championships, especially after seeing five of their athletes compete at the 50th CARIFTA Games.

#High School Division

#Nevaeh Mackey notched a pair of first place finishes in both the girls 400m and 800m finals. In the 400, she bested her competitors with a time of 1:03.86. For the long distance race, she claimed first place after clocking 2:57.40.

#The Teleos athletes were also victorious in the girls’ 4x100m relay finals. Their team crossed the line with 59.49. Believers Faith followed behind with 1:00.50 for second place finish. Third place belonged to Greenville Prep with 1:00.51.

#In the girls 4x400m finals, the Cherubims blitzed the competition with a time of 5:15.72. Greenville Prep this time earned second place in the race in 5:30.80. San Pedro International capped off the race in third. Teleos took home first place honours in the boys’ 4x100m relays with 54.05 to narrowly edge out Believers Faith who finished 0.04 seconds behind. Greenville Prep secured third place with 55.00.

#Following the momentum of the girls, the Teleos boys’ 4x400m relay finals saw the school nab yet another first place finish.

#The team crossed the finish line far before the competition with 4:37.91. Greenville followed behind with 5:00.00. Believers Faith notched third place with 5:20.54.

#Lathone Collie, head coach of Teleos, talked about how impressed he was with his team.

#“We dominated track for a number of years but it’s good to see the amount of young talent coming out today just to showcase what we can do as a school,” Collie said.

#The coach said he was very impressed with his athletes, especially the younger ones that are up and coming.

#He added that he is grateful to give back to his alma mater because he did not have the coaching when he attended the school, therefore he is happy to teach them the ins and outs of track and field.

#In more under-15 action, the Teleos Cherubims’ Malachi Davis edged out the pair of Believers Faith athletes to finish first in the 200m finals.

#The one-two punch of Raven Young and Azaria Anderson finished first and second respectively for the Cherubims. Young clocked 1:11.77 meanwhile, her schoolmate ran 1:18.58 in the 400m finals.

#The duo bested Greenville Prep’s Khassidy Campbell for third.

#Anderson followed up her 400m win with another, this time in the 800m finals. She outran Greenville Prep’s pair of Jordin Forbes and Khassidy Campbell to finish first in the long distance race. The boys 800m finals belonged to Teleos once again as Dennis Black completed a feat similar to his schoolmate. The under 17 competitor bested the Greenville duo of Jahmar Gibson and Lashawn Wright to take home the victory.The girls 1500m finals only had two registered competitors. Jazmine Bonas of Teleos finished first in 9:15.58 and Jordin Forbes notched 9:30.85 to complete the track event. For the boys, Teleos’ Desir Bien and D Black dominated for first and second place finishes. Greenville’s Tachi Rolle trailed behind the pair to take home third.

#The defending champions got a win in the under 17 girls 4x400m relays after defeating their lone competitor Lighthouse Prep. The winning team finished in 6:41.13 and the latter wrapped up in 7:40.58. The boys relay team also brought home the victory in the same event after running 4:12.77.

#Teleos were once again dominant but this time in the under 20 division. The school secured wins in the girls 400m, 800m, and 1500m finals courtesy of CARIFTA team member Jazmin Mackey. Additionally, the school collected more first place finishes in the girls and boys 4x400m relays, girls shot put, girls javelin throw, girls and boys high jump, boys 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m finals.

#Primary

#Faithway and Kingsway Academy exchanged victories on the final day of the two-day BSAA meet in the primary division.

#In the under 7 division, Kingsway’s Summer Strachan emerged as the victor with 10.34 in the girls 50m dash. Teleos’ Hanna Brook finished second and Strachan’s fellow schoolmate Amila Munning nabbed third.

#For the boys, Kingsway’s Leslie Munning completed the 50m finals in 9 seconds flat. Faithway’s Christian Gibson joined him for second and Kingsway’s Zayne Sands wrapped up with third.

#Strachan once again collected another first place win as she finished in 18.17 in the girls 100m finals. She was once again followed by Hanna Brook of Teleos. However, third place this time went to Ry’Anne Jolly of Faithway.

#Leslie Munning, similar to Strachan, won the boys’ 100m finals after running 17.29. Faithway’s Frederick Rolle finished behind for second and Greenville’s Carlos Butler came in third.

