PLAY ACTION ON DIAMOND CONTINUES THROUGH TO APRIL

THE ED Armbrister Baseball League was officially opened on Saturday and will continue through April.

As of Thursday, February 2, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER hosting their developmental training programme at Flamingo Park in Carmichael Road, organiser Michael Butler said it was time for them to expose the players to a full-fledged league with games being played at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

#The Ed Armbrister Baseball League was officially opened on Saturday and will continue through April. Among those present were Bahamas Baseball Association’s secretary general Teddy Sweeting, Gomez, marketing manager at CBS Bahamas, Garth Moncur of Urban Renewal, Rose Armbrister, widow of the late Ed Armbrister and several of his relatives.

#After Rose Armbrister threw out the first pitch, Martin Burrows, president of the Local Umpires Association, officiated the opening game.

#“I’m quite pleased because I see the enthusiasm in the kids, which means that they are ready to play,” Butler said. “That’s the first step in trying to help these kids in their development. “It’s a developmental league.

#“But at the same time, we are hoping that we can place as many of these kids into high school and college programmes in the United States wherever it is possible and eventually help in getting them to the pro ranks.”

#Butler, who was assisted by a number of coaches including his brother Nat Butler and Wellie Stubbs, said he liked what he’s seen from the first day of competition and, if that is any indication, they should have some exciting action over the next few weeks.

#Stubbs said he really wanted to get involved with flag football into the school system, but after there was some resistance, he decided to join up with his good friend Mike Butler in his Community Baseball League.

#“It’s a good way to keep them from being idle,” said Stubbs, who serves as one of the coaches.

#“I just hope that this can go far and we can see some of these players getting the opportunity like Ed Armbrister to play professional baseball.”

#Orlando Knowles, who just joined the programme, has been playing baseball in Grand Bahama for the past 15 years. Having just recently moved to New Providence, he said he’s glad that the league gives him an opportunity to get his groove back on.

#“I want to stay focused and get back into playing competitive baseball again,” he said.

#“It was fun playing with my team-mates, even though we lost the game. Mistakes are made, but you have to learn from this one and come back bigger and better the next time you play.”

#The 17-year-old former St George’s High student, now in the 12th grade at CC Sweeting, is encouraging all of the players in the league to come out and put their best foot forward and help to make it a vibrant one.

#Among the sponsors for the league are:

#Brands Auto Parts, Soldier Road; Bahamas Christian Fellowship Center; CBS Bahamas; Bahamas Waste Management; Bahamas Leisure Impact Company and Ivan ‘Showtime’ Francis.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/feb/02/ed-armbrister-baseball-league-officially-open/?news

JAZZ Chisholm talks to the media at Fusion Superplex yesterday. Photos: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

As of Thursday, February 2, 2023

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BIRTHDAY boy Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm spent time with his family, friends and the media at Fusion Superplex yesterday where he talked about a little of everything from being selected to returning to action after he got injured last season.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Birthday boy Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm said he’s thrilled to have been selected as the face of the Major League Baseball (MLB) The Show video game. But he’s even more excited about returning to the Miami Marlins line-up in a new role in a bid to win the Most Valuable Player award this year.

#While he’s usually home for a “low key” celebrations, Chisholm’s 25th birthday yesterday was a little more appreciated as he spent time with his family, friends and the media at Fusion Superplex where he talked about a little of everything from being selected to returning to action after he got injured last season.

#In the first of a two-part series today, Chisholm will talk about his rise to become the seventh Bahamian to play in the Major League of Baseball to be sidelined and returning from the mid-season ending injury.

#First of all, happy birthday Jazz.

Twitter

Jazz Chisholm Tweet

#“It’s kind of funny that every year I come home and celebrate my birthday low keyed,” he said. “It’s like nobody knows, except my family and my close friends know I am home. It might look like I’m in the States training on my birthday, but probably every year, I celebrate my birthday at home.”

#And home to celebrate this year with his latest achievement as the face of The Show, Chisholm said it’s even crazier because this is something that he only dreamed about and now it has finally come to reality.

#He said they just called him and told him he was going to be the cover athlete and after they told them that they will have him on the cover, he signed the seal and sure enough everything else fell into place.

#“A lot of parents who have been out at Freedom Farm and see me play when I was younger and hear me yelling around the field how I want to be a big leaguer, how I want to be a Hall of Famer, how I want to be on the cover of the magazine of the video game, these are some things I was saying from I was a kid,” he said.

#“So to see it live now and to see it happen right before my 25th birthday is the best gift I can get. It made me live out my dream. I could remember seeing Albert (Cartwright) and Antoan (Richardson) do it and that made me want to do it.”

#And even though he’s living it out, Chisholm ran into a snag last year when he was sidelined on July 22 with a stress reaction in his lower back.

