Shortstop successfully undergoes surgery; prepared for rehab and recovery

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 1, 2022 887 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Promising young shortstop in the New Providence Softball Association (NPSA) Kendalia Turner had no idea her first full season in the league would end in hurt and misery, but her spirits remain high. The 23-year-old former junior and senior national team player suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula during the NPSA’s all-star games on the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex on Saturday.

She remains upbeat, following a successful surgery, albeit knowing that a lengthy rehabilitation and recovery process awaits her. Turner suffered the injury while sliding into home plate, trying to avoid a tag in the bottom of the first inning of the women’s all-star game last Saturday. She said she was in excruciating pain.

The talented young player is out for the season and is hopeful of a return in 2023. Turner is the captain for the Johnson’s Lady Truckers in the NPSA, and said she intends to fully support her teammates in their push for a NPSA title this year.

“It’s very disappointing. I was looking forward to the completion of the season. Even all-star, I was looking forward to playing so it’s disappointing to go out in this way, but I’m not depressed,” she said. “That was the most people I saw to the park since the season started so I was excited to play. Softball has done a lot for me and I enjoy playing the game. This was like my first full-time season, because I was always away to school. I would come home during summer break and play, but now that I’m finished with school, this was all the softball I had so I took it a bit seriously. This is all a new experience for me, and it’s unfortunate, but now I have to adjust.”

Turner said she has received medical advice to not put any pressure on her leg for six weeks and then gradually get back into walking again and begin the recovery process. She currently wears a soft cast on her lower right leg, walks around with crutches and takes medication for the pain.

Prior to her injury, Turner was one of the best shortstops in women’s softball in the country. She left The Bahamas in 2014 after grade 10 to finish high school in the United States (US) – completing grades 11 and 12 at Lyndon Institute in Lyndon, Vermont. Following that, Turner accepted a full scholarship to Georgian Court University in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Finance and Accounting in 2020.

Nationally, Turner has represented The Bahamas at both the junior and senior national team levels. She was a member of The Bahamas’ team that travelled to the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) XII Junior Women’s Softball World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, in 2017; and a member of the team that competed in the WBSC’s IX Women’s Softball Pan American Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 2019.

Due to a stoppage in play because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and because of her time away in school in the US, this was Turner’s first full season in the NPSA.

“From I slid into home plate and felt the pain, I knew right away that it was something major,” said Turner. “On a pass ball, if I’m on third, a player like me, I going, and that was the situation. The ball bounced back off the back padding and it was coming back toward the plate. The pitcher and the catcher both went after the ball trying to make a play. There was a lot going on at the plate and I was coming in fast. Both the pitcher and the catcher were like almost in the basepath, so I went around and avoided them, and tried to slide, but my foot went directly into the plate. I watched my leg go two different ways – it was crazy.”

Turner said, for now, she’s taking the doctor’s advice, staying off her legs as much as possible, and taking it one day at a time.

“I try not to walk on it too much – just resting for now,” she said, “I never went through anything like this. This is my first major injury. It isn’t career-ending so that’s the good thing. I’ll miss the action this year, but I’ll be there to support my teammates and cheer them on. Hopefully, they could go out there and win a championship without me. I’m hopeful that recovery goes well, and if it’s the Lord’s will, I’ll be back next year.

“I just want to thank all of the players, coaches, officials and fans for the support. When I came out of the dugout and I saw everyone standing and clapping, that brought tears to my eyes. The support has been crazy good. Sometimes, you don’t think that you have such an impact on persons but it was really heart-warming to see that. The support was really overwhelming. God has been good to me and I expect the recovery to go smoothly.

“Please keep praying for me and keep showing me love and support. I’m going to need it all.”

Turner’s team, the Johnson’s Lady Truckers, is currently in a battle for the pennant in the NPSA. There is still one round of games remaining, and as the captain of the team, she is looking to support her teammates throughout the whole process.

In addition to playing night league softball, Turner coaches girls softball as an assistant with the Sports Center Players up by the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN), thereby giving back to the sport that has greatly assisted in her development as a player and as a person so far in her life.

She is eagerly anticipating the day of a return to softball action.

https://thenassauguardian.com/long-road-ahead-for-turner/

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 1, 2022 231 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Motivated from a semifinal appearance from Rhanishka Gibbs on Day One of the FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships, Team Bahamas returned to action yesterday, looking to build off that performance at the VIDENA Aquatics Center in Lima, Peru.

