NFL Super Bowl champion Rashad Fenton (second left) poses with Cory, Chester and Jory Fox during a visit to Nassau on a cruise ship.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

NFL Super Bowl champion Rashad Fenton with his aunt Diedre Fox on his visit to Nassau on a cruise ship on Sunday.

#RASHAD Fenton, of Bahamian descent, who helped the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIV on February 2 in Miami, Florida, came to Nassau on Sunday on a cruise ship to spend some time with his local family.

#Fenton won a Super Bowl ring at Hard Rock Stadium — the same stadium where he used to serve food and drinks. The Chiefs defensive back used to walk four blocks from his house to serve food and drinks at the stadium when he was in high school. He is the son of Bahamian Laurie Fenton, who moved to Miami to attend college.

#The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to earn the franchise whose founding owner had named the game its second Lombardi Trophy and first since 1969.

#The old Kansas City teams were known for their ability to back an outward cool with dominant play on the field – Hank Stram dialing up unthinkable plays to the cigarette-smoking Len Dawson. This time they did it with a wise-cracking, Hawaiian shirt-wearing, cheeseburger-eating mad scientist as a coach and his quarterback creation conjured from every defensive coordinator’s worst nightmares.

#During his visit to the Bahamas, Fenton spent time with some of his family members, including his uncle and aunt Chester and Diedre Fox from Long Island and their twin sons Cory and Jory. They spent time reflecting on the Chiefs’ victory over dinner.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

#FOR the first time since its inception, Nassau Rowing Club has realised the dream of bringing together rowers from across the island to compete in a scholastic regatta.

#Student athletes represented their schools, including Lyford Cay International School, Windsor at Albany, Windsor Prep, Tambearly, Genesis Academy, Nassau Christian Academy, CR Walker High School, St Augustine’s College, and Focus Point Academy.

#Rowers from St Andrew’s School and Queen’s College spectated and cheered for their favourites.

#The race course was 1,000m, and the boat classes consisted of single sculls (1x), doubles (2x) and quads (4x). “Boys and Girls Novice and JV raced, with some very tight finishes. Junior scullers Timothy Stuby, grade 10 at LCIS bested Jackson Mamock, also grade 10 at Lyford by only 1 second,” said a press release.

#Said Jermaine Francis, a grade 12 student at CR Walker: “I was really impressed with Valcir and I, that we were able to beat the rowers from Lyford in our double race.”

#Valcir Santos added: “I was so excited that I forgot to breathe properly until the end of the race, but we finished.”

#The boys finished second to a composite Nassau RC boat of Kenneth Hart from NCA and Kameron Taylor, a student at Focus Point Academy.

#Coach KariAnne Kulig said this was the first race for some of the novice rowers. “Our more experienced rowers have had the chance to compete off-island, but this is a way for everyone to experience a competition without having to spend a ton of money travelling to the US.”

#Parents from all schools volunteered to drive the safety launch, run timing, and bring food to feed the athletes and visitors.

#“As our fleet of boats grows, we will be able to host larger regattas with visiting teams from both within Bahamas and abroad. Nassau RC looks forward to making this an annual event. If you are interested in taking up the sport of rowing, our next youth and adult learn to row programmes begin in April. Please contact Nassau Rowing Club for more information.

#.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#ELLISON Hanna II and BJ Murray both had multi-hit games last weekend as their respective programmes won their latest series in NCAA Division I baseball.

#Hanna and the Indiana State Sycamores worked their way back to a .500 record at 5-5 with a three-game road sweep over Elon.

#In game two, Hanna had his first hits of the season and finished 2-5 at the plate in a 9-6 win at Latham Park in North Carolina. The senior outfielder had both a double and a triple, the first triple for the Sycamores this season.

#In the top of the fourth inning, Hanna tripled to centre field and was plated by Grant Magill in the next at-bat to extend the Sycamores’ lead 6-3. His double came in the top of the eighth but was left stranded after Magill popped up to end the inning.

#Indiana State opened the series with an 11-7 win in game one and concluded the sweep with a 6-2 win in game two. They will play their home opener 3pm this afternoon when they host San Diego at Bob Warn Field.

#Indiana State won the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament last season. They finished the season at 41-16 and made their 10th NCAA postseason appearance in school history.

#Hanna, a senior transfer from Kirkwood Community College, played in 16 games last season with the Sycamores. In eight starts, he hit two home runs, totalled five RBI and scored four runs.

#BJ Murray also posted a two-hit game with one RBI in a 16-5 loss to the No.9 ranked Florida State Seminoles Saturday afternoon.

#Murray singled in the top of the seventh but was left stranded on third with the Owls trailing 7-5.

#He added another single at the top of the eighth inning to score Alvarez and trim the deficit 10-6. FSU would score eight runs in the bottom of the eighth for the game’s final margin.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Nathan Bain

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#AS the NCAA Division I college basketball season winds down, several Bahamian student athletes clinched conference regular season titles ahead of the postseason.

#Nathan Bain and the Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks continue to be one of the most talked about stories this season and have been dominant ever since their record-setting upset over the Duke Blue Devils in November.

#The Lumberjacks’ season of milestones continued when they claimed the Southland Conference regular season title outright and the top overall seed in the upcoming conference tournament with Saturday’s 95-76 win over the Lamar Cardinals.

#Bain finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a team-leading five assists. All five Lumberjack starters and six players overall scored in double figures. With the win, the Lumberjacks improved to 26-3 overall and 17-1 in the Southland Conference. As the top overall seed, SFA will have an opening round bye in the conference tournament.