#On September 10, the Marlins announced that he would be out for the rest of the season.

#Now fully recovered, Chisholm said he’s looking forward to the start of the 2023 season with the Marlins.

#“My body feels great. Every day it feels like it’s getting stronger and stronger and I feel like I am ready to play 160 games. My plan is just to stay on the field,” he said. “That’s the only thing I feel I have to work on is staying available.”

#Chisholm, however, will be moved from second base to centre field because of an off-season trade that Miami made bringing in Luis Arraez. But he said his grandmother Pat Coakley always told him he could do what he put his mind to.

#“New position it doesn’t matter to me. I will just go out there and play baseball,” he said. “I’m a second baseman, but I’m sure a lot of people saw me run down fly balls in centre field that a centre fielder should catch, so I feel I can go out there and catch the balls in centre field that the centre fielders should catch.”

#The only difference in the change in position will force Chisholm to run a lot more than he would as a shortstop or second baseman.

#“Every day I am on the field. Even when I’m home, I’m on the field training,” Chisholm said. “I’m working out every day, getting my reps in, getting my workout done. No matter what, if I fly here for one day I get my reps in and when I fly back, the next day I get my reps done. I never stop working. I’m always ready.”

#It’s good, however, Chisholm said, to come home and be able to train in the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

#“I always wanted to play in the baseball stadium, so to get the opportunity to work out there and stuff like that, I honestly can’t wait to see how it will turn out in the end,” he said. “I’m just glad to get the chance to work out.”

#Looking back at his season, Chisholm said it hurt that he didn’t get to play in the All-Star game for the National League after being selected as a starter. He went to the game at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, but couldn’t watch the entire game.

#“It’s just something that you take in. It was my first All-Star, my first time being at the All-Star game and not getting to play was tough,” he said. “This year, I have to get back there. I already told them, I have to go deep (hit a home run) in the All-Star game.”

#And while many felt he was having a remarkable year before the injury, Chisholm said it was just average, even though in 213 at-bat, he had an average of .254 with 14 home runs, 45 runs batted in (RBI) and 12 stolen bases in 60 games played up to his injury.

#“I was doing that in rookie ball and low A and double A,” he said. “As a big l, I feel I should have been doing more. I can’t be duplicating the things that I was doing as a kid. I mean I am 25 now, so I am a man now. So I feel it’s time for me to become the man that everybody wants me to become.”

#And the only thing he would like to add on his résumé this year is the “MVP” most valuable player award.

#“I don’t expect less of myself,” he charged.

#As for the Marlins, Chisholm said he’s watching his team-mates work out every day when he’s in Miami and with more and more of the players coming out, he likes what he’s seen so far on the field and in the gym.

#“We might be underrated, but we will coming out with some fire,” he said. “They might be thinking they can blow by us, but we have a couple of sticks coming for us.”

#Chisholm said he’s expected to get in some early workout sessions in a minor league that is expected to be staged in Miami when he gets back.

#Once he can get in sufficient at-bats, he’s hoping that he can suit up and play for Great Britain next month in the World Classic with the other Bahamian players.

#“All of the things that have been happening the past seven-eight years in Bahamian baseball is leading towards the Bahamas having its own team,” he said.

#But after working out with coaches Geron Sands and Albert Cartwright, who worked with him from before he turned pro, Chisholm said he enjoyed his birthday and he’s looking forward to spending time with his family and friends.

#Note: In the second part of the interview on Friday, Chisholm pays tribute to his first ever coach Frankie Simmons, who recently passed away.

#Chisholm will also talk about his involvement with both Sands and Cartwright and others who assisted him along the way.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/feb/02/chisholm-looking-mvp-season/?news

JASRADO “Jazz” Chisholm says the death of coach Franklyn Simmons was one of the hardest losses he experienced in his life.

As of Friday, February 3, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm clearly remembers the days he spent with the late Franklyn Simmons at Freedom Farm.

#Simmons, the first coach to work with Chisholm, passed away on Friday, January 20. He used to teach young players the game in the Archdeacon William Thompson Softball Park at Southern Recreation Grounds.

#Chisholm, home to celebrate his 25th birthday on Wednesday, said it was one of the hardest losses he experienced in his life.

#“You guys know, he literally begged my grandmother (Patricia Coakley) for me to play on his team,” Chisholm recalled in an interview with the media during his birthday celebrations at Fusion Superplex.

#“He begged my grandmother to come from her softball camp to come and play on his team. That was the first time I ever played at Freedom Farm. That’s who Frankie Simmons was. He picked me every Sunday, Saturday, Friday to come to practice, to games. I didn’t miss a game at Freedom Farm because of one person.”

#What’s even more interesting is that Chisholm, who is now the face of The Show video game for Major [League Baseball, said the first time he actually played the game, it was at Simmons’ house.