Keianna Moss, Nigel Forbes and Erald Thompson III swam two races each while Marvin Johnson and Gibbs swam one race each.

Moss’ best finish of the morning came in the girls 200 meters (m) butterfly. The 17-year-old placed 22nd overall in that event when she clocked 2:35.64 in the second heat. She swam splits of 31.62, 38.27, 42.59 and 43.16 seconds. Heading into the final with the fastest time was Italian Paola Borrelli who swam 2:14.29.

Moss’ first event of the morning was the girls 100m freestyle that also featured Gibbs. Moss was the fastest of the two when she posted a new personal best time of 1:00.65. Her time was enough to place her at 26th overall after swimming splits of 29.13 and 31.52 seconds in the sixth heat. Gibbs was in action in the heat just before Moss. She placed 37th overall with a time of 1:02.14 which had splits of 28.88 and 33.26 seconds.

Italian Matilde Biagiotti has the fastest time of 55.92 seconds heading into the semifinals.

Forbes was brilliant in the boys 100m fly, placing 23rd overall. Johnson was 36th overall. Forbes swam 56.71 seconds after swimming 25.78 seconds in the first 50 meters and 30.93 seconds in the final 50 meters in the seventh heat. His fellow Grand Bahamian Johnson swam a time of 58.94 seconds and was able to have splits of 26.73 and 32.31 seconds in the eighth heat.

Portugal’s Diogo Matos posted the fastest time of 53.22 seconds going into the semifinals last night.

In the boys 200m individual medley (IM), Forbes and Thompson were in action. Forbes placed 33rd overall with a time of 2:12.83 while Thompson swam 2:19.19 to finish 47th overall. Forbes’ splits were 26.23, 33.29, 39.15 and 34.06 seconds. Thompson’s splits were 28.47, 36.29, 41.12 and 33.31 seconds. His 28.47 seconds split on the fly leg was a personal best.

Turkish’s Yigit Oktar swam the fastest time of 2:01.76 heading into final.

Thompson swam the boys 200m free and placed 52nd overall after touching the wall in 2:09.18. The 18-year-old recorded splits of 28.92, 32.52, 33.76 and 33.98 seconds. Romania’s David Popovici had the fastest time of 1:49.40 in that event heading into the final.

Action continues this morning for The Bahamas as Moss swims in the girls 50m fly, Gibbs in the girls 100m breaststroke, and Forbes and Johnson in the boys 50m free.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-wraps-up-second-day-of-competition-in-peru/

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailSeptember 1, 2022 187 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ Under-17 Boys National Soccer Team kicked off the 2022 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Under-17 (U17) Championship Qualifiers at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, with a big 2-1 victory over Dutch territory Sint Maarten in Group A in competition.

After Sint Maarten took the initial lead in the first half, The Bahamas’ Reuben Edgecombe clawed the squad back into the match with a 25-yard rocket which caught the Sint Maarten goalkeeper off his line in the 32nd minute of the game.

Kai Perez got the game winner for The Bahamas off a rebound from a long free kick by captain William Gardiner, putting the Bahamian team up 2-1, in the 63rd minute of the game. The defense continued to frustrate the Sint Maarten squad. They tried in vain to break The Bahamas’ defense the rest of the way. Timely saves by Bahamian goalkeeper Ahmaad Smith allowed The Bahamas to walk off with the victory in rainy weather.

The squad, led by Head Coach Nesly Jean and assistant coaches Kevin Davies and Avery Kemp alongside Bahamas Football Association’s (BFA) Technical Director Bruce Swan, now begin preparation for their next match on Thursday. They will take on powerhouse Guyana at 11 a.m.

Against Sint Maarten, The Bahamas’ Man of the Match was Kai Perez.

https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-tops-sint-maarten/

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 31, 2022 389 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian Anthonique Strachan continues to perform well in 2022, turning in one of her better seasons, if not the best, of her athletics career.

Strachan won the women’s 200 meters (m) at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern at Stadion Allmend in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Tuesday, and she did it out of lane eight, running another sub-23 second race – her fifth of the year.