#Bain’s five assists led an SFA team that produced 19 assists on 37 made field goals.

#They return to the court tonight against Abilene Christian in their final regular season road contest.

#It was a complete turnaround from last season when SFA finished in a tie for ninth place in the final version of the conference standings.

#The Lumberjacks missed out on a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

#Charles Bain has had a reduced role this season with the Robert Morris Colonials but the programme clinched the No. 1 spot in the Northeast Conference tournament.

#Robert Morris concluded its 2019-20 regular season Saturday with a 78-68 victory over Saint Francis. With the win, the Colonials clinched their second consecutive winning season, and improved to 17-4 overall, 13-5 in the NEC.

#Bain finished with seven points and five rebounds. “A great team effort from our guys, on both sides of the ball,” Colonials head coach Andrew Toole said. “That’s what you need if you’re going to beat a team like Saint Francis. I thought we really did as well as we could to control the tempo of the game. They’re so good in transition and on the break. Our guys had a maximum amount of urgency tonight to get the win.”

#Robert Morris opens the 2020 NEC Tournament on Wednesday, March 4, with a first round matchup at home against St Francis Brooklyn at 7pm.

#In a season series split, each team recorded lopsided wins at home.

#Bain scored eight points in a 78-52 victory on January 9.

#In the second meeting, St Francis won 78-57 on January 23. Bain struggled from the field and shot just 1-8 from the field.

#Last season, Robert Morris posted a record of 17-16 and the Colonials finished in a tie for third place in the Northeast Conference with a mark of 11-7.

#The Colonials fell in the semi-finals of the Northeast Conference Tournament 62-60 to No. 2 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.

#The postseason run ended when they were eliminated in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

#Bain finished with the first double double of his career – 14 points and 10 rebounds.

#In women’s basketball, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin will lead her team to the Southeastern conference tournament.

#Ole Miss will play the Missouri Tigers in the first round of the 2020 SEC Tournament on Wednesday March 4, with tip-off slated for 25 minutes following the Auburn-Vanderbilt game which tips off at 11am local time.

#The Rebels have struggled this season at a record of 7-22 and mired in a 16-game losing streak.

#The Tigers won both previous matchups this season against Missouri – 71-57 on January 19 and most recently, 87-62 on February 23.

As of Tuesday, March 3, 2020

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Mark Anthony Thompson and Mia Sastre emerged as the top male and female finishers in the YMCA Waverunners Open Water five-kilometre race over the weekend in Grand Bahama.

#The event served as the final trials for competitors wishing to make the Bahamas team to compete in the Open Water competition at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Barbados over the Easter holiday weekend.

#The Bahamas Swimming Federation is expected to announce the selection of the open water as well as the swim team following the final CARIFTA trials for the swimmers this weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

#“I think they performed very well,” said YMCA’s head coach Andy Loveitt, who organised the event. “It was an outstanding swim from Mark Anthony Thompson. He went faster than he did in Nassau two weeks prior. Marvin Johnson had a good swim and Mia Sastre had a good swim.

#“All in all, I think the swimmers all had some great swims. They showed that they are ready to compete for CARIFTA.”

#Based on what he saw over the past two meets, Loveitt said the federation should be able to send at least nine swimmers to compete in the open water swim and he anticipates that the team will be able to improve on the two fourth-place finishes that they had as their best performances last year in Jamaica.

#However, Loveitt said he doesn’t want to preempt the federation’s announcement of the team on Sunday.

#As for the results over the weekend, Thompson, representing Alpha, had the fastest time of all of the male competitors, completing the course in one hour, one minute and 14 seconds.

#Joshua Murray of Mako had to settle for second place in 1:04.11.

#Murray, 18, who won’t be eligible for this year’s CARIFTA, won the previous trials over Thompson, 17. While Murray was the lone competitor in the open division, Thompson took the boys’ 15-17 divisional title over Ocean Smith of the Waverunners in 1:905.30. Smith’s team-mate Taye Fountain was third in 1:13.35. Both Smith and Fountain are 15.

#Johnson, one of the top contenders in the boys’ 13-14 division at 13, pulled off first place in 1:05.29. His nearest rival was Hodari Prince of the Barracudas in 1:10.57. Aidan Musgrove of the Waverunners was third in 1:34.38. Prince and Musgrove are both 14.

#Sastre, competing in the 13-14 division for Mako, was the female competitor in 1:10.30. Grace Farrington of Alpha was second in 1:10.32. Sastre and Farrington are both 14.

#Kaliyah Albury, 17, of Mako won the girls’ 15-17 divisional crown in 1:11.35.

#Gigi Eneas, representing the Barracudas Swim Club at 16, was second in 1:13.36.

#Zarria Watson of the Waverunners was the only other competitor to complete the race.

#The 12-year-old, who is not eligible for CARIFTA, was entered in the 12-and-under division. She clocked 1:34.30.

As of Tuesday, March 3, 2020

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Mark Anthony Thompson and Mia Sastre emerged as the top male and female finishers in the YMCA Waverunners Open Water five-kilometre race over the weekend in Grand Bahama.

#The event served as the final trials for competitors wishing to make the Bahamas team to compete in the Open Water competition at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Barbados over the Easter holiday weekend.

#The Bahamas Swimming Federation is expected to announce the selection of the open water as well as the swim team following the final CARIFTA trials for the swimmers this weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

#“I think they performed very well,” said YMCA’s head coach Andy Loveitt, who organised the event. “It was an outstanding swim from Mark Anthony Thompson. He went faster than he did in Nassau two weeks prior. Marvin Johnson had a good swim and Mia Sastre had a good swim.