#“That’s so crazy to me,” said Chisholm, who remembers playing the game with Simmons’ son. I was holding back to show him I was on the cover and then I heard what happened to him. It really hurt me.”

#After he was introduced to baseball at Freedom Farm by Simmons, Chisholm said he met coach Geron Sands about 6-7 years ago.

#As one of the smallest players around the park, Chisholm said Sands invited him to try out a drill. “So I started doing it and it just happened more and more when I was out there hitting,” Chisholm said. “He would come over and tell me that I’m so small, I shouldn’t be trying to hit home runs. He was small too, so I guess that was why he was telling me that.

#“But from day one, I just wanted to hit home runs. I don’t care how small I was, I wanted to hit home runs like A-Rod and (Ken) Griffey Jr. So he just kept on coming and coming at me with more and more drills. The next year, I was on his team and we just developed a father-son bond from there. Every day I was with him.”

#When he left for school, Chisholm said Sands was relentless in contacting him to find out how everything was going and whenever he returned home, he was the first person who got him on the field working out.

#“These two guys right here (Geron Sands and Albert Cartwright) took me in when I was about 15-16 years old. We worked for about nine months straight, no days off. We did gym at 7, school at 8 and practice at 12:30 every day for nine months straight. Nine months later, I was with the Arizona Diamondbacks.”

#Sands, who along with Albert has formed the International Elite Baseball Academy that assists young men getting off to high school and college or into the professional ranks, said Chisholm was also the spectacular “small guy” on the field swinging the “big bat.”

#“He always wanted to hit the home runs. He always thought he would win,” Sands said.

#“But something that stuck with me when he talked about being the MVP. I believe him because every single thing he said he was going to do, he’s done so far in the sport of baseball. This is the only thing kind of left for him to achieve at this point. He signed yes. MVP in minor league – yes. Player of the Year – yes. 30 home runs – yes. All-Star game in the big league – yes. Cover of the game – yes. There’s only two things left for him, MVP and Hall of Fame and I’m looking forward to that.”

#Sands said it has been a long journey and he will continue to love and support Chisholm just as he does his own son, Storm. Chisholm, however, advised Sands that Storm was his second son because he was the first. “He’s grown up to be a man now, so I’m comfortable with him doing his thing out there,” Sands said. “I’m just happy for him and his family and the support that they give him. The same guys who were with him when he was 10-11 years old are still with him today. We’re like a family, who try to stay together.”

#For Cartwright, he’s tried to be the coach of reasoning.

#“After Marlins game that we went to with Jazz, he said tomorrow I’m going to hit a home run or a slider. I said come on Jazz,” Sands said.

#“The next game, first at bat, he hits a home run and gets a slider. He points up in the stands. So I guess I have to believe everything he says now.”

#As a leading figure for the younger guys following in his footsteps, Sands said he’s confident that Chisholm will make an impact on the future of baseball in the Bahamas and hopefully he will get a chance to display that pride when he teams up with them to play in the next professional baseball tournament at the new Andre Rodgers Stadium.

#Bahamas Baseball Association president Sam Rodgers commended Chisholm, whom he has watched through his progress from the minor league to the major league.

#He said he had a chance to sit down with Chisholm and his grandmother about the future of baseball in the Bahamas.

#“I told him then that I was looking for a bright future for baseball,” Rodgers said. “I told him that I hope that him and the other young men in baseball would be a part of it. So the journey started. We have a great relationship now. I have something in mind, but I’m not ready to announce it yet. I can tell you that the position that Jazz holds in baseball, there’s coming a day when he will be the ambassador for baseball in the Bahamas.”

#BBA secretary general Teddy Sweeting said they will be right there in the Marlins’ stadium supporting Chisholm during the upcoming season.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/feb/03/chisholm-remembers-those-who-helped-him/?news

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJanuary 31, 2023 585 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The list of qualifiers for The Bahamas for the 2023 CARIFTA Games continues to grow.

A number of productive performances by young Bahamian athletes at the 3rd Annual Oaktree Sonja Knowles Track Classic hosted by the Red-Line Athletics Track and Field Club at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium this past weekend increased the number of qualifiers by nine, bringing the total number up to 20.

There were three qualifiers in the under-17 girls 400 meters (m) hurdles alone with three either matching or going under the standard of 1:07.00.

Darvinique Dean, of the host club, is set to enjoy her first CARIFTA experience, winning the race in a blazing personal best time of 1:01.45. She was nearly a full three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, her teammate Bayli Major, who ran 1:04.18. Yulianis Akompi, of Quick Step Athletics, finished third in 1:07 flat, matching the CARIFTA qualifying time.

