Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., right, celebrates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Quinn Priester during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

As of Monday, October 2, 2023

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#PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Miami Marlins’ improbable September push will carry into October.

#Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr hit his 19th home run of the season, Josh Bell delivered a late two-run double and the Marlins clinched the fourth playoff berth in franchise history with a 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

#Miami locked down one of the two remaining National League wild card spots behind Chisholm Jr’s drive, a dash of small ball and another lockdown performance by a bullpen that has carried a sizable share of the load over the last month.

#A.J. Puk (7-5) and seven other relievers kept the Pirates in check, rendering any scoreboard-watching pointless.

#“I feel like we’re just the biggest family in the league,” Chisholm Jr said in a giddy postgame clubhouse. “I feel like nobody is as connected as us as a team. I feel like when someone gets going, everybody gets going. That’s the plan here and we’re just family and we’re coming in together.”

#Miami began the day with its magic number whittled to one following another late comeback victory on Friday night.

#One officially dropped to zero when closer Tanner Scott wrapped up his 12th save by striking out the side in the ninth, setting off a celebration on the field and behind the Miami dugout, where a small clutch of fans chanted “Lets Go Marlins!”

#“Before the game we called it ‘Clinch Day’ and we weren’t expecting any other day to be Clinch Day except today,” Chisholm said. “And that’s what we did and we handled it today.”

#Buoyed by first-year manager Skip Schumaker’s relentless optimism and a “why not us” approach, the largely anonymous Marlins — who finished with 93 or more losses in each of the previous four non-pandemic-shortened seasons — will be in the playoffs next week while big spenders like the New York Mets and San Diego Padres will be watching from home.

#“We’ve been living for six years with ‘Let’s Go Mets’ in our stadium all the time,” Marlins owner Bruce Sherman said. “Mets didn’t finish. Yankees didn’t finish. San Diego didn’t finish. Payrolls three times our