Strachan, 29, clocked 22.68 seconds, topping a very tough world-class field in Lucerne. Aminatou Seyni, of Niger, was a close second in 22.71 seconds, and American Jenna Prandini rounded out the top three in 22.82 seconds. Also in the race were Americans Brittany Brown and Tamara Clark and hometown favorite Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland – a finalist at the last three global championships including a bronze medal finish at the Doha World Championships in 2019.

Strachan got out of the blocks fast, came around the bend in good position and powered home to her third-fastest time of the year. Coming around the bend, she appeared in line with the frontrunners in the race. Strachan’s better part of her 200m race has always been the homestretch and she proved that true to form in Lucerne yesterday, powering to the finish.

The win was truly significant as it was her first in Europe, in any event, as a senior athlete. She had tremendous success as a junior athlete, but due to injuries and other issues, she was never able to duplicate that success on the senior side.

This season, despite battling injuries, Strachan has been fantastic, running the three fastest times of her career in the women’s 100m, and her fastest time in the women’s 200m in eight years. The former double sprint World Junior Champion became just the seventh Bahamian ever, joining the five ‘Golden Girls’ and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, to run under 11 seconds in the women’s 100m, and she did it twice in 2022.

Strachan clocked a then personal best time of 10.99 seconds at the John Wolmer Speed Fest in Kingston, Jamaica, earlier this year, and then ran a new personal best time of 10.98 seconds and just missing out on the final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July.

In the women’s 200m, as mentioned, Strachan has run her fastest time in eight years, clocking 22.55 seconds at the MVP (Maximizing Velocity and Power) Velocity Fest in Kingston, earlier this year. She defeated former World Champion in that event, the legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, in that race. It was the first time she’s beaten Fraser-Pryce in her career.

Strachan is tied for sixth with Miller-Uibo on the all-time list for Bahamians in the women’s 100m, and she is tied for fourth with Savatheda Fynes in the women’s 200m.

Strachan was just shy of advancing to her first global final in Eugene this year, and is looking for a strong finish to 2022. She is tied for 15th in the Diamond League standings in the women’s 200m with just one meet remaining before the two-day Diamond League Final in Zürich, Switzerland.

Strachan was the only Bahamian in action at the Swiss meet yesterday.

https://thenassauguardian.com/strachan-wins-in-lucerne/

 Home|Sports|Gibbs 14th overall in 50m breastSports

FINA World Junior Championships get underway; more Bahamians in action today

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 31, 2022 312 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Rhanishka Gibbs placed eighth in her semifinal of the girls 50 meters (m) breaststroke event, and was 14th overall, with a time of 33.46 seconds at the 8th edition of the FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships at the VIDENA Aquatics Center in Lima, Peru, on Tuesday night.

Gibbs swam out of lane eight in a semifinal that had five swimmers qualify for the final eight spots. She had one of the fastest reaction times of 0.61 seconds but could not keep up with her counterparts.

Winning that semifinal heat was Poland’s Karolina Piechowicz who clocked 31.50 seconds. She came in with the fastest qualifying time of 31.64 seconds.

It was a great accomplishment for the 16-year-old Bahamian who is swimming in her first FINA World Junior Championships. She was unable to lower her personal best time of 33.15 seconds – a time she swam back in April at the 35th CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Wildey, Barbados, but she did advance out of the heats.

Gibbs was the first Bahamian to experience action in the pool yesterday, swimming out of lane six in the sixth heat in the morning session. It was one of the fastest heats. Swimming the one pool length race, Gibbs touched the wall in 33.47 seconds to place sixth in that heat. It was enough to secure the second to last qualifying spot for the semis.

There were two Bahamians who competed in the boys 100m breaststroke – Erald Thompson III and Emmanuel Gadson. Thompson swam a personal best time of 1:07.34 with splits of 31.10 and 36.24 seconds. It was enough to place him second in the fourth heat and 22nd overall out of 47 swimmers. Gadson was eighth in the fifth heat as he clocked a personal best of 1:07.50. He registered splits of 31.33 and 36.17 seconds. Overall, he finished 25th.

Austria’s Luka Mladenovic had the fastest qualifying time of 1:02.29 for the semifinals.

Keianna Moss was next up in action for The Bahamas, swimming in the girls 100m backstroke. She was in heat three. The 17-year-old won her heat in 1:08.67 but it was not enough to qualify for the semis in that event. Moss posted splits of 32.63 and 36.04 seconds. She placed 31st out of 52 swimmers.