After a spectacular run in the heats of the under-17 boys 400m, Andrew Brown came back and ran even faster in the final. Running unattached, he clocked 49.41 seconds to go under the qualifying time of 49.42 seconds, easily winning that race at the Sonja Knowles classic.

Not to be outdone, Amari Pratt went under the qualifying time in the under-20 girls 200m. Pratt, of Star Elite Athletics, clocked 24.36 seconds to go under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 24.40 seconds.

In the under-20 girls shot put, Annae Mackey, of Blue Chips Athletics, had a toss of 12.91m (42’ 4-1/4”) to surpass the CARIFTA qualifying distance of 12.60m (41’ 4”).

After not qualifying in the under-20 boys 100m, due to a strong tailwind, Adam Musgrove came back and went under the standard in the under-20 boys 200m, winning that event at the Sonja Knowles classic. Musgrove, representing Bahamas Speed Dynamics, clocked 21.23 seconds to go under the qualifying time of 21.40 seconds.

Earlier at the meet, on Saturday, a couple of young ladies qualified in the sprints. Shayann Demeritte, of Swift Athletics, ran 12.10 seconds in the heats of the under-17 girls 100m, to go under the qualifying time of 12.20 seconds. She came back and ran 12.07 seconds in the final but that time was wind-aided. Dean was second in the final in a wind-aided 12.18 seconds.

Grand Bahamian Shatayla Dorsett, representing Kenyan Knights, qualified in the heats of the under-20 girls 100m on Saturday. She clocked 11.84 seconds to go under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 11.90 seconds. In the final, Dorsett, who was on the CARIFTA team in Kingston, Jamaica, last year, was second in a wind-aided 11.73 seconds.

Jamiah Nabbie, representing Fast Forward Athletics, won the under-20 girls 100m final in 11.67 seconds, but that time was wind-aided. Pratt finished third in 11.76 seconds.

The other 11 qualifiers for The Bahamas are Alexandria Komolafe (under-17 girls high jump), Taysha Stubbs and Kamera Strachan (under-17 girls javelin), Terrell McCoy (under-17 girls shot put), Cassie Thompson (under-20 girls 200m), Javonya Valcourt and Lacarthea Cooper (under-20 girls 400m), Calea Jackson (under-20 girls discus), Mateo Smith (under-20 boys long jump), Kaden Cartwright (under-20 boys javelin) and Brenden Vanderpool (under-20 boys pole vault).

The 50th CARIFTA Games is set to be held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium from April 8-10. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) CARIFTA Trials is set for March 25-27 at the national stadium.

Next up on the local athletics calendar is the Star Performers Track and Field Classic set to get underway at 9 a.m. this coming Saturday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The Star Trackers Athletics Club is the host club.

 Home|Sports|UB blanks the Renegades, 3-0Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJanuary 31, 2023 146 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The University of The Bahamas (UB) Mingoes men’s soccer team got a huge win on Sunday, turning back the Renegades, 3-0, at the Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field.

The Mingoes got a goal from Renaldo Green, another one from Joshua Johnson and also scored on a penalty kick from Green.

Johnson scored his first goal for the season. Green scored on a penalty kick just five minutes into the contest and picked up his second goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. On that final shot, he avoided a defender and placed the ball skillfully past the goalkeeper on a brilliant strike.

Head Coach Dion Godet said he was proud of the team and loved the tenaciousness the team brought to the game, particularly in the second half.

“We could have scored more, as we played a very good team who have been revamped and we added a couple of new people to our team,” he shared. Above all, Coach Godet felt the game was balanced, with new players stepping into leadership roles during the game and he was pleased that the game ended with a clean sheet.

“The guys brought a lot of fight tonight and they played a tough, hard-fought game. We need to be a little more disciplined because we got some yellow cards that we should not have gotten, but all-in-all I think the guys played a very good game. It was balanced and we had a strong all-around performance,” said Godet.

The Mingoes next play the Cavaliers in regular season action. That game will take place on Sunday February 13 at Roscow A.L. Davies Soccer Field.

 Home|Sports|Athletes qualify for CARIFTA at Red-Line meetSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJanuary 30, 2023 706 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

As the 2023 CARIFTA Games draws closer, more Bahamian athletes continue to put their best foot forward, looking to achieve the CARIFTA qualifying standards. This weekend, two more athletes reached a standard at the 3rd Annual Oaktree Sonja Knowles Track Classic that was hosted by the Red-Line Athletics Track and Field Club at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

At the windy two-day meet, sprinters Shatayla Dorsett and Shayann Demeritte went under the respective standards in their age groups. Dorsett achieved the mark in the under-20 girls 100 meters (m) dash while Demeritte did it in the under-17 girls 100m.

Dorsett, who was on the CARIFTA team last year for the same event, clocked a time of 11.84 seconds to win her heat. The Kenyan Knights sprinter out of Grand Bahama went under the qualifying time of 11.90 seconds.