#In the under 9 division, Seth Bowe outran his competitors in the boys 100m finals. The young athlete finished in 16.24. Second place belonged to Ameer Wright of Faithway and third went to San Pedro’s Deno Campbell.

#Chase Smith, winner of under 9 200m finals, bested his competitors to bring home the win for Kingsway. Deno Campbell nabbed second for San Pedro meanwhile, David Bien notched third for Teleos.

#Kingsway’s Omari Ferguson was crowned the winner after running 1:30.36 in the boys 400m finals. The school also emerged victorious in the mixed 4x75m relay finals after finishing the team race with 56.78. Believers Faith came in second and Teleos followed behind for third.

#In the under 11 division, Kingsway claimed victories in the 200m finals, girls 4x100m relays, boys 100m finals, 400m finals, 800m finals, and 4x400m finals on the track.

#On the field, the newly-crowned champions won the boys long jump for the under 11 division with Yorick Corroll taking home the win.

#In the under 13 division, Kingsway secured first and second place positions in both the girls 100m and 200m finals. Taree Forbes and Charlee Fisher held off San Pedro’s Ameerah Knowles in the 100m finals. The duo of Symiah Strachan and Taree Forbes ran 27.18 and 28.45 to edge out Faithway’s Cheyanne Hepburn.

#Kingsway proved their dominance in this division as the collected wins in the girls 800m finals, the girls 4x100m and 4x400m relays, and girls long jump.

#This year’s BSAA track and field championships featured eight schools including Teleos Christian School, Greenville Prep Academy, Believers Faith Christian Academy, Kingsway Academy, San Pedro International, Faithway Christian Academy, Lighthouse Prep Academy, and Boost Academy.

OFFICIALS gather at yesterday’s press conference to announce the return of national high school soccer championships May 19-27.

As of Thursday, May 4, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE national high school soccer championships will return May 19-27.

#The soccer championships were derailed for three years but now there is renewed excitement surrounding the return of the hands-free sport.

#This year’s championships will feature 16 teams of eight boys and eight girls scheduled to compete.

#The nationals are being held by the Bahamas Football Association (BFA), in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) in honour of the late Samuel P Haven Jr.

#The teams from New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama will all showcase their best soccer skills.

#Anton Sealey, president of the BFA, talked about the excitement surrounding the return of the soccer championships this May.

#“We are very excited to revive the Samuel P Haven Soccer Championships. We have been slow in coming back around but we are back and in a big way,” Sealey said.

#The president said that he is excited to see some of our major islands in competition and it is the goal of the association to incorporate more Family Islands in the future.

#The majority of this year’s championship costs will be funded by the BFA. The competition is set to feature four quarter finals.

#The Abaco champions will travel to Grand Bahama to play and then the team will commute to New Providence for the nationals.

#In New Providence, the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) winners will battle against the third best Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) soccer team.

#Additionally, the winner of GSSSA will match up against the third place BAISS soccer team. The second overall teams will showdown against each other. The games will be 25 minutes per half for the girls and 40 minutes per half for the boys’ gameplay. Fans can also expect to see an overall Most Valuable Player (MVP) selected after the championships making for an exciting competition.

#Lionel Haven, brother of the late Samuel Haven Jr, talked about how he felt about his brother’s legacy being carried on by the BFA at this event.

#“This event gives the opportunity for his legacy to live on and so I am very pleased. I know the family is quite pleased we intend to show up in great numbers to the upcoming event even if it’s in Freeport to ensure we support what the BFA is doing to support his legacy,” Haven said.

#With the 2023 BAISS soccer champions already crowned and the 2023 GSSSA soccer season underway, both associations believe that their schools will reign supreme. The Queen’s College

#Comets took home the hardware for the junior and the senior girls. The junior boys championships belong to the St Andrew’s International School Hurricanes and the Lyford Cay International School Dragons claimed the senior boys title.

#The BFA president encourages Bahamians to come out to an exciting family-friendly event to support the local and Family Island athletes.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/04/high-school-soccer-nationals-return-may-19-27/?news

SOCCER IS BACK: Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves in battle against the LW Young Golden Eagles’ junior girls on CH Reeves playing field. Photo: Tenajh Sweeting

As of Thursday, May 4, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#WITH most sports returning to the track, court and soccer field after being derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) soccer season made its debut.