Japan’s Aimi Nagaoka’s time of 1:01.74 was the fastest qualifying time for the semis.

The final event of the morning session that The Bahamas competed in was the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Competing in that race for The Bahamas was Thompson, Gadson, Nigel Forbes and Marvin Johnson. They swam in heat three which was the fastest heat with five qualifiers. Unfortunately, the Bahamian quartet was not one of the five qualifiers as they finished sixth in their heat when they clocked 3:41.57. Overall, they had the 18th fastest time. Johnson started the race and Gadson anchored it. Forbes had the fastest split of 52.87 seconds.

Romania had the fastest qualifying time of 3:19.28.

Thompson and Forbes will start things off for The Bahamas today when they swim the boys 200m individual medley (IM). Forbes will swim in heat four lane four while Thompson is in lane seven in the third heat.

The girls 100m free will also feature two Bahamians as Gibbs and Moss experience action. Gibbs will see action first as she swims in heat five lane two. Moss is in the sixth heat and will swim in lane three.

Moss will have little time to recover after that as she returns to the pool to swim in the 100m fly. She will swim that race out of lane one in the second heat.

Thompson will return to his second individual race for the morning when he and Johnson swim in the 200m free. Thompson will be featured in lane four in the second heat while Johnson will be in lane five in heat four.

The lineup is not known as yet but The Bahamas will swim in the 4×100 mixed medley relay. That quartet, which will include Moss and Gibbs, will swim out of lane three in heat two.

https://thenassauguardian.com/gibbs-14th-overall-in-50m-breast/

ANTHONIQUE Strachan in action. (File photo)

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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TYNIA GAITHER

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@rtribunemedia.net

#FOR the second consecutive race within a week, Anthonique Strachan picked up a victory, this time with fellow Bahamian Tynia Gaither trailing as the duo went head-to-head on Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix Series in Budapest, Hungary.

#It was the first time the two met since the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association’s National Championships at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium when Gaither took the 100m over Strachan, while Strachan came back for second ahead of Gaither in the 200m won by Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

#While the pair of sprinters renewed their rivalry in Budapest, Devynne Charlton, who joined them on the Bahamas’ silver medal 4 x 100m relay team at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships in Grand Bahama two weeks ago, had to settle for sixth place in the women’s 100m hurdles.

#Charlton, 26, was the only Bahamian competing at the Wanda Diamond League in Brussels, just ahead of the two-day finals from September 7-8 in Zurich, Switzerland.

#29-year-old Strachan, getting back to full form after she suffered an injury at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July, won the 200m in Budapest on Friday in 22.63 with Gaither taking second in 22.89, while Jamaican Natasha Morrison got third in 23.95.

#“The meet was good. I’m happy with it,” said Strachan of her performance.

#Coming off her victory on Tuesday in Luzern, Switzerland in 22.68, Strachan said she didn’t have any expectations going into Friday’s race.

#“All I wanted to do is stay sub-23 to set me up for next season,” Strachan said.

#Strachan, however, said it was good to have a compatriot competing in the event.

#“I enjoy competing with familiar faces especially my fellow country competitors,” she noted.

#The feeling was mutual for Gaither, the NACAC 200m silver medalist and member of the women’s 4 x 100m relay team of Printassia Johnson, Strachan and Charlton that clinched the silver behind the USA on her brilliant comeback effort over Jamaica on the anchor leg.

#“It was nice having Anthonique there,” Gaither said. “Any time I line up with one of my countrywomen, it feels like we’re doing it for our country. I love that feeling.”

#Gaither, also 29, noted that she was content with her performance in the race.

#“It was my first out of the last four races of my season and so I’m just really allowing myself to fully enjoy these last few moments and trust my body,” she stated.

Devynne Charlton

#At the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels, Charlton, the World Indoor and Commonwealth Games silver medalist and NACAC bronze medalist, running out of lane one, ended up sixth in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.66, but secured her berth into the finals next week in Zurich with a fourth place with 19 points.

#Running a season’s best of 12.27 for a meet record, Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico took the title over the American duo of Tian James (personal best of 12.38) and former world record holder Kendra Harrison (12.40).

#The Jamaican pair of Britany Anderson (12.44) and Megan Tapper (12.51 – a personal best as well), finished ahead of Charlton in fourth and fifth respectively.

