ROMELL KNOWLES, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

As of Wednesday, June 24, 2020

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#After making an announcement last month that they have formed a committee to assist developing athletes, the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) has made good on its promise through its newly-formed Athletes Welfare Commission.

#The Athletes Welfare Commission, headed by Roy Colebrook, one of the vice presidents of the BOC, was mandated to assist athletes from all disciplines to reach their full potentials in preparation for local, regional and international competitions.

#The assistance, which will account to about $30,000, will not be available to professional athletes or those who are under contracts with companies such as Adidas, Puma and Nike, according to BOC President Romell Knowles.

#“Fortunately, there are athletes already on Olympic scholarships, and some who have government subventions,” Knowles said.

#“So, there is a level of support already for some athletes. But these commission grants are for other athletes who have less support available to them. The assistance to the athletes will depend on their specific needs.”

#Knowles noted that if there is an over subscription of athletes for the $30,000, then the BOC will look at it in a case-by-case for each athlete.

#This is the first of an ongoing process in which the BOC will provide assistance to the athletes through the Welfare Committee, which will now receive a budget to support the athletes each year.

#Applicants in this initial process have until July 3 to have their applications returned to the BOC. Successful applicants will be notified within three weeks of the application deadline.

#Knowles noted that the immediate support is intended to assist athletes who are still eligible to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, which has been postponed and is now scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

#“There are any number of needs that an athlete would have on the road to a qualifying event,” said Knowles.

#“Whether it is equipment, transportation, dietary supplements or some other resource, the athletes are facing tremendous obstacles to be in the best position to compete.

#“The Commission’s job is to look at the applications and assist as best we can, the best ways the BOC can help relieve some of those burdens.”

#Athletes on a case-by-case basis will be able to apply for assistance that would be a contribution toward their training and preparation for the games.

#Knowles noted that the national sports federations will be the point of contact for athletes. They will have access to applications through their national governing body.

#Once an athlete has completed an application, it must be endorsed by the federation and returned to the BOC through the federation.

#With the Bahamas riding out the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, like other ministries, saw a cut in the funding allocated in the government’s 2020/2021 budget that was just passed in the House of Assembly.

#In those cuts, subventions to athletes is also expected to be reduced. Knowles was agitating for the ministry to keep the athletes’ subvention at the figures they were before COVID-19.

#In her contribution to the budget debate, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle informed the nation that every effort would be made to assist the athletes.

#Knowles, however, said the BOC was hard pressed to assist, thus the formation of the Athletes Welfare Commission.

#While the figures are nowhere near what the athletes would receive from their subventions, Knowles claimed that they are delighted to be able to assist them in some small way in these hard economic times.

#Some athletes, who are based in the United States where they are training, have indicated that they are in need of assistance as they are also affected by the decline in the American economy where thousands of persons have been laid off or suffered job losses as a result of COVID-19.

#With the border expected to open up on July 1 for international travel to and from the United States, some of the athletes claim that they will be forced to return home until the economy picks up again.

#In addition to that, the United States is going through a resurgence of the coronavirus in the majority of their cities and there is an ongoing protest for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign in wake of the death of African American George Floyd by a white policeman in Minnesota on May 24.

As of Thursday, June 18, 2020

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#As the status of the 2020 Major League Baseball season hangs in the balance, the organisation made a decision that could affect several Bahamian prospects.

#MLB officially announced that the International Signing Period will be postponed from its traditional July 2 date and will now begin on January 15.

#According to Baseball America, the move was another cost cutting measure by the MLB as negotiations on the 2020 season continue.

#“The MLBPA agreed to allow teams to defer all but $100,000 of draft signing bonuses into 2021 and 2022, but international amateurs signing bonuses were not automatically deferred in that March agreement,” the report said. “With MLB teams across baseball trying to save on cash flow, pushing the signing period to next January will keep teams issuing from multi-million dollar cheques this summer, pushing those expenses into 2021 instead.”

#International Elite Sports Academy products Adari Grant and Kristin Munroe were listed by MLB Pipeline as some of the top infield prospects in the current class and were considered highly sought after prospects. The Bahamian pair were the only players from the English-speaking Caribbean on a list dominated by prospects from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela.