#The sport was shelved for three years due to the pandemic but got underway for the government junior and senior schools last week Wednesday.

#Yesterday’s games featured the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves versus the LW Young Golden Eagles.

#The HO Nash Lions also battled against the CH Reeves Raptors.

#For the seniors, the CR Walker Knights took on the CC Sweeting Cobras in both senior boys and girls competition.

#Meanwhile, RM Bailey Pacers matched up with the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins.

#The day saw eight games played across both divisions. For the juniors, the Timberwolves dominated the junior girls of LW Young. The first half of gameplay saw the team go up 2-0 despite a slow start by them overall. After coming out of the second half the Timberwolves’ Anaya Riley was determined not to let the Golden Eagles get a score on the board.

#Riley delivered a final kick to the soccer ball, scoring a powerful goal for the visiting team. The young player scored two of the three goals for the winning team.

#Cleon Carnegie, soccer coach for the Timberwolves, talked about the junior girls’ big win. “It’s a good win. It was a slow start but the girls came together and they made some adjustments after halftime and the girls went on the field and executed those plans.”

#He added that, in the second half, the team looked to increase the pace, have more awareness on defence and improve their ball-handling.

#The head coach credited Riley’s effort on offence. He said that she is an intelligent player and brings a lot of technical play to the Timberwolves team.

#The Timberwolves’ junior boys dominated in their games against the Golden Eagles. The team capped off the soccer matchup 5-0 to defeat the team. The L W Young junior boys and girls will look to avenge the ugly losses against the A F Adderley Tigers today on the D W Davis soccer field.

#In more junior action, the Lions and Raptors soccer showdown ended in a draw with the score 0-0.

#Seniors

#The Knights have been claiming their dominance in GSSSA sports all year long. The school nabbed victories at the 2023 GSSSA track and field championships and recently added volleyball championship hardware to their collection. The team will now look to make their mark in soccer as both the senior girls and boys team kept their opponents scoreless on the day.

#The Knights’ senior girls defeated the Cobras 10-0 for a comfortable win. Additionally, the seniors boys followed suit shutting out the team 7-0 to go home with a big win.

#The R M Bailey Pacers faced off against the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins at the D W Davis playing field. The Pacers’ senior girls took care of business against the Mystic Marlins after defeating them 6-1. Meanwhile, the boys dominated 4-0 to add a win to their season total.

#The GSSSA soccer season rolls on as the juniors of S C McPherson will take on the Raptors next. Also, the A F Adderely Tigers will match up against the Golden Eagles. For the seniors, the Knights will go up against the Timberwolves and the C V Bethel Stingrays will battle against Government High School Magic.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/04/gsssa-soccer-season-begins/?news

As of Thursday, May 4, 2023

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Kacy Lyn Smith and Chicago M. won 1st place in the 1.30m Junior Jumpers at the Lexington Spring Premiere.

Kacy celebrates as her young mount Costbar 2 finished with a double clear to place 4th in the 1.20m Low Juniors.

#BAHAMIAN rider Kacy Lyn Smith had a stellar showing at the Lexington Spring Premiere last weekend, riding her two horses Chicago M and Costbar 2 to multiple high placings and being named as the overall leading junior jumper of the competition.

#The Lexington Spring Premiere heralds the opening of the Virginia Horse Center’s annual Festival of Champions in Lexington, VA, and the beginning of the equestrian show season in the mid-Atlantic area.

#Riding Chicago M., Kacy Lyn won the Medium/High Junior Amateur Jumper class on the first day of competition, and after multiple high placings over the remainder of the weekend, the pair finished as Reserve Champions in the 1.30m Medium/High Junior Jumper Division.

#Kacy Lyn also had successful rounds with her young horse Costbar 2 in the 1.20m Low Juniors Division, including riding a double clear round for 4th place one class and placing 6th in the Speed Class.