The preliminaries of that race saw two other sprinters go under the time, but their performances were wind-aided. They were Fast Forward’s Jamiah Nabbie who ran 11.77 seconds and Star Elite’s Amari Pratt who clocked 11.81 seconds. Both were in the fourth heat which had a wind-aided reading of 2.8 meters per second (mps). For a time to be legal in the short sprints, the reading cannot exceed 2.0 mps.

The final had the same wind reading as Nabbie and Pratt’s heat. Nabbie won that race in a time of 11.67 seconds, Dorsett was second when she clocked 11.73 seconds and Pratt came in third in 11.76 seconds.

Swift Athletics’ Demeritte finished with the fastest time in the under-17 girls 100m preliminaries when she clocked 12.10 seconds to win the first heat. That time was enough to go under the CARIFTA standard of 12.20 seconds. Also making the qualifying time but having a wind-aided performance was the host club’s Darvinique Dean in 12.14 seconds. The wind reading in her race was a massive 6.5 mps.

In a wind-aided final, Demerritte powered through for the victory in 12.07 seconds. Dean was second in 12.18 seconds and Dean’s teammate Bayli Major finished third in 12.47 seconds.

Andrew Brown, who ran unattached, ran a strong race in the under-17 boys 400m as he dipped under the 50-second mark with a time of 49.41 seconds in the final. However, it was short of the CARIFTA qualifying standard of 49.14 seconds. The 15-year-old, who turns 16 tomorrow, left spectators without any doubt that he was chasing the standard. He led all the way and even pushed more in the final 80 meters of the race but was unable to achieve the time.

Brown ran 50.24 seconds in the preliminaries.

The Bahamas Speed Dynamics’ Branden Mackey was second in the final with a time of 52.97 seconds. Finishing third behind him was the T-Bird Flyers’ George Nottage who ran 53.11 seconds.

It was a quick race in the under-20 boys 100m final with four athletes going under the CARIFTA standard of 10.60 seconds but it was wind-aided. Swift Athletics’ Carlos Brown Jr. won that race with a time of 10.19 seconds. Bahamas Speed Dynamics’ Adam Musgrove clocked 10.21 seconds to place second and DTSP Wolf Pack’s eremiah Adderley and Swift Athletics’ Samalie Farrington both clocked 10.54 seconds to finish tied for third. The race was barely over the allowable limit with a wind reading of 2.5 mps.

The CARIFTA Games is set to be held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium April 8-10. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) CARIFTA Trials is set for March 25-27 at the national stadium.

Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJanuary 30, 2023 175 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

With about 70 days remaining before the start of the 50th CARIFTA Games, crowdfunding platform ArawakX joins the CARIFTA family as the stock exchange partner. The Local Organizing Committee of the games (LOC) is moving full steam ahead in ensuring the region can come together at their own level of financial comfort and support the young athletes for the upcoming event.

ArawakX, as the newest partner, will enable supporters throughout The Bahamas, the Caribbean region, the Americas, and globally, become a partner in their own right to sponsor the upcoming event and donate directly to the operations and success of this anticipated event.

ArawakX believes that all types of people should have an opportunity to invest in companies they believe in and share in their success. To this end, they have positioned themselves to enable everyone to invest in these upcoming event. Their platform will allow everyone to show support for one of the most positive annual events that enable young athletics to showcase their athletic gifts to the world.

Presently, ArawakX has raised approximately $2.4 million for companies

 looking to grow and expand. They invite companies and startups, who have a desire to have a more impactful effect on the development of the region, through commerce and capital building, to reinvest back into their local communities and economies.

According to co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of ArawakX D’Arcy Rahming Jr., track and field is a movement that has changed so many lives and needs to be supported.

“We are really our best selves when track and field athletes are winning and performing. We are happy to provide the technology and support for what will be the best CARIFTA Games.”

The 50th CARIFTA Games LOC is determined to ensure everyone is able to support the success of this pivotal event.

Along with ArawakX, Tropical Gyros, Sawyer’s Studios, S&B Consultancy and DasQuay Entertainment were represented and present to sign as partners in support of the upcoming CARIFTA Games.

Chef Kevin Culmer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tropical Gyros, expressed gratitude for the opportunity athletics gave him, with the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Relays in 2015 being the platform that helped him launch Tropical Gyros and for it to become the success it is today.

“I think it is important as Bahamian small businesses to jump on and assist,” he said.

Culmer spoke about ensuring that we work together to help build the communities which have given so much to us.

Charles Sawyer of Sawyer’s Studios spoke about how the community gave him a second chance when he had lost his way as a young man. He feels strongly that anything positive that can help promote wellness in our youth is to be supported.