#The players who are eligible to sign (anyone who turns 16 by August 31 this year) will remain the same in the delayed signing period which will conclude December 15, 2021. The current 2019-20 international signing period was set to expire earlier this week, but was extended through October 15, 2020. Despite the extension, teams are unable to sign players due to the MLB’s transaction freeze.

#The international signing period is a time when many Bahamian prospects have signed minor league deals in recent years.

#MLB is negotiating a proposal that could lead to a shortened season that begins in July. The MLB draft was also shortened to just five rounds.

#The international signing period is when major league clubs sign amateurs from anywhere outside the United States. MLB can push the 2020-21 period back to January 2021, and the 2021-22 period back to January 2022. Teams will also not be allowed to trade international bonus slots in 2020 or 2021.

#As a byproduct of the COVID-19 fallout there has also been a reported agreement in place with the MLB to reduce the number of minor league affiliate teams by 40.

#MiLB currently fields 160 teams across its various leagues, but that number could be reduced to as much as 120 and the remaining teams could face realignment.

#Prior to the suspension of all baseball activity, many of the 16 Bahamian players in the minor leagues had yet to receive their assignments for the upcoming season. Up to press time last night, the MLB and players’ association continued their negotations. MLB sent a proposal for a 60-game season at full prorated pay.

Bahamian female sprinter Anthonique Strachan is looking forward to getting back on the track and competing for The Bahamas. After suffering a grade two hamstring tear at last year’s Doha World Championships, she said she feels about 90-95 percent healthy.

FILEJune 16, 2020

Sheldon Longley

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The year 2020 has been one of the more stagnant and motionless for sports fans the world over in recent memory, but one of the positive aspects that has come out of it has been that it has allowed athletes to recover from nagging injuries, rest their bodies and come back stronger whenever competition is resumed.

One of those such athletes is Anthonique Strachan who is coming off a grade two hamstring tear, suffered in the semifinals of the women’s 200 meters (m) at the 17th International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) World Championships in Doha, Qatar, last year. The resilient Strachan would be the first to tell you that she loves to compete and is longing for the opportunity to get back on the track, but of paramount concern is to be completely healthy and to operate at her full potential.

Strachan lives and trains out of Kingston, Jamaica – working out as a member of the MVP (Maximizing Velocity and Power) Track and Field Club alongside global superstars such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa Powell and Elaine Thompson, of Jamaica, and under the watchful eyes of world renowned speed coach Stephen Francis, of Jamaica. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Strachan said she has been gradually getting back to her normal routine and trying to maintain her focus on the goal at hand which is to qualify for the Olympics and represent The Bahamas well at that level.

“I’ve been coping really well. I’ve been doing my normal activities and training on a regular basis,” she said. “I really haven’t been leaving my residence much, except for essential items and to train. Whenever I go out, I’m very self conscious as to how close I am to people. I’ve also been more conscious of washing my hands on a regular basis and wiping down things. Training has changed drastically. Usually at this time, I’m in competition shape and ready to compete. Right now, I don’t know where I’m at competition-wise.”

Strachan, 26, entered the senior ranks as the IAAF’s Female Rising Star in 2013. She had one of the most decorated careers a junior athlete could have, as a two-time double sprint champion at CARIFTA, and a two-time Austin Sealy Award winner at the CARIFTA Games. She was also a double sprint champion at the IAAF World Junior Championships.

A slew of injuries slowed her progress on the senior side. Strachan has shown flashes of brilliance since, but never duplicated the production she had on the junior side. In the midst of what she considers to be the prime of her career, she said she is looking forward to continuing to get better as time goes on. The presence of the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered her progress a bit, forcing her and her teammates to train at an alternative venue, but she said she is taking everything in stride and is optimistic for the immediate future.

“I’m using this year to correct minor things and focus on what areas I need to improve on. I’m still hopeful that I will be able to compete in some meets this year, but if not, I’m okay with that. Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and seeing what happens,” she said. “I want to be in some sort of shape and fitness going into the 2021 season. That’s an Olympic year and I’m looking forward to that. Health-wise I feel okay, and I know I’ll feel even better next year – definitely much better than I was in Doha. I feel good. I’m a lil disappointed with the Olympics being pushed back because I felt like I would have been ready to compete this year. However, it’s a pandemic so it’s beyond all of our control. I understand that precautions had to be taken. I’m just looking to improve each and every time out. There are no high expectations – I just want to go out there and do my best.”