#Overall, her performances with both horses earned her the title of leading junior jumper at the competition. Last year Kacy Lyn and Chicago M. made history as the first duo to represent The Bahamas at the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships in Traverse City, Michigan. This year the pair have qualified to represent The Bahamas in Individual Jumping once again, this time at a higher level, moving up from the Pre-Juniors to the Junior Division.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/04/kacy-lyn-smith-leading-juniorjumper-lexington-spri/?news

BASEBALL ALLIANCE: Reloaded Baseball and International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) have united in an effort to develop young, aspiring baseball players across The Bahamas. Here, participants enjoy the Reloaded Baseball Tournament. Photos courtesy of volunteer/parent Lorna Harvey

As of Thursday, May 4, 2023

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#By JEFFARAH GIBSON

#Tribune Writer

#jgibson@tribunemedia.net

#AN exciting alliance between Reloaded Baseball and International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) has been sealed as both entities shook hands on the development of youth baseball players across the archipelago.

#Reloaded Baseball is a new development programme with the sole interest of developing youth in baseball fundamentals and skill set.

#Started by a group of coaches/parents, Reloaded seeks to help develop kids with sound baseball skills and on the field intelligence.

#As a unit, Reloaded Baseball embraces opportunities to take its non- profit programme to the next level, therefore forging an alliance with IElite was strategic according to Peron Burnside, executive team member of Reloaded.

#“We are proud to announce, as we pursue to take our kids to international standards, a strategic partnership with The IElite Baseball Academy whose qualifications and expertise in the baseball arena places them on par, and above par with some, in baseball development internationally.

#“We are excited for our kids as, with the IElite team on board, we can fine tune our programme to further enhance the development of the kids in the programme. We are confident in what the two programmes stand on and are excited to see how our children can develop and play at standards we have witnessed throughout the US and Caribbean.”

#As for Geron Sands, co-founder of IElite, he too is looking forward to what will birth from this alliance.

#“International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) is proud to support the development of baseball in the Bahamas. We are excited to work along with the Reloaded programme to build and develop as many kids as possible.

#“Our goal is to help as many Bahamian kids achieve higher education through sports. We also believe now is the time to move to the next level.

#Mr Burnside previously shared with Tribune Sports that the Reloaded programme came about after attending a PG Tournament (Orlando) in the summer of 2022 and noticing the disparity in skill level between Bahamian youth ball players and their international counterparts.

#A few coaches, he said, made a conscious decision to chart the way forward in the fundamental development of our kids.

#Since September 2022 that programme has hit the ground running, creating opportunities for local training and local competitive play.

#Just recently, Reloaded hosted its inaugural invitational tournament from March 31 to April 2 that saw teams from the Family Islands travel to Nassau for friendly match-ups. The event, Mr Burnside said, turned out to be an overwhelming success.

#“We were able to host, through a collaborative effort, Troy Feaste and team (AYBL Warriors Legends) out of Abaco, Oscar Greene and team (Grand Bahama Youth Baseball) out of Grand Bahama and Elline Sineus and team (Twin City Legends) out of Eleuthera. We were able to come together in pursuit of baseball development and were also able to have conversations as to how to chart the way forward in regards to our baseball development journey,” he said.

#Once the tournament wrapped up, the Reloaded team met with coaches from each island for feedback on the tournament experience.

#“We have also engaged each team that participated in the tournament to see how we can assist them with some of their needs whether it be equipment, and in one instance a much-needed mound, and with arranging to have training clinics on their respective islands.

#“The Reloaded development programme has only been in existence from September of 2022 and we are moving at a swift rate to develop and take our kids to international standards.”

#Reloaded has started to assist with enhancing one of the fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex with soil. Plans are also underway to build a batting cage and bullpen with a focus on assisting in development for all.

#Coach OJ Green, who travelled along with his team to Nassau, hailed the experience.

#“It was a pleasure to be a part of The Reloaded Baseball Tournament. The athletes were excited to travel and enjoyed the entire experience of the tournament.

#“We were happy to see that the rules of the tournament fostered development, primarily the pitchers. We look forward to future stagings of this event.”

#As for coach Troy Feaste, who led the Abaco team to Nassau, he is looking forward to engaging with like-minded entities that can help develop baseball on the island. “The interaction between coaches from the various islands was very memorable to say the least, because coaches were very helpful sharing their experience and knowledge giving out pointers to the kids from other programmes like Abaco. It was less about the competition but more about the growth and development of the kids. It gave me a sense of ‘man I want to be a part of this organisation’ so that the children in Abaco would benefit from the opportunities in baseball.