“I thought it would be important to make a sacrifice and make sure someone else has an opportunity to move forward in sports, particularly, track and field,” he said.

Sawyer spoke about ensuring to take an opportunity to sow into others and to ensure they can do the same for others.

“When we get opportunities, the thing is not to be selfish. Whatever you sow will come back to you. Sow good seeds and it will come back to you,” he said.

Remarks and thanks were given by LOC CEO Lynden Maycock, Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) President Drumeco Archer, North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands, LOC Chairman Harrison Thompson, and LOC Honorary Dame Pauline Davis-Thompson.

Tickets will be available soon to be purchased on the 2023 CARIFTA Games website, www.carifta50.com or at the CARIFTA Games box office at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. For more information, persons can visit the website, send an e-mail to info@carifta50.com or call 808-Gold (4683). Interested persons can also follow the CARIFTA Games progress on its social media platforms @carifta2023.

Bahamian leads team past the Cardinals; Erald, siblings and Taylor also in action

Simba FrenchSend an emailJanuary 31, 2023 317 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It was Senior Day for Howard University and Bahamian collegiate swimmer Luke-Kennedy Thompson as he was honored for his four years representing the Bison. He along with four other Bahamians were in action in their dual against Catholic University on Saturday.

Thompson helped the men’s team take down the Catholic University Cardinals, 221-60, in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I action. Erald Thompson III and Mark-Anthony Thompson were also in action for the Howard University Bison men’s team. They have a 6-2 win/loss record on the season. On the ladies side, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson helped them win 177-101 and they sport a 5-3 record.

Luke-Kennedy Thompson got the Bison off on a winning note when he helped his 200 yards medley relay team win with a time of 1:32.24. The team consisted of himself, Miles Simon, Mark-Anthony Beckles and Arion Solomon.

Placing second was the Cardinals’ A relay team who clocked 1:38.14. Finishing close behind them in third was the Bison’s C team in a time of 1:39.88. That team featured Erald Thompson.

Luke-Kennedy Thompson then led a sweep of the men’s 50-yard breaststroke event when he touched the wall first in 25.87 seconds. Miguel Davis was second in a time of 26.14 seconds. Placing third was Luke-Kennedy Thompson’s brother, Mark-Anthony. He clocked 26.56 seconds.

The senior went on to win the 500-yard freestyle when he clocked 4:59.53. 

Mark-Anthony Thompson was a close second in a time of 5:00.30. The Cardinals’ Aidan Malvey finished third in that race when he recorded a time of 5:08.04.

Luke-Kennedy’s final race of the afternoon was when he and his 200 yards free relay team finished third after they recorded a time of 1:28.19. Howard’s A and C team were first and second respectively, and Luke-Kennedy was on the B team. The A team posted a time of 1:25.1 while the C team swam 1:27.34.

Erald Thompson placed fourth in the 200-yard backstroke. The 18-year-old clocked 2:07.75. Winning that race was his teammate Tristan Stevens with a time of 1:56.04. Erald, a freshman, also swam in the 200-yard individual medley (IM) and placed third. He posted a time of 2:05.22. His teammate Tai Afrik won with a time of 2:00.11.

Luke-Kennedy Thompson’s sister Zaylie-Elizabeth had a great meet winning her relay race and her two individual races. In the 200-yard medley relay, the freshman and her school’s A team won with a time of 1:49.14. Her team included Kali Garcia, Courtney Connolly and Kelsey Roberson. Placing second was the Cardinal’s A relay team with a time of 1:51.80. Howard’s B team was third in a time of 1:51.86.

Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson won the 50-yard breast in 30.19 seconds. Her teammate Belle Fountain was a close second in 30.98 seconds. The Cardinals’ Madeline Douchette was third after clocking 32.02 seconds.

The freshman powered her way to win the 100-yard free in 53.37 seconds. The Cardinals’ Kathryn Herman clocked 54.10 seconds to finish second. Finishing third was Howard University’s Tiffanee Moore who swam 55.77.

The Bison return to the competition February 21-25 when they head to Geneva, Ohio, to compete in the Northeast Conference Championships.

Also in action over the weekend was Henderson State University’s Lamar Taylor. He and the Red Wave were in action against the Ouachita Baptist University’s Tigersharks in NCAA Division II action.

Taylor broke the pool record in the men’s 100-yard backstroke when he posted a time of 48.98 seconds on the first leg of the men’s 400-yard medley relay. He helped his team to win with a time of 3:24.22. His teammates included Jaren Tippett, Jase Pinckney and Tate Sloan.

The Tigersharks team swam 3:30.63 to finish second. Henderson State’s B team was third after clocking 3:31.72.

Taylor had a little fun and swam the 200-yard IM. He won that event in a time of 1:55.37. The Tigersharks’ Noah Smith was second when he swam 1:59.30. Tippett was close behind Smith with a time of 1:59.37.