Following that setback from Doha last year, Strachan said she has been working hard to get back to where she needs to be to be competitive again. She said she feels about 90-95 percent healthy right now.

“I don’t think anyone in athletics is ever at 100 percent because of all the wear and tear that track and field has on your body. Our bodies take a lot of pounding everyday, but I feel good and I’m ready to go,” said Strachan.

Strachan, who has been training with the MVP Track and Field Club for the past three years, said she is not focussing on coming home to The Bahamas this summer but rather just trying to get as physically strong as she can going into the remainder of 2020 and into the 2021 season.

Strachan has personal best times of 11.20 seconds in the 100m, done during her final year as a junior in 2012, and 22.32 seconds in the 200m, done during her first year as a senior athlete in 2013. She said she is looking forward to competing in her third Olympics, next year in Tokyo, Japan. The Games of the 32nd Olympiad have been postponed to July 23 to August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

The sporting discipline of sailing is recognized as one of the top sports in the country for the overall development of the youth. FILE

June 10, 2020

The Nassau Guardian0

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The Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) is of the belief that sailing is one of the top sports in the country for the overall development of the youth. There is something about sailing that makes it unlike other sports, according to the BSA.

More than just skills and strategy, it teaches certain life skills and values that shape sailors into productive, well-disciplined and responsible individuals, as stated in a BSA press release.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the BSA Summer Sailing Camp at the Bahamas National Sailing School, there is expected to be articles about the incredible benefits of sailing, along with stories from some of the top sailors about how sailing has had such a great impact on their lives.

Paloma Cartwright is a 20-year-old from Long Island currently attending McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She started sailing at the age of five and has now embarked on a 2024 Olympic campaign with fellow Bahamian Paul de Souza.

There is so much to be gained, not just physically and boating-wise, but socially and emotionally as well, according to the press release.

The top five socio-emotional benefits of sailing, as reported by the Singapore Sailing Federation in 2018, include grit, confidence, teamwork, friendship and sportsmanship.

It can be argued that just about any sport offers a lesson on resilience, but sailing is a sport that demands an inner strength far greater than most, according to the press release.

“In this sport, it is us sailors against the elements. Whether it is a novice experiencing strong winds for the first time or a national sailor met with 10-feet high waves in foreign waters, they learn to keep fighting – no matter how uncomfortable it is. If the boat capsizes, sailors get the boat upright and keep sailing,” stated the press release. “Most sailors’ foray into the sport begins with the optimist. It’s a single-handed boat, which means it’s controlled by the sailor. Alone on the boat, sailors as young as six or seven are constantly required to make their own decisions. They don’t always make the right ones, but the opportunity to think for themselves helps them grow in self confidence.

“Though they sail individually, sailors are forced to work together from day one. After all, no one sailor can flip his or her optimist boat alone. Over time, sailors gradually realize that working together not only helps speed things up, but also allows them to learn more from one another. Perhaps one of the most valuable takeaways from sailing is the friendships forged. It is inevitable that sailors bond with one another during windless days and scary storms.”

Sailors also get to make new friends with international sailors, especially during international regattas.

“We realize how sailing is not just a sport that keeps you fit, but also one that develops you into a well-rounded individual – something far more important than winning medals,” the press release stated.

Sailing is a self-governing sport, which means it’s completely up to sailors to abide by the rules and uphold the fairness of racing. It’s a matter of integrity and sailors learn the importance of playing fair and respecting the rules of the game.

LUCIUS Fox

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#LUCIUS Fox and Chavez Young both saw their clubs clinch playoff berths in their respective leagues after winning first half pennants.

#Fox and his Montgomery Biscuits finished atop the division in the Double A Southern League North with a record of 44-26 while Young and the Dunedin Blue Jays led the field in the Florida State League North at 41-24.

#In the Southern League, the first and second half winners in each division will meet in a best-of-five series. The first half winners will host the first two games of the series while the second half winners will host the remaining games of the series.

#The Biscuits won the First Half Championship for the first time in their 16-year history with a 4-2 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts. They earned a playoff berth a team-record fifth-straight season.