#“All in all, I think the swimmers all had some great swims. They showed that they are ready to compete for CARIFTA.”

#Based on what he saw over the past two meets, Loveitt said the federation should be able to send at least nine swimmers to compete in the open water swim and he anticipates that the team will be able to improve on the two fourth-place finishes that they had as their best performances last year in Jamaica.

#However, Loveitt said he doesn’t want to preempt the federation’s announcement of the team on Sunday.

#As for the results over the weekend, Thompson, representing Alpha, had the fastest time of all of the male competitors, completing the course in one hour, one minute and 14 seconds.

#Joshua Murray of Mako had to settle for second place in 1:04.11.

#Murray, 18, who won’t be eligible for this year’s CARIFTA, won the previous trials over Thompson, 17. While Murray was the lone competitor in the open division, Thompson took the boys’ 15-17 divisional title over Ocean Smith of the Waverunners in 1:905.30. Smith’s team-mate Taye Fountain was third in 1:13.35. Both Smith and Fountain are 15.

#Johnson, one of the top contenders in the boys’ 13-14 division at 13, pulled off first place in 1:05.29. His nearest rival was Hodari Prince of the Barracudas in 1:10.57. Aidan Musgrove of the Waverunners was third in 1:34.38. Prince and Musgrove are both 14.

#Sastre, competing in the 13-14 division for Mako, was the female competitor in 1:10.30. Grace Farrington of Alpha was second in 1:10.32. Sastre and Farrington are both 14.

#Kaliyah Albury, 17, of Mako won the girls’ 15-17 divisional crown in 1:11.35.

#Gigi Eneas, representing the Barracudas Swim Club at 16, was second in 1:13.36.

#Zarria Watson of the Waverunners was the only other competitor to complete the race.

#The 12-year-old, who is not eligible for CARIFTA, was entered in the 12-and-under division. She clocked 1:34.30.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

#EDITOR, The Tribune.

#Last night in a social setting a video was shown about one of our athletes who has been experiencing the most challenging time one can imagine. While the video was heartbreaking what was most disturbing were the negative comments coming from some of the people in the group. It makes one wonder what happened to us as a people. When did we become so cold and uncaring?

#I see and talk with him often he wanted me to share his story.

#As he soared through the air the crowd cheered him on with shouts of “go boy go you gat this one”. When he touched the ground with a record breaking jump he was greeted with hugs and cheers from his coach, family, friends and fans. His name headlined the sports section of every newspaper.

#And then it happened.

#One night at a party celebrating his gold medal victory while smoking a joint the champ was introduced to the white lady.

#On most days you can see him walking between the Esso Service Station and Bamboo Shack on Soldier Road. Sometimes he is pushing a cart but most of the time he is just walking around begging to get something to eat.

#While some of us respond in a sympathetic way others snub him by either rolling up our car windows or turn up our noses and look the other way.

#How quickly we forget.

#Just a few years ago we were at the stadium cheering him on. We used to go to the meets just to watch him participate. Now here we are ignoring and scorning this man whose name was in every track and field fan’s mouth.

#When cocaine first made its unassuming debut on the party scene in the Bahamas before it hit the streets it was labeled “the chic drug.” It was socially acceptable mostly among the elite. So when some young athletes, musicians and other glamorous professionals who had quick rises to fame, were introduced to cocaine’s seductive charm it became the perfect match for an affair. Some were seduced and enamoured by the white lady before they ever reach the top.

#The outcome of the story is different for each individual. Many managed to free themselves from her embrace and find a way to overcome the addiction and have even helped others get back on track.

#However, far too often, the story has ended with someone’s career coming to a close at an early stage. Sadly, in some of the more extreme cases, lives are cut short.

#When you pass him on the streets he looks like someone you know but you are not sure because the person you know who looks like him would never be a street beggar.

#So you don’t stop because you believe if it is him he could do better.

#And you are right he could do better but he loves being an addict and would rather beg.

#He prefers to scrounge through the garbage bins and go to war with the rats over something to eat rather than be some business executive or the track star he used to be.

#We shuck him out of our lives without looking back.

#Saying if he wants he can stop his foolishness.

#He never mentions family and you may ask what about his family. “Right, what about his family?

#“Well aren’t we all God’s children, isn’t he our brother?

#“When you’re down and out

#“When you’re on the street

#“When evening falls so hard

#And pain is all around

#“I will comfort you “

#So we practise tough love.

#Tough love is supposed to be a strict, but kind way of dealing with someone who has a problem. But more emphasis is placed on tough and not so much on kind.

#National Institutes of Health noted that “get tough treatments do not work and there is some evidence that they may make the problem worse”.

#It brings to mind the prodigal son. We all know the story. The prodigal son went off to some distant land and wasted his inheritance. Fell on hard times and even shared swill with the pigs. The broken-hearted father wanting to bring him back home searched all over, but could not find him. So he waited at the street corner praying that his long lost son would return.

#Our brother who is right on Soldier Road between Esso Service Station and Bamboo Shack….Just a kind word away from our embrace, why aren’t we reaching out to him?

#We don’t have to go searching for him .Why don’t we bring him home ?

#This young man, this brother that brought us so much laughter and joy as we cheered him on at the tracks. Will we continue to practise tough love and let him dig through the garbage cans for something to eat until we attend his homegoing celebration where we will tell stories of how great an athlete he was …Or will we bring him home.