The Bahamian was also in action in the 200-yard backstroke. The 19-year-old powered his way to touch the wall first with a time of 1:55.64. The Tigersharks’ Anthony Paculba was second when he posted a time of 1:57.97. Finishing third was the Red Wave’s Gabriel Simoes in 1:59.62.

The Red Wave head to Cleveland, Mississippi, for the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference Championships, February 15-18.

 Home|Sports|Media accreditation portal for CARIFTA set to openSports

Media accreditation portal for CARIFTA set to open

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailFebruary 1, 2023 213 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Local Organizing Committee of the CARIFTA Games Bahamas 2023 (LOC) is set and ready to host an exciting championship April 8-10, 2023. The event is expected to be highly viewed globally, and the LOC is inviting local and international media partners onboard to lend coverage.

Although the CARIFTA track and field championships is a junior level competition, media covering this event will be treated to similar facilities and services as accustomed to at professional competitions like the World Athletics Relays.

LOC Senior Director of Event Media Services Tonique Williams has indicated that four of the seven media areas offered during the World Athletics Relays will be at the media’s disposable during the three days of activities. These areas include: the Media Press Center, the Media Tribune or Press Boxes and the Press Conference Room.

The Media Press Center will be a shared space with the Copy Centre. This space will be available for the media to work on their news stories and receive results. The center will be equipped with high speed Wi-Fi internet, concierge check-in service and timely results.

The Media Tribune or Press Boxes, located in the spectator’s stands, will present a direct view of the finish line, offering the best seats in the house for journalists, trackside, just near the finish line. Also, the Mixed Zone allows journalists first contact with the athletes at the end of their competitions.

The Press Conference Room allows journalists to conduct interviews of top finishers and performers.

“We are preparing to host over 100 journalists, photographers and broadcasters. There is a lot of interest from the regional CARIFTA community because these 2023 championships is the second CARIFTA championship since the opening of many Caribbean countries post pandemic,” said Williams. “Additionally, this is the 50th anniversary of CARIFTA and The Bahamas – it is important that the significance of this very important time in history is captured in all its splendor and color.”

Williams and her team are well versed when it comes to delivering a high quality experience for the media. She served as the Senior Director of Event Media Services for the World Athletics Relays 2014, 2015 and 2017 and CARIFTA 2018. Her assistant Rudina Miller, who has gained experience from serving in this area for the world relays of 2015 and 2017 and CARIFTA 2018, joins her.

Media wishing to cover this event are asked to complete the registration process as soon as possible.

To make application, the online Media Application Form is located on the CARIFTA website at https://www.carifta50.com/mediaapplication on the media page. It must be completed. All applications must be submitted with an official letter of employment from the media outlet stamped by the national track and field federation where the outlet has its domicile.

Completion of the application process does not automatically guarantee accreditation. Once the application has been reviewed and approved by the LOC, the applicant will receive a link to apply for media accreditation. The online accreditation process opens February 6, 2023. The deadline to apply for media accreditation is Tuesday March 30, 2023.

Media personnel planning to attend the CARIFTA Games are able to access information via the CARIFTA website at https://www.carifta50.com/media or may contact LOC Senior Director of Event Media Services Tonique Williams at telephone number (242) 376-9295 or by e-mail at media@carifta50.com.

 Home|Sports|Swimmers go under CARIFTA qualifying timesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailFebruary 1, 2023 325 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Local swimmers were in action for the first time in the calendar year on Saturday and made CARIFTA cuts at the 1st Bert Bell Memorial Meet at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Aquatics Center. Freeport Aquatics Club was the host club.

The Barracuda Swim Club’s Saleste Gibson, who swam in the 11-12 girls category, made the cuts in five of her six individual races. She also won the high point award for that category with 52 points.

Gibson clocked 1:05.78 in the 100 meters (m) freestyle to go under the 1:06.84 CARIFTA standard. Her teammates Alisson Ferguson and Madyson Julien were second and third, respectively. Ferguson clocked 1:08.06 while Julien swam 1:08.23.

It was another quick time for Gibson in the 50m butterfly when she clocked 31.77 seconds. She led three swimmers under the CARIFTA cut of 32.80 seconds in that event. Her teammate Christin-Alyssa Clarke qualified with a time of 32.72 seconds, finishing second. Lyford Cay’s Violet Saralegui was close behind Clarke in a time of 32.74 seconds.

In the 50m free sprint, Gibson powered her way to touch the wall first in a time of 29.60 seconds, going under the CARIFTA standard of 30.18 seconds. Julien was second in a time of 30.52 seconds. Finishing third was Mako Aquatics’ DNDN McKenzie in 30.67 seconds.