#In 65 games through the first half of the season, Fox hit .220 for Peoria with a .331 OBP, a .699 OPS.

#The 21-year-old shortstop had 49 hits including 12 doubles, three home runs, collected 20 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 37 runs scored.

#Last season, Fox spent 27 games with the Biscuits in his debut Double A season and hit .221 with a .284 OBP, four stolen bases, 23 hits, three doubles, one triple, nine RBI and 14 runs scored.

#For Young and Blue Jays, the Florida State League playoffs format features winners of both halves within the division against each other in a best of three series for the Division Championship. The first half winners will be given the choice of hosting game one or games two and three. The Division Champions will move on to the League Championship Series.

Chavez Young

#In 54 games in the first half of the season, Young hit .228 with 46 hits and 23 RBI. He also had a .645 OPS, slugged .356 with 10 stolen bases, 27 runs scored, nine doubles, and five home runs.

#Dunedin won at least 40 games in the first half for the first time since 2014 when they went 46-23.

#Strong pitching highlighted the Blue Jays’ first half run, as well as an explosive offence that scored runs in bunches throughout the half.

#In the first 68 games of the year, Dunedin put up 10 or more runs eight times.

#Dunedin fielded one of the best offences in the league with 295 runs (1st), 263 RBI (1st), 249 BB (1st), .333 OBP (1st), .705 OPS (1st), 113 doubles (2nd), and .249 AVG (4th).

#Young was listed as the Toronto Blue Jays’ No.23 prospect in the preseason and the franchise’s farm system was listed as No.5 overall. Last season, Young led the Class A Lansing Lugnuts in batting average, runs scored and stolen bases. It was a season of milestones for the 21-year-old outfielder as he was named a Midwest League All-Star. In 125 games, Young hit .285 with 134 hits and 57 RBI. He also had an .808 OPS, slugged .445 with 44 stolen bases, 88 runs scored, 209 total bases, 33 doubles, nine triples and eight home runs.

#He finished tied for second the Midwest league total bases, second in both doubles and triples, tied for third in stolen bases and his 134 hits ranked sixth.

#Defensively, playing in centre and right field, he totalled 15 outfield assists along with 290 putouts and a .984 fielding percentage.

Chavez Young in action for the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Friday, May 24, 2019

#By Renaldo Dorsett

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#CHAVEZ Young had his most productive offensive outing of the season and Lucius Fox got the better in the first game of his head-to-head series against Jazz Chisholm in minor league baseball play.

#Young finished 3-5 with one home run, three RBI and scored two runs as the Dunedin Blue Jays took three of four games to close out the series with the St Lucie Mets.

#In a three hour and 35 minute game, which was the longest game of the year for Dunedin, Young helped to break the game open with a nine run fourth inning to put the Blue Jays ahead for good.

#It was the most runs scored by Dunedin in a single inning this season.

#After a single from teammate Christopher Bec, Young then took a 3-2 pitch to left field for his second home run of the year and give Dunedin a 2-0 lead.

#The lineup came around and in Young’s second plate appearance of the inning, he delivered an RBI single to plate Bec once again.

#The totals for the inning included eight hits and four walks.

#Young also tacked on a single in the top of the fifth inning.

#In game two, the Blue Jays’ only loss of the series, Young was Dunedin’s only player to record an extra-base hit for Dunedin with a two-out double in the 8th inning.

#The Mets won 3-0.

#The Blue Jays won the series opening double header Monday night, 5-2 and 2-0.

#Young was assigned to the Blue Jays of the Florida State League in Class A-Advanced for the first time this season.

#He was listed as the Toronto Blue Jays’ No.23 prospect in the preseason and the franchise’s farm system was listed as No.5 overall.

#Fox and his Montgomery Biscuits took game one of their series against Jazz Chisholm and the Jackson Generals Wednesday night in the Double A Southern League.

#Fox finished 1-3 with one run and two stolen bases of the Biscuits’ 3-0 win over the Generals.

#After he came up empty in his first two appearances at the plate, Fox was walked in the bottom of the sixth and stole second to reach scoring position. He singled in the bottom of the eighth and stole second again but was eventually plated by Rene Pinto.

#Just last week, Fox and the Biscuits went head-to-head with and Anfernee Seymour and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

#The Biscuits got the edge, 3-2 in the five game series.