#“That’s what friends are for

#“For good times and bad times

#“I’ll be on your side forever more

#“That’s what friends are for”

#ANTHONY PRATT

#Nassau,

#March 1, 2020.

Softly Robins with Jonquel Jones

As of Tuesday, January 14, 2020

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#By Felicity Darville

#When we are children, the people who made a great impact always seemed larger than life. As we become adults, we realise they are ordinary, relatable people. It’s just that they do extraordinary things. Charles “Softly” Robins is one of them. He is the father of one of my best friends in high school, Charlis Robins.

#Softly, or Coach Softly, as he is affectionately called, is a tall, giant of a man. Kind in spirit, with a big, wide grin and always filled with good advice. He and my father, Allan Ingraham are alike in these ways. Both being tall, statuesque, handsome gentlemen who had their fair share of the limelight in their younger days, and are still adored today. They were both basketball stars here in The Bahamas during a time when night league basketball was all the rave. Hot competitions and exciting games resulted in large turnouts and a charged atmosphere as people attended games religiously.

#The main two rival teams were the Kernels, which Softly played for, and the Cougars, which my father played for. This did not affect the good camaraderie and friendship that people like he and my dad established with one another during the heyday of basketball night league games in The Bahamas.

#Softly was born in Bailey Town, Bimini to Charles and Maude Robins. Maude hails from Grand Bahama and as a child, she spent many summers in Bimini with her aunt. This is how Charles, a carpenter, set his sight on the lovely Maude whom he eventually married. They had 17 children together, and 12 survived. Little Charles the third was their ninth child.

#Growing up in Bailey Town, baseball was the order of the day on the island. The Bimini Braves were a baseball team that islanders could be proud of. Kids spent their afternoons playing the sport and the fact that the shores of the United States are a mere 50 miles away, many young Biminites had the opportunity to play baseball in Florida during the summer months.

#“I did not excel in baseball… and I knew it from the jump,” said Softly, who went on to become one of the best athletes the island has produced.

#The youngsters on Bimini also had the opportunity to learn how to box. Professional boxers Yama Bahama and Gormio Brennen were living in the United States, but they would come home to Bimini every summer and host clinics to pass on their skills to the next generation.

#In those days, Bimini had no high school. The Catholic and Anglican priests on the island would provide scholarships to their high schools in Nassau for students whose grades met the mark. So by 1967, Softly left Bimini on a scholarship to Aquinas College where Andrew Curry was Principal. A year later, Principal Curry recruited basketball coach Jerry Harper of Springfield, Massachusetts to help augment the schools sporting programme.

#“We were just learning how to play basketball,” Softly recalls, and he flourished under coach Harper.

#He was living with his aunt on Strachan’s corner, and young men who lived in the East Street area would practice basketball on Deveaux Street, at Our Lady’s Parish and School grounds.

#“If you had any kind of talent, the boys in the area would want you to play on their team,” he said.

#“The younger ones would play for St Bernard’s or Rodger’s Sports Shop. Then as you got older, you could play for the Kentucky Kernels. The Kernels and the (Beck’s) Cougars which your dad played for had good rivalry back then. Your dad, those practiced on the Priory (St Joseph’s Parish and School grounds on Boyd Road) off Nassau Street.”

#He earned the name Softly during one of these dynamic games. The crowd was roaring as Softly was tearing up the court, playing well and making great scores. It was Basil Sands’ mother who was spectating one of the games who said that he was killing the other players so much that he was “killing them softly”. That song has just recently come out and it was a hit. Mrs Sands said the spectators should call him “Softly”, and the name stuck with him for life.

#“Phil Poitier and Anthony Bostwick really taught me the game of basketball. And those guys looked out for you. They made sure your homework was done before you could play, because the game wasn’t going to end until about nine o’clock. We were committed. It isn’t like today where you call a guy off the bench and he has his phone in his hand, and he has to finish sending a text before he gets on the court.

#“Basketball back in the day was really a way out to go to college. If you were determined, you could have gotten a scholarship. Athletes like Sterling Quant, Bookie Johnson, Keith Smith, Fred “Papa” Smith, Phil Poitier, and Sharon Storr… most of the guys got their scholarship through basketball at that time. All you had to do in the afternoon is be committed and play basketball.”

#Coach Jerry Harper sent the young Charles, Fred Laing and Sterling Symonette to basketball camps in the US in the summer. He had the opportunity to attend many camps including one in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and Ted Williams basketball camp in Massachusetts. Eventually, Softly attended college at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts where he studied sociology.

#However, his basketball prowess was such that he had the opportunity to go to bigger colleges. He could have attended Davidson College, where NBA star Stephen Curry is an alumni, and he also had an offer to attend Boston College. But coming from such a tiny island, he felt overwhelmed at the size of the ball stars at these schools, and also the size of the student population. Davidson at the time, had some 20,000 students. He had commented that he felt the schools had more students that the entire New Providence.

#Softly shined at his college of choice. He made “All American” mention, and he was the most outstanding player in the school in 1971. Today, Softly literally has a house full of trophies. He won them not only during his university tenure, but also playing night league basketball. He has almost every award ever offered in the sport nationally.