Gibson had to settle for second in the 100m backstroke as Ferguson touched the wall first in a time of 1:16.65. The CARIFTA standard is 1:19.01. Gibson finished in 1:18.85. Clarke was third after posting a time of 1:22.21.

In the 100m butterfly, Gibson powered her way to a time of 1:13.93 to win that event. She went under the standard of 1:15.88. Saralegui swam 1:17.79 to place second and Ferguson swam 1:24.95 to place third.

The Barracuda’s David Singh, a competitor in the 11-12 boys category, had a strong outing on the way to winning the high-point award in that division. He scored 59 points.

Singh comfortably went under the CARIFTA mark of 3:05.91 in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:56.31. He finished ahead of Black Marlins Swim Club’s Alexander Murray who swam 3:18.82.

Singh had a strong swim in the 50m back as he outperformed the field with a time of 33.59 seconds to go under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 33.92 seconds. He finished significantly ahead of Mako’s Sean Norville-Smith who was second with a time of 40.45 seconds. The Mantas Swim and Water Polo Club’s Caylen Brown was a close third with a time of 40.84 seconds.

Singh had to settle for second in the 100m breast when he clocked 1:21.64 to go under the CARIFTA standard of 1:24.55. Winning that race with a time of 1:19.52, and also going under the standard, was Mako’s Trace Russell. Murray was third after touching the wall in 1:25.21.

In the 50m free, Singh finished ahead of Russell with a time of 28.53 to dip under the CARIFTA standard of 28.59 seconds. Russell was second in this race as he touched the wall in 28.61 seconds. Murray was third in 28.96 seconds.

Singh and Russell switched places again, this time in the 50m breast with both going under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 37.57 seconds. Russell won with a time of 35.45 seconds while Singh was second in 36.72 seconds. Murray was third when he touched the wall in 37.92 seconds.

Donald Saunders, who has represented The Bahamas at CARIFTA, was in action in two races in the 13-14 boys category and was able to go under the CARIFTA times in both races. The Lightning Aquatics swimmer achieved the standard in the 50m fly with a time of 27.57 seconds. He held off Mako’s duo of Damari Butler and Maxwell Daniels who finished second and third, respectively. Butler swam 30.89 seconds and Daniels swam 31.05 seconds for third. The CARIFTA standard is 28.35 seconds.

Saunders also went under the CARIFTA standard in the 50m back with a time of 30.84 seconds, The standard is 31.10 seconds. Finishing second and third were the Black Marlins Swim Club’s Orion Moss and Malcolm Menzies. Moss posted a time of 33.30 seconds while Menzies clocked 34.35 seconds.

 Home|Sports|Ayton helps lift Suns over RaptorsSports

Bahamian now averaging a double-double during the season

Simba FrenchSend an emailFebruary 1, 2023 224 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional basketball player DeAndre Ayton notched his second double-double in his third game back from an illness that kept him out for three games. He was instrumental in helping the Phoenix Suns take down the Toronto Raptors, 114-106, on Monday night.

It was the Suns sixth win in seven tries after a tough stretch of losses. Playing at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Ayton scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds in 31 minutes on the floor. The win gives the Sun their 27th win of the season, lifting them a 27-25 win/loss record. They are back over .500 and sit in the seventh position in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The game was very competitive. It had 16 lead changes and five tied scores with no team leading by more than 10 points for the entire game. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Raptors held a slim 84-82 lead after the Suns led 62-53 at the half.

Ayton entered the game at the 6:46 mark of the fourth quarter with the Suns holding on to a one-point lead, 95-94. He had two key assists to forward Mikal Bridges with 3:02 and 2:28 left in the game. Those four unanswered points enabled the Suns to take a 103-100 lead – a lead that they didn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

The Bahamian had a putback layup to extend the Suns’ lead with 51 seconds left in the game, tipping in Torrey Craig’s missed shot to give his team a 108-102 lead. Ayton finished the night going 9-for-17 from the field, shooting 52.9 percent. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and had five offensive boards to go with eight boards on the defensive side of the ball.

He did most of his scoring in the first quarter in which he finished 3-for-7 from the field, scoring eight points.

The number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is now averaging a double-double on the season with 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Since returning to the court last Thursday, he has averaged 21.3 points and 13.7 rebounds in 33 minutes per game.

Against the Dallas Mavericks last Thursday, Ayton barely missed out on a 20-20 game with 19 points and 20 rebounds. He also had two blocks and two assists in a 99-95 loss. He played 31 minutes in that game. On Saturday, he helped the Suns to a 128-118 overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He had 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to go with an assist and a block in that game.

The Suns will look to win their third straight game when they return action with a matchup at home against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Tip-off for that game is at 10 o’ clock and it will be broadcasted on ESPN.