#“Since the genesis of the Abaco Youth Baseball League in 2018, our goal has always been about development of the people in particular the kids, the coaches and volunteers that contribute to the growth and development of our league, “ he said.

#Reloaded Baseball is currently planning dates for its next invitational that will feature even more Family Island teams.

#The Reloaded executive team and coaches consists of Peron Burnside, Mandell Curry, Tarah Curry, James Clarke, Lisa Bostwick Dean, Javier Bowe, Desmond Ferguson, Barry Nairn, Kennellis Gibson, Stephen Hubert Beneby (Bishop), Thalia Culmer, Kenue Mcphee, Dcarl Rolle, Jay Seymour, Javardo Bain.

#Reloaded also is grateful for the participation of umpires and scorers during the tournament, including Sherry Beneby, Bonita Romer, Alexandria Gabriell, Lorraine Fowler, Stephen Beneby, Stephen Sands, Robert Gilbert, Donald MacGregor, Trea Bain and D’carl Rolle.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/04/reloaded-baseball-and-ielite-unite-youth-developme/

As of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

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Rev Harrison Thompson.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#With the sixth Bahamas Games just two months away, the Games Secretariat has a switch in leadership with Rev Harrison Thompson taking over from the retired chairman Martin Lundy.

#Thompson, who served as the chairman of the 50th CARIFTA Games, replaces Lundy, who retired from the public service in April. Lundy served as chairman of the fifth games held in 2001. He was returned to that capacity in the lead-up to the return of the games this year, scheduled for July 6-14.

#In accepting his new role, Thompson said he’s delighted to have the opportunity to once again serve the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in whatever capacity he is afforded.

#“I’m working with the executive committee and we have a general government agency that we are working together with to make sure that the Bahamas Games is all inclusive for all Bahamians,” Thompson said. “We want to make this the best one ever.”

#Although he served in the capacity of an advisor, Thompson attended the previous conclaves involving the council representatives from each of the 10 islands or grouping of islands as well as the 14 core sporting disciplines, and said the Games Secretariat is ensuring that the funding is adequately distributed before the end of the week.

#“We also want to encourage the island councils to seek some additional funding to support their campaign to get their teams ready for the games,” he said. “The government has committed to providing the funding that has been allocated to the island councils.

#“We hope that they can get that funding from the government this week so that they can jump start their drive to get their teams ready. We know that the Family Islands have already submitted their team listing, but we’re still waiting on New Providence and Grand Bahama.”

#Thompson said he noted that they still have an issue with the New Providence Sports Council, headed by Roy Colebrooke, who is adamant that they still be a part of the Games Village at Breezes Resort Bahamas just like everybody else.

#“We don’t have the rooms to accommodate New Providence with the Family Island teams because their team is the largest. We just don’t have the room space to accommodate their team and I think that is creating a problem with them submitting their team.”

#At the end of the day, Thompson said they believe that “common sense” will prevail. He said while they won’t have the room capacity to accommodate New Providence, the Games Secretariat will provide them with all of the other amenities, including the meals each day.

#For the island councils coming in, Thompson said they intend to make sure that they are properly compensated during their stay in New Providence for the games. “We will serve how best we will serve them because we don’t want them to be at a disadvantage,” said Thompson, a former Family Island administrator and a former permanent secretary.

#“We will look at their needs and see how we can address them as a means of urgency. We will be working 24-7 to get everything in place because we only have about 70 days left before the games get started. We don’t have much time.”

#To assist in the workload in the Games Secretariat, Thompon said they have recruited some of the persons who worked on the Local Organising Committee for the 50th CARIFTA Games over the Easter holiday weekend to help get the job done.

#“We feel we have a great team in place that should help to push the games further,” Thompson said. “So we feel we will be ready for the start of the games in July.”

#To the spectators who are expected to come out to watch the estimated 2,500 athletes and officials from teams Abaco, Andros, Bimini and the Berry Islands, Columbus Isles, Eleuthera, Exuma and Ragged Island, Grand Bahama, Long Island, MICA and New Providence, Thompson said they can look forward to a very competitive games.

#“We will put on a show for the Bahamian public. We want the Bahamian public to buy into the vision of what we are trying to do to include all Bahamians,” Thompson said.