#This February 6, Softly will celebrate his 70th birthday with friends and family at his home in Freeport, Grand Bahama. He spent two years in Nassau after graduating college, teaching at his Alma Mater Aquinas, and he continued playing for the Kernels. Despite all his success in Nassau, he and his Bimini childhood buddies Dr Larry Bain and Zach Smith together made the decision to make Freeport their home. Softly knew that Grand Bahama could use help in basketball, and he was determined to make a difference. There, Softly met coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, with whom he established a great relationship. Coach McPhee encouraged Softly to start a basketball camp for the kids. He was in Freeport teaching and coaching at St Vincent De Paul school.

#Today, the Charles Softly Robins basketball camp is the longest running basketball camp in the entire Bahamas, still in operation today. He is considered “Papa” by hundreds of Grand Bahamians and has given back so much. He has coached the National Junior and Senior men’s basketball teams. He encourages youngsters to reach for the stars and work hard.

#“Look at Buddy Hield,” he said, “And work twice as hard as NBA star Buddy Heild – out of Grand Bahama.”

#“Work twice as hard as Jonquel Jones – WNBA star out of Grand Bahama. Push harder than NBA star Michael “Sweetbells” Thompson, and Division 1 coach Youlette McPhee. Look at all the superstars that The Bahamas has produced in basketball, and set your goal high. Learning basketball is like learning the game of life. The door is open and the world is watching. Obey your coach, stay committed study hard and make up your mind to be the best.”

#Charles “Softly” Robins is currently retired and enjoying life with his wife, Driskel. He is looking forward to his 42nd annual basketball camp. He is father to Charles Daniel IV and Charlis Robins. He has two grandchildren, Charles Daniel V and Keitho Elon Daniel.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

FELICITY DARVILLE

Alpheus “Hawk” Finlayson

#By FELICITY DARVILLE

#When I was a high school student attending St Augustine’s College (SAC), I met Alpheus “Hawk” Finlayson. He is an alumni and remains active in the lives of some of the students who came after him. I am one of them. From that time until now, he still checks up on me.

#During my school days, any time I would win a speech or debate competition, or excel in any sport, a message would come across the PA system: “Felicity Ingraham please report to the front office.” There, I would pick up the phone and he would be on the line with words of encouragement.

#Back then as a teenager, I couldn’t understand why he would take the time to call me. It was not until many years later I realised how special it was that he made such a gesture over and over for years while I was in school. When we crossed paths later on, he got my cell phone number and made use of it from time to time, checking up on me and my family.

Alpheus “Hawk” Finlayson with his siblings Roosevelt, Spence and Viola. Alpheus is on the left of the photo.

#This is a testament of a man who truly cares for others. My story is one that can be reiterated by many, and the fact he has been able to touch so many lives just by showing genuine care and concern for others is an indication of how big his heart truly is. To meet Hawk is to meet a man with dignity. His diction is excellent, his voice is distinctive and he always has something positive to say.

#The St Augustine’s Alumni Association honoured him with the 2018 Lighthouse Spotlight Award for his own accomplishments as well as for pouring into so many SACers along the way.

#Alpheus was outstanding from birth. He was the apple of his father’s eye because he was born after ten years of marriage. He was born in Nassau in 1947 to Alpheus Alexander Finlayson of Mangrove Cay, Andros, and Diana (nee Deveaux) of Moss Town, Exuma. Diana had three children prior to the marriage, so Alpheus did have siblings. He grew up in the central area of New Providence known as “The Valley”.

#During his early years, he attended Sands School with people like Junkanoo icon Percy “Vola” Francis, former Central Bank Governor James Smith and entertainer Ray Munnings. He went on to attend Eastern Junior School in Palmdale. He ran track and field and had schoolmates like former Parliamentarians Leslie Miller and Malcolm Adderley, who were both great 400-metre runners. Alpheus went on to attend SAC where he continued to nurture his passion for running. He graduated in 1966.

#He started running with St Bernard’s Club in 1960. His very first race with the club was at the Friends of the Bahamas Track Meet in December 1960, where he ran the 800-metre race, won by Alec Hanna.

#“St Bernard’s was on Boyd Road, and the Priest in charge was Father Marcian Peters, called the ‘Sporting Priest’… I purchased my first pair of track shoes from him,” Alpheus recalls.

#He also remembers purchasing his very first sweatshirt for running. He bought it from Artie Nottage, who had a shop at the south end of Christ Church Cathedral, Downtown, Nassau. It was a proud moment for him, and he had to decide what name he would put on this shirt.

#His running prowess would be defined by this name. Back then, comic books were all the rave. First, he thought of the superhero Flash, but decided against in. Then, he considered Black Hawk.

#“Back in the 1960s, black wasn’t beautiful,” he said, “So I chose the Hawk Man… and I was Hawk ever since.”

#Hawk found a lot of joy in running. His coach, Charley Wright, had great influence on his life: “Whenever I came home from club meetings, I would tell mama, ‘Coach said do this or don’t do that!’ Mama said, ‘Who is this man anyway?’ I understood the persuasion coach has over athletes.”

#That may be a skill he picked up along the way because in his latter years, he had a way of persuading young people into doing positive things and making the best of themselves. He also set a good example for others to follow. After SAC, he went on to attend St John’s University in Minnesota, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics.

#He is a financial services representative for Colina Insurance and is lauded as a “tried and trusted” professional in the industry. Also known as “Policy Man”, Alpheus has delivered stellar service to numerous clients in the Life and Health Insurance industry since November of 1980, when he began his insurance career with Imperial Life Assurance. He first qualified for the industry’s prestigious Million Dollar Round Table in 1982 and subsequently qualified five consecutive times, making him a life member. He once served as Vice President of the Life Underwriters Association of The Bahamas. Ambassador A Missouri Sherman-Peter, Permanent Observer of the Caribbean Community of the United Nations recalls the days when “Policy Man” would frequent her neighbourhood.