#Seymour had a productive series at the plate, 4-12, with one RBI and two runs scored through three games.

Friday, August 31, 2018

#LUCIUS Fox and Jazz Chisholm continue their progression through their respective Major League Baseball organisations and reached another pair of milestones this week.

#Both players were named to rosters for the Arizona Fall League yesterday.

#Fox received the honour just two days after his Montgomery Biscuits clinched a playoff spot in the Double-A Southern League.

#The 21-year-old shortstop was named to the roster of the AFL’s Peoria Javelinas. The Javelinas have MLB affiliations with the Rays, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves.

#Chisholm was named to the roster of the Salt River Rafters. The Rafters have MLB affiliations with the Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals. His Visalia Rawhide are in a second-half playoff push in the Single-A Advanced California League, just one game back out of the final spot.

#The Rawhide make the playoffs by winning the second half or as a wild-card team if Stockton wins the league’s second half.

#The Arizona Fall League attracts many of the top prospects in the minor leagues. Late in the minor league seasons, MLB clubs hold a position draft to determine the players who will participate in the AFL. Most are Double-A and Triple-A players. The league is designed for these prospects to refine their skills and perform in game settings in front of major and minor league baseball scouts and team executives, who are in attendance at almost every game. The 27th edition of the league begins play October 9 and ends in mid-November.

#In the preliminary rosters, there are 17 players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, 10 in the Top 50. Overall, there are already more than 80 members of team Top 30 lists slated to participate in the six-week league.

#Four Bahamians have advanced to the Arizona Fall League in the past three seasons following Champ Stuart in 2016 and Anfernee Seymour in 2017.

#Fox advanced to the Double-A level for the first time when the Rays assigned him to the Biscuits earlier this month.

#In 23 games with the Biscuits, Fox hit .233 with a .290 OBP, four stolen bases, 21 hits, three doubles, one triple, seven RBI and 11 runs scored. He spent 91 games with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of Single-A Advanced of the Florida State League. He hit .282 with a .724 OPS, .371 OBP, 23 stolen bases, 99 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 30 RBI and 54 runs scored. He was named to the Florida State League’s Southern Division All-Star Team at the midseason classic.

#In 2017, his first season with the Stone Crabs, Fox appeared in 30 games, hit .235 with a .608 OPS, .350 OBP, one home run, three stolen bases, 12 RBI, 19 runs scored and was selected to represent the World team in the 2017 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game during MLB All-Star weekend. He was assigned to the Stone Crabs in July after spending the previous 77 games with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Midwest League at the Single A-Full level.

#Fox notched another career milestone last offseason to receive a Major League call-up during Spring Training when he was assigned to the Rays’ Grapefruit League roster and saw immediate action on the field against the Minnesota Twins. He entered spring training at No.7 on the prospect list for the Rays among players still listed with rookie eligibility.

#Chisholm also received a promotion earlier last month when the Diamondbacks assigned him to the Rawhide and he continued to garner national media attention for his hot streak at the plate.

#Both Baseball America Major League Baseball’s milb.com highlighted Chisholm as one of the top minor league prospects across various leagues around the country.

#The 20-year-old shortstop has gone 10-22 at the plate with home runs in back to back games over the streak.

#Through 32 games with the Rawhide, Chisholm is hitting .318 with a .362 OBP, a .915 OPS, slugging .553, 42 hits, seven home runs, two triples, six doubles, 19 RBI, scored 23 runs with eight stolen bases.

#On July 19th, Chisholm was assigned to the Rawhide from the Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League.

#His production was recognised by MLBPipeline.com and he was named to the “Prospect Team of the Week,” which honours the best performances throughout the minor leagues from the previous week.

#In a season of milestones, Chisholm also made his second All-Star game appearance of his young career. He was one of five members of the Cougars selected to the midseason classic. He appeared in 76 games for the Cougars and hit .244 with 43 RBI, 17 doubles, four triples and 17 doubles. Chisholm also posted an on-base percentage of .311, slugging percentage of .472 and OPS of .783 in 307 at bats.

#In his rookie season, Chisholm was also named to the annual Pioneer League vs. Northwest League All-Star Game as a member of the Missoula Osprey.