#“We want to ensure that the Bahamian product is shown throughout the islands and to the world and that we have raw talent here in the Bahamas. The Bahamas Games will be a place where they can spot those raw talents.”

#Competition, during the games, will be held in softball, basketball, track and field, lawn tennis, swimming, soccer, volleyball, bodybuilding and powerlifting, boxing, cycling, baseball, regatta sailing, rowing and golf in addition to beach soccer and beach volleyball.

#The games, the brainchild of the late Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Peter Bethell, was first held in 1989. It continued in 1991 and was then scheduled for every three years, but the next one took place in 1995 and then 1998 before the last one was staged in 2001.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/03/rev-thompson-takes-over-chairman-bahamas-games/?news

SPRING INVITE: Organiser Geno Bullard anticipates that the Noble Preparatory Academy’s Invitational Spring Classic Basketball Tournament will be bigger and better this year starting Thursday to Saturday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

As of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Noble Preparatory Academy’s Invitational Spring Classic Basketball Tournament is back and organiser Geno Bullard anticipates that it will be bigger and better this year.

#The classic is set for Thursday to Saturday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and, for the first time, it will feature the varsity senior and junior boys and girls teams.

#“For many years we have been trying to put together this programme where we incorporate education with basketball,” said Bullard, the president of Noble Preparatory Academy. “That is my first priority, developing student-athletes.

#“So I always wanted to build a programme where we can be sure that during the tournament, we can have educational opportunities with persons who can speak on an educational platform.”

#During the tournament, Bullard said they have put together a solid programme where they will have a number of persons who will be providing tips for students seeking to further their education in college.

#“Over the years, we at NPA, have been giving away scholarships from our tournament,” said Bullard, who also serves as the head coach of the NPA Spartans basketball teams for boys and girls. “Hopefully in the future, we will be able to put that back in place.”

#With more than 30 teams registered to participate in the tournament, Bullard said they hope to entertain the spectators with an appearance by Julian Believe and Friends.

#“So it’s going to be three days of fun, education and entertainment where family members can come out in a safe environment where they can learn some stuff from Niagara College where they offer over 100 programmes.

#“We have been working with Niagara College for over 15 years and we have been able to get a number of student-athletes off to compete in Canada and we hope that we can continue to do that this year.”

#The competition, according to Bullard, will be very intense with teams participating from both the public and private schools. “We have Charles W Saunders, the BAISS champions, CI Gibson, the GSSSA champions,” Bullard said. “We also have Teleos from the BSA and a team from the Turks and Caicos Islands also competing.

#“I know the competition is going to be great because we have a good mixture of competition from across the board. So we know that they will come out and compete and represent their schools well.”

#If there’s any concern about host NPA, Bullard said his Spartans will be just as competitive.

#“Any opportunity we get, we prepare our student-athletes,” Bullard said. “When we have opportunities arise for our students, we allow them to compete and if they are good enough, we get them to go off to the prep schools or Niagara College in Canada.”

#Bullard said they will add another dimension when they stage an alumni game that allows student-athletes who played NPA and Niagara Falls against a men’s division one team from the New Providence Basketball Association. “That’s going to be a bonus game just to highlight some of our players from Noble Preparatory Academy, who went on to play for Niagara College.”

#The action kicks off on Thursday at 4pm with games continuing on Friday at the same time.

#The tournament is slated to wrap up on Saturday, following a 10am start that day.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/03/npa-invitational-spring-classic-starts-tomorrow-ke/?news

As of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE Glory Basketball Jamboree will make its return to the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium for year two in less than two weeks.

#The highly-anticipated basketball tournament will be a three-day event set for May 11-13 starting at 4pm.

#This year’s cash prize sits at $5,000, doubling last year’s amount of $2,500. The basketball tourney will feature 10 teams, including the event’s first ever champions the Discount Distributors Rockets.

#Also, fans of the tourney can expect appearances from an Abaco and Grand Bahama team as well as a surprise team to make things interesting.

#Ricardo Smith, commissioner and chief executive officer of Bahamas Pro Basketball Tournaments, talked about his excitement and the purpose of this year’s basketball jamboree.

#“I am very excited that this year we are going to be able to put on the second annual Glory Basketball Jam. “It is an attempt to ensure that the hope is kept alive for professional basketball in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Smith said.