#“He always took the time to speak to each client about family life in general” she said.

#“As my contemporary representative, Alpheus kept an enthusiastic interest in his client, always encouraging me to re-imagine my insurance and financial needs and providing sound advice on options, from term insurance to retirement planning, to securing and protecting myself, my family and my assets.”

Alpheus and his wife, Dawn.

#Dr Judson Eneas shared: “When I returned home from university in 1986, Alpheus invited me to speak at the West Nassau Rotary Club. He immediately approached me as he knew I was ready to begin a medical practice here in The Bahamas. Upon arrival, I was already married and had three young children. Over the years, I have educated all three children, developed a medical practice and built my dream home. Throughout all this, Alpheus Finlayson had been my insurance agent and has ensured I have been adequately insured throughout all phases of my development. I have enjoyed a beneficial relationship with him.”

#Alpheus’ love for Rotary began in 1982. He is a past president of the West Nassau Club, and he received the Paul Harris Fellowship in 1994 for his service to Rotary. He now bears the distinction of an honorary Rotarian.

#Throughout his life pursuits, Alpheus never stopped running, while being an advocate for track and field, which he refers to as “the queen of Olympic sports”. He served as co-captain of the St. John’s University Track Team, President of the Pioneer’s Sporting Club, and of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997. He was also elected Vice President of the Central American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation as well as Vice President of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Area Athletic Associations.

#He had a euphoric year as Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA) president in 1992, when the first Bahamian Olympic medal in track and field was won. That year, triple jumper Frank Rutherford captured a bronze in Barcelona, Spain. Alpheus also presided over the organisation in 1995 and 1997 when the first three World Championship medals were won.

#Alpheus made history when he became the first Bahamian elected to the 27-member Council of the IAAF, the World governing body of track & field. He also bears the distinction of being the only Bahamian to attend every IAAF World Championship, from Helsinki in 1983 to London in 2017. He is a Director of Marathon Bahamas and of the Bahamas Athletic Foundation. He bears the honor of being a National Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

#His book From Vancouver to Athens: Finlayson Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track & Field Competition is a best-seller. Alpheus has also authored weekly columns on “Track World” from 1980 to 1986 in The Tribune. He produced a television show on ZNS called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson and has written international newsletters with the same name. Since February of 2013, he has hosted the weekly radio show Track World with Alpheus Finlayson on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM. This weekly radio show is one of the few in the world dedicated to track and field.

#Pioneering is a part of Alpheus’ make up. In addition to being a leader in his profession and in his beloved sport, he is a founding member of the local chapter of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, the first black Greek letter fraternity founded in 1904 in Philadelphia, USA. For his community building activities, Alpheus has received many accolades, including the RE Cooper Meritorious Award and the Kingdor National Parkinson Foundation Award.

#He puts just as much gusto into his family as he does every other aspect of his life. He is married to Dawn Finlayson (nee Rolle). They have one daughter, Alexis Hanna; three granddaughters, two grandsons, and two great-granddaughters. His family worships at St George’s Anglican Church back in his stomping ground in the Valley. He is proud of his elder siblings Roosevelt, a management consultant; Spence, a motivational speaker and author; and Viola Adderley-Wimbish, who has resided in Connecticut since 1948.

Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

FELICITY DARVILLE

#By FELICITY DARVILLE

#He is one of the most beloved track stars in the country. He is a husband, father and a coach, having mentored hundreds of kids in The Bahamas and in America. He has travelled the world and has stood on an Olympic pedestal with a gold medal. Yet, Chris “Fireman” Brown is one of the humblest people you could meet. This island boy believes in God, family and country and during the COVID-19 lockdown, he has grown even more committed and focused to the things he loves.

#Had it not been for the onslaught of a global pandemic, Chris would be headed to Tokyo for the summer Olympics in two months’ time. He was ready to bring the fire to the track and run for his country once again before hanging up his cleats, at least from the Olympic field. But he will have to wait until next year. The idea of having thousands of the world’s greatest athletes come together – and hundreds of thousands of spectators in the stands – is a nightmare for pandemic experts. An event like the Olympics could cause a major resurgence of COVID-19 all around the world.

Chris adores his Bahamian fans. Their cheers give him life. Here, he is pictured with a flaming background to reflect his nickname. Graphic: Sidda Communications

#With this in mind, the event has been delayed and athletes around the globe will have more time to prepare. For some, they are in perfect form and ready to compete and the delay can cause a bit of anxiety. Others are recouping from injuries, or felt they needed more time to train so they are breathing a sigh of relief.

#Chris looks at life a little differently. He leans on his spirituality as a guide and compass in life. He makes his major moves, he says, when he gets a word from God.

#“I wanted to run in the Olympics once more; now it’s been moved to 2021, I still want to, and that may be the final one unless the Lord says he wants me to focus on something different,” he said.

#“I have accomplished so much and for my next move, I am waiting on his guidance. Although mankind may try to stop things in different ways, I will stay focused. As they say, who God bless, no man curse.”

#And he certainly has been blessed. He won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He has won four World Championship medals in the 400 metre relay. That’s in addition to winning numerous medals in individual contests. The Olympic achievement was a big one for The Bahamas. He ran the 4 × 400 m relay with Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller. They beat the defending champions the United States, marking the first Olympic men’s gold medal in any athletics event for The Bahamas and the first American loss in that race at the Olympics since 1972. The four were dubbed “The Golden Knights”.