#Camacho-Quinn pushed her lead in the field with 32 points, followed by world record holder Tobi Amusan, the World Championships and Commonwealth Games’ champion from Nigeria, in second with 29, and Anderson in third with 23.

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

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Marvin Johnson became the second member of Team Bahamas to advance to a semi-final at the 8th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Lima, Peru.

#Johnson took to the pool at the Videna Aquatics Center last night in the second of two 50m Freestyle semi-finals and finished sixth in 23.39 seconds. His time placed him no.13 overall in the field of 16 semifinalists and 82 competitors.

#Johnson opened competition yesterday morning in the preliminary rounds with a time of 23.38 to finish sixth in heat 10. His time advanced as the no. 15 qualifier through to the semifinals.

#Nigel Forbes also competed in the event and swam a time of 23.64 to finish first in heat six, however, his time finished no.18 overall in the heats.

#Forbes missed the final qualifying time of 23.50 swam by Nathaniel Thomas of Jamaica.

#Rhanishka Gibbs returned to the competition to swim the 100m Breaststroke.

#She finished sixth in heat four in 1:17.87. Her time placed her 24th overall in the field.

#Gibbs highlighted a busy day one for Team Bahamas as she advanced to the semifinal of the 50m Breaststroke.

#Gibbs swam 33.47 to advance and eventually finished 14th overall in the field with her time of 33.46 in the semifinals.

#Keianna Moss also competed in the prelims of the 50m Butterfly. She posted a time of 29.28 to finish eighth in heat six and 23rd overall.

#The quartet concluded the session with their appearance in the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay.

#The team finished sixth in heat two in 3:55.37, no.19 in the field of 28 teams. Forbes split 54.95 on the first leg, followed by Johnson at 55.39, Moss in 1:02.08, and Gibbs swam the anchor leg at 1:02.95.

#The competition continues today with another active morning session for Team Bahamas.

#Moss will be up first to contest the 50m Backstroke. She will swim in lane eight of heat five at 10:38am.

#Johnson will swim in the 50m Butterfly – heat eight, lane two at 10:58am.

#Forbes will follow in lane one of heat 10 at 11:02am.

#Following a day off, Erald Thompson III will be back in action, swimming the 200m Breastroke. He competes in heat two out of lane two at 11:43am.

#Emmanuel Gadson will also swim in the event – lane one of heat four at 11:51am.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/02/marvin-johnson-13th-overall-50m-freestyle/?news

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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RONN RODGERS

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#STRIKERS Boxing Club founder and coach Ronn Rodgers said he was disappointed in the call by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg and Bahamas Boxing Commission chairman Fred Sturrup to halt their “Sparring Wars” amateur boxing shows.

#Rodgers, a certified, licenced professional boxing coach and trainer, a cut man and a certified and licenced amateur boxing coach, said after the last event took place on August 22 at the Junkanoo Village, he was accused by Bowleg and Sturrup for putting on an illegal event that didn’t have any safety measures in place.

#“All safety protocols were in place. We had police officers outside, internal security officers inside and the ambulance was on standby outside the gate,” he said.

#“We also had a doctor present at ringside and I conducted the event inside the ring.

#“The participants had on all the necessary safety gears and they were wearing large sparring gloves,” Rodgers said.

#“The professionals don’t wear shirts and the protective gears that the participants were wearing because we wanted to make sure that they were properly protected.”

#The event, according to Rodgers, is one that emanated from grudges that boxers engage in during their training in the gym.

#Like they do all around the world in the sport, Rodgers said they invited the participants to settle their dispute in what they call a “sparring war.”

#In putting on these “sparring wars,” Rodgers said persons in the group tell others, including their family members, and they come out and support them just as they do if there is a sanctioned boxing show.

#“This is not something new to boxing and to the Bahamas, but it’s new to being staged in the Bahamas,” Rodgers said. “So once they are set up, we allow persons to pay to watch the sparring wars. “So instead of settling it on the streets, we provide a safe environment for the boxers to come together and settle their disputes. So yes, there is a fee that we charge because whoever is involved in the dispute, has an opportunity to pay the person whom they have engaged in for the sparring sessions.”

#Rodgers said he’s disappointed in the fact that neither Bowleg or Sturrup tried to ascertain what the “sparring wars” is all about because they publicly called for the event to “cease and desist.”

#He said it was only one event on each show, so it didn’t require any sanctioning from the boxing authorities.

#As a result of their “sparring wars,” Rodgers said they have seen a number of persons coming out to the Strikers Boxing Club in Marshall Road where they are being trained to compete in the sport. The “sparring wars,” however, are only put on for those who have disputes in their sparring sessions. “We have sparring going on every Tuesday and Thursday at our club and whenever we have these grudges, we try to put on the sparring wars on Mondays,” Rodgers said. “So if you say you want us to stop these sparring wars, then we should have to stop the training because these participants are properly trained because they participate in any of these sparring wars.”

#Rodgers said he’s available to speak to any person in government or in the boxing fraternity who has any queries about the “sparring wars.”

#He said he is eager to point out how important events like this is for the further growth and development of the sport.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/02/rodgers-disappointed-call-halt-sparring-wars/?news

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE family and friends of the late Alfie ‘Spy’ Bethel will remember him as a caring and loving person who gave himself unselfishly to helping so many others.

#Bethel, a former versatile track and field and softball/baseball player, passed away on Wednesday after the car he was driving swung to the side of the road on Cowpen Road in what appeared to have been an apparent heart attack.

#While condolences poured in person, phone calls and through social media, Bethel’s wife Theresa said she and her family appreciate all of the moral support they have received so far.

#“He was a happy, go lucky person. He’s always fun to be around. Sometimes I think he joked too much,” said Bethel, who was married to her husband since 2000. “But he was also very stern on education. “He wanted his children to get the best education. He was very stern on that. His last two girls are in UB (University of the Bahamas), one is an education major and the other is a bio-chemistry major. Unfortunately, he won’t get to see them graduate. But that was his dream to see them do very well.”

#As a former sprinter turned decathlete, who represented the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Games and the Junior Central American and Caribbean Championships, Bethel also played softball and baseball and was a physical education teacher at the CW Sawyer Primary School.

#The 54-year-old Bethel, survived by his parents Jacqueline Bethel and Philip Bowleg, leaves behind five siblings Philippa, Philip Jr and Sharfi Bowleg, Vinco Bethel and Jamal Johnson and children Tavarese Laroda, Taneka Bain, Alexandria Bethel-Weldon, Alfereese, Alexander and Alfanique Bethel.

#An emotional Taneka Bain said although Bethel was her stepfather, he was a person who “would never tell you no. You could always count on him for anything.”

#Alfanique Bethel, the last child, said her father helped her to become the “chef” that she is today.

#“I could remember the first time I cooked taco and wings, he said he never had taco before, but I thought he only wanted one taco and maybe three wings, but he said ‘no, I want three tacos and four wings,’” she said.

#“He came out when he was finished and he said ‘man they taste good. We could do them more often.’ He liked my food and he was my food critic. He would say this was a little too salty, but it taste good. It was just too seasoned. You don’t have to season things this much.”

#As a member of the dance group at Southland Church of God, Alfanique Bethel said she recalled one Saturday he was about 20 minutes late to get her to practice.

#Just as he approached home, she caught the bus and she remembered how he followed the bus and fussed with her when she got off for not waiting for him when she saw him coming.

#“Everybody used to ask me if I was daddy’s girl or mommy’s girl, but I told them both,” she said. “But he meant so much to me and to all of us.”

#Every Saturday, she also noted that he sorted out all of the clothes and washed them. He was a security guard in the evening and often times he would call home and instructed them to make sure they pick up the clothes whenever he knew the rain was coming.

#And every Christmas, she said he would prepare the turkey for the family meal.

#She said he had his own special way to prepare the turkey and when it was finished, everybody knew that it tasted good and he always wanted everybody to praise him on his culinary skills.

#“One night he went to pick up our mother from getting her hair done and he left me and Alferense to watch the pot and we almost burned the house down,” she said. “He was so mad when he came home.”

#Bethel-Weldom, who resides in Alabama, noted:

#“One of my fondest memories with my father Alfie Bethel, is when he would pick me up from the airport on my visits to the island. We would drive around the island until the sun went down visiting different people and having long conversations.”

#And his mother, Jacqueline Bethel, put it into perspective when she added: “Nobody knows how you feel until you lose a son especially your first born. He’ll truly be missed. I love him.”