#He added that the tournament gives Bahamian players the opportunity to utilise their talent to secure an income by providing the opportunity for persons to compete for the cash prize.

#It is his hope that the tournament will be the stepping stone towards creating a league that will allow for persons to be duly compensated for their talents, efforts and time.

#Among the other teams expected to compete at the second edition of the Glory Basketball Jamboree will be the Giants, the returning Pirates basketball team, and the new-look Tucker boys.

#This year’s tournament trophy will be dedicated to Ricardo ‘Ricky’ Farquharson.

#He is hearing impaired but has seemingly beaten the odds to compete on a national and international level.

#Also, a donation will be made to the Centre for the Deaf in honour of the universal role model, according to Smith.

#Last year’s award went to Floyd “Off the Wall” Saunders, who was notorious for his infamous throwing the ball off the wall followed by a ferocious slam dunk.

#Event organisers are urging Bahamians to come out as it will be a great opportunity to witness the best basketball talent in the country.

#Additionally, basketball will not be the only way for persons to occupy their time at the tournament.

#“While the basketball tournament is going on there will be a pop-up shop happening, you’re gonna have an opportunity to socialise, and enjoy some nice snacks so it will be a treat to see the level of basketball [teams] we have in this country to vie for the prestigious $5,000 cash prize, annual trophy and individual awards,” the promoter said.

#This year’s pop-up vendors will include the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), INO Temporary Tattoo Transformations, and WL empire.

#The basketball jamboree will also feature a Sunshine Auto Sales rims competition on Friday.

#There will be cars from the auto sales company on display and persons will get the opportunity to put their own rims on display.

#The winner will receive a free set of rims courtesy of the company.

#For persons that wish to attend the tournament, the cost is $10 and they can reach out to the Glory Basketball Jam Facebook page to have tickets delivered or their email bahprobasket@gmail.com.

#With this year’s event set to have prizes ranging from flat screen televisions to stoves, persons will not want to miss the exciting three-day jamboree.

#Come out and enjoy.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/03/glory-basketball-jam-prize-money-doubles-year-2/?news

As of Wednesday, May 3, 2023

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Students of various primary schools compete in table tennis.

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamas Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) will host a spring table tennis tournament this Saturday at LW Young Junior High School.

#The event is scheduled for 9am to 3pm and will be their second event of the calendar year. This year’s spring tourney will include matchups between boys and girls of the 11 and under, 15 and under, as well as the 18 and under divisions.

#The tournament will also feature seniors and an open event which will allow for anybody interested in table tennis to register for the competition.

#Sudan Khalfani, youth director of the BTTF, talked about his expectations for this weekend’s tourney.

#“We expect this tournament to have a major turnout and the event will determine who are the best players and how ready we are to advance the national programme,” Khalfani said.

#With the event just a few days away, this year’s registrants will include competitors from both public and private schools, and home schools.

#The public can expect to witness some competitive table tennis action from students of Sybil Strachan, S C McPherson, C V Bethel, L W Young, Kingsway Academy, Leadership Academy, Columbus Primary, Queen’s College, St Andrew’s, and Windsor.

#The youth director said he is very impressed with the registration numbers so far and will look to introduce the sport to more schools with the help of the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

#The registration deadline is 8pm Friday for persons that have not signed up for this weekend’s table tennis tourney.

#The amount of rounds will vary between 3 to 5 depending on the division being played.

#In the federation’s first event of the year, Queen’s College’s Ronal Fernando secured the win for the 12 and under division.

#Courtney Rahming came in second from Claridge Primary and Sybil Strachan’s Keyonna Bain brought home third place.

#The 13-and-under division saw a pair of LW Young Golden Eagles take home first and second place finishes. Patrick Rahming placed first and fellow schoolmate Aljani Heron finished up in second. Sybil

#Strachan’s Lejon Kelly capped off the division in third.

#Mosiah Bain, of Leadership Academy, emerged victorious for the 15-and-under division. Second place finisher was Cozman Rahming of Doris Johnson and Kingsway’s Matthew Manickam finished the competition in third.

#For persons that have not registered as yet with two days remaining, they can still sign up by contacting 426-5153 or via email bahamasyouthtt@gmail.com

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/may/03/table-tennis-spring-tourney-saturday-lw-young-juni/?news