#Chris also won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. His two Olympic bronze medals were won in Sydney in 2000 and in Rio de Janiero in 2016. He has had the privilege of serving as the flag bearer for The Bahamas at the Olympics, a role he performed with pride.

#“The support of my country has been the driving force behind a lot of my success,” said Chris.

#“Knowing that so many people are pulling for me…  it means the world. I come home and I feel the love. They named a street after me. I have been to dinners with the dignitaries that run the country. People have celebrated me and have shown appreciation.

#“What can I say but, thank you! Whatever my calling may be, the next step, my next role, I just look to continue to carry my country and lift it up. I just want to be a beacon, soaring through the sky, carrying the banner as high as I can get it. I want to see the legacy continue to be carried by the young people of The Bahamas.”

#Chris’ love of country compelled him to create the Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational – an elite track and field meet that hosted over a hundred athletes, coaches and managers for a world-class professional event. It was held in 2013 and again in 2016 and for Chris, it was a way to show off his beautiful country to the world, while giving his fellow stellar athletes an opportunity to see how venues like The Bahamas are just as viable to host competitions. In fact, The Bahamas became host to the 2014 and 2015 IAAF World Relays, where Chris and his teammates won silver in the men’s 4×400 metres.

#When he’s not preparing for international track meets, Chris is busy working as the assistant track coach at Clayton State University, a Division 2 institution in Georgia, USA. With school closed because of COVID-19, Chris is busy working from home participating in university meetings, recruiting new athletes and working one-on-one with current student athletes to ensure they are sticking to their regimen despite the change in school routine.

#He balances his daily work with his family responsibilities as a husband and father-of-three. He and his wife Faith have been doing what many families are faced with during this time – balancing working from home with having to homeschool their children – Emerald, ten, Zora, eight and Shiloh, four.

#Chris joked: “It’s like having a tornado, hurricane and tsunami in your house at the same time!” But I had to ask him – what else could he expect to be the product of a man who has brought so much heat to the track, while putting out his competitor’s fires that he earned the nickname “Fireman”.

#“We make it work by setting up a work station for everyone and when they are there, they know they have to put in some work in some form or fashion. But we let them go outside and play; we let them take a break whenever they get antsy. We know that it’s a whole new adjustment and we can’t operate like it’s the school system.”

#Chris and Faith named their two daughters and their son with Biblical inspiration. They want to give their children a strong spiritual foundation, as well as a strong cultural one. The family regularly visits The Bahamas which the children love. They have even gone to Chris’ hometown, Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera. There, he was raised by his parents Harcourt and Nola Brown, who raised their seven children in the quaint but beautiful south Eleuthera settlement. Chris grew up being close with his siblings and on the island, he says, everyone knew each other. His children also love watching the Junkanoo parade in Nassau and love Bahamian food.

#They are also privileged to have a strong cultural background on their mother’s side. Faith’s mother is from Nigeria and her father, who passed away just a few weeks ago, is from Ghana. The family plans to make the trip to the motherland one day to see all the family members who are undoubtedly anxious to meet them.

#Until then, Chris plans to continue instilling into his children the morals and values that made him who he is – a humble island boy who has, in his own right, conquered the world.

#“A part of the key to my success has has been not being distracted – staying focused,” he said, adding he has enjoyed having mentors around him and people who wanted to see him do well.

#“I love my country and I love doing what I do, and if I could do it all again, I wouldn’t change anything.”

Doug takes this Abaco family and their dog to Nassau on his plane just after Hurricane Dorian.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

FELICITY DARVILLE

#By FELICITY DARVILLE

#IMET William “Doug” Douglass through my father, Allan Ingraham. Daddy was very excited to tell me how Doug was building a recreational court for the kids in a settlement near Doug’s home in South Eleuthera back in 2017. It was a near $200,000 investment in a basketball/volleyball court and rock climbing facility at the Wemyss Bight Primary School. Later on, Doug had delivered hundreds of pairs of Converse sneakers to kids all throughout the island so they could more actively participate in sporting events. Since then, he has sponsored basketball clinics for the community’s kids.

#When speaking to the children, he tells them to never give up on their dreams, no matter how lofty, because great people have come out of Eleuthera. Among them, gold medal Olympian Chris “Fireman” Brown. Brown hails from Wemyss Bight and Doug is very close with his family, especially his mother, Nola Brown who has worked with Doug for many, many years.

#“The Bahamas has been an important part of my life since 1962, and I have a deep respect and love for the Bahamian people and their culture,” Doug said.

William A Douglass

#“My heart and soul are the sand and beautiful waters of these islands and its residents. As an accomplished sailor, I have navigated the waters both fishing and sailing throughout the Bahamas and I have a deep connection to the country.”

#“My favourite memory as a child in The Bahamas is going fishing with my grandparents and their friends. I remember bringing my friends from the United States to Eleuthera and showing them the communities and settlements that I was a part of. There was a time when I was the limbo king of South Eleuthera! Nobody could beat me at limbo in Governor’s Harbour… and there are people who can attest to that!”

#Doug’s history began here visiting his grandparents and witnessing their investment in Eleuthera. In 1960, Juan T Trippe and his wife Betty (née Stettinius) purchased vast tracks of land in South Eleuthera from Arthur Vining Davis in the name of South Eleuthera Properties, Ltd.

#The early history of the development was very promising and there was a period of time that Cotton Bay Club and the surrounding resorts were thriving and bringing prosperity to an undeveloped island.