#For Antonio Greene, he and Alfie Bethel developed a relationship from childhood that expanded to Yellow Elder Primary School and SC McPherson Junior High before they separated with Bethel going to AF Adderley and Greene to RM Bailey.

#Their paths, surprisingly, collided when they went to South Plains Community Junior College where they both competed in the decathlon.

#“He pushed me and I would push him,” said Greene, who was converted from a 400m specialist to the multiple events, while Bethel made the switch over from the sprints and the long jump. “One year we were getting ready to go to Nationals and he told the coach that we were going to finish 1-2 in the decathlon and secure 18 points for the team.

#“He always put his goals aim. He aimed high and he achieved the most of them.”

#Greene, the brother of University of Kentucky’s head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, said when he got the news that his long-time friend and former college room-mate had passed away, he couldn’t believe it.

#“I just spoke to him about three months ago as we were reminiscing on the past and now he’s gone,” said Greene, a former track coach in Springfield, Missouri who is recovering from stage four prostate cancer. “I was messaging people trying to find out if it was true or not. When I called Lonnie and told him about it, it hit him hard too because we all grew up in the Grove together. It was hard. He will be missed.”

#The funeral service for Bethel is tentatively being planned for September 24.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/02/alfie-spy-bethel-gave-himself-unselfishly-helping-/?news

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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KENDALIA Turner completed a successful surgery on Sunday morning to repair her broken right ankle in an injury she sustained during the New Providence Softball Association Ladies’ All-Star game.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#KENDALIA Turner is in great spirits, having completed a successful surgery on Sunday morning to repair her broken right ankle in an injury she sustained during the New Providence Softball Association Ladies’ All-Star game in the Banker’s Field Saturday night.

#The Johnson Lady Truckers’ shortstop was trying to score from third in the bottom of the first inning when she avoided a tag and slid home for the President’s second game. But the starting shortstop didn’t anticipate the injury. “I went on a surgery to put my ankle back in place and then they put in a few screws to keep my tibia intact,” Turner said. “I’m in a soft cast now and I have to stay off it completely for six weeks. At some point, they have to put it in a cast.

#“After six weeks, the therapy will start and then we will go from there.”

#With this being the first major injury that she experienced, Turner said she didn’t know what to do as she watched her ankle being dislocated. She noted that it was a “wow” moment that left her without any words to say.

#“Of course, I want every opportunity to play softball, but I’m not depressed or devastated,” she admitted. “Mentally, I’m in a good place and I’m happy for that because it’s hard for athletes to get over their injuries.”

#Having graduated from Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey in 2020 as one of their top softball players and with a major degree in business administration and a minor in accounting, Turner said she’s taking it all in stride.

#“I’m upset, yes, but I’m not mad at the world. Softball did a lot for me. I was able to accomplish a lot. I’m talking like this is the end, but I had two team-mates in college who broke their legs and they had a tough time dealing with it.”

#The good thing for Turner is the fact that she’s only 23 years old. So she feels that her youthfulness will enable her to be able to bounce back and continue playing the sport she loves next season, once she does the right things to recuperate.

#“I don’t want it to linger on or to have it as something that I will regret for the rest of my life,” she said. “So I want to make sure that I do the right things to ensure that I get back. I’m not trying to rush anything.”

#Not only does she contemplate returning to the sport, but when she’s not wearing her cleats, Turner said she would like to be able to put on her heels and continue her career off the field. She was recently promoted at Cable Bahamas in the Loyalty Department, which is responsible for ensuring that they assist their clients with any issues they might experience in a bid to keep them with the company. “We call it winning souls,” said Turner, who gets to carry out her duties at her home on St Vincent Road as she recuperates from her injury.

#This was the first full season that Turner has played in the NPSA, although she’s played for the past few years while she was in college. She came home whenever the opportunity presented itself for her to participate.

#“I am upset that I can’t play, but I’m not going to lock myself up in a room and cry,” she said.

#The only problem is that she won’t be able to enjoy the season with her younger sister Mia Turner, a versatile player who also plays for the Lady Truckers.

#In the All-Star game, however, Mia Turner was playing on the Vice President’s team on the opposite side of the field and when Kendalia Turner went down with the injury at the plate, she was one of the first persons to rush to her aid.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/02/after-surgery-turner-great-spirits/?news