#Large investments were made in the island’s infrastructure, including an airport with a runway more than the 7,000 feet in length, and a power plant providing the first electricity and running water to the island. There were two resorts functioning under his umbrella and Trippe built the Cotton Bay Club with its Robert Trent Jones championship golf course, considered for many years to be the best golf course in all of the Caribbean. As the founder of Pan American Airways, Trippe brought proper airlift to Nassau and Rock Sound – eventually a Boeing 707 jet provided regular service between New York City’s JFK airport and Miami to both Nassau and Rock Sound, Eleuthera. He built a proper market for food supplies for the residents of South Eleuthera. He also built the Preston Albury High School for the community as well as a medical clinic.

#“Juan Trippe’s legacy here remains legendary,” Doug proudly says of his grandfather.

#“I have been visiting our house in Cotton Bay, Rock Sound, Eleuthera, continuously for the past 57 years. Following in the footsteps of my grandparents, I too have been giving back to the people of the Bahamas. I have supported those going to schools abroad, and I have contributed a number of charities serving the residents of Eleuthera. In particular, I have supported the incredibly successful Island School in Eleuthera. Founded by Chris Maxey, a former Navy Seal, The Island School focuses on sustainable development. In twenty-five plus years, the school has made a significant impact on its students who come from the United States and locally.”

#“When Chris first came to the Bahamas in 1981, he was at Yale and I was at Vanderbilt (university). I took Chris and his family into the settlements and showed what it was like to be part of the community, as I was. That is a part of what hooked Chris and his family to first buy a home in Eleuthera, and then eventually to come back and create the Island School, which the Bahamas benefits from today.”

#Doug wants his fellow Americans to know that despite the fact that Grand Bahama and Abaco were devastated by Hurricane Dorian, the rest of The Bahamas, including Eleuthera, is still open for business.

#Shortly after the passage of the hurricane, I produced a column which outlined some of the history between The Bahamas and America and how some 30,000 Bahamians worked in several states on “The Contract” during a 23-year period. I was elated to see several days later, an appeal from Doug for Bahamians to receive US Temporary Work Permits in order to recover from the hurricane. Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio had already made an appeal for the same. These appeals touched my heart because I feel that if given the chance, Bahamians would continue to make valuable contributions to the US as many are doing today. Among them, my recent interviewee Marilyn Rose, who was named one of Houstons’ top 30 Women in Business.

#“The US administration should consider issuing anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 temporary work visas to displaced Bahamian workers,” Doug suggested in an open letter delivered to Bahamian and US media outlets.

#“Bahamians don’t want to emigrate to the US, nor are they at risk of overstaying their welcome. Bahamians want to live in The Bahamas, full stop. In tandem with the Bahamian government, the US Border Patrol should consider expediting a process wherein temporary Visa recipients could work in the US on a short-term basis, at no cost to state and federal budgets, immigration officials or American taxpayers. With a scarcity of employees in the hospitality and service industries, the benefits of offering Temporary Work Visas to displaced Bahamian workers would be a win-win for both US businesses and Bahamian employees.”

#Doug goes on to note that American companies have been quick to offer help to The Bahamas in the aftermath of the disaster.

#“Power plants, hotels, and housing and communications infrastructures are among the areas most in need of substantial American capital investments—all of which offer extraordinary opportunities for a wide variety of US businesses,” he added.

Doug plays with a baby as he listens to residents’ stories of devastation in Marsh Harbour.

#Doug warned: “If the U.S. doesn’t step in, the Chinese will—and have already. In Dorian’s wake, Bahamian and Chinese officials committed to continuing their bilaterial relationship. The goal, according to one source, being to ‘get a better distribution of our population throughout the archipelago’. For years, both the State Department and the Department of Defence have been concerned about an Asian presence so close to the United States—and unless they take proactive steps to counteract this incursion, they are right to be worried.”

#“In short, the US could surpass its already-extraordinary efforts by offering short-term work opportunities to afflicted Bahamians, thereby providing much-needed breathing room to the area as it struggles to rebuild. In turn, US companies would benefit from welcoming a temporary, limited influx of Bahamian workers, while continuing to invest more aggressively in The Bahamas, with the promise of substantial long-term returns. Both would go a long way toward discouraging the Chinese government from encroaching more than they have already on a region situated just over 40 miles off the US coast—a longtime concern and red flag for US government officials.”

#The Bahamas, spread over nearly 180,000 square miles, is strategically vital to the US, he notes. In the 1980s in particular, drug interdiction and smuggling were serious issues, and human trafficking has been an ongoing concern. Strategically, the Bahamas is important as the US Navy has maintained US Submarine testing facilities here since at least the 1960s.

#As a man with an island upbringing should, Doug loves the ocean. A world class international sailor, Doug owns the Goombay Smash racing programme, which includes a racing fleet of three boats, each enjoying their own international success over the past eight years (goombaysmash.com). His love for Bahamians led him to get on the ground in Abaco after the hurricane. He assisted in evacuating 65 residents in Marsh Harbour, and he hosted seven families in his home for a period after the tragedy.

#He is a self-made successful businessman who co-founded K2 Advisors in 1994. He retired four years ago after selling the firm to Franklin Templeton in 2012. K2 Advisors is one of the largest fund of Hedge Funds in the world with approximately $12 billion under management in the recent past.

#“As an American first the country I love, there is a long rich relationship between both The Bahamas and The United States of America,” Doug said.

#“I want both to thrive and thus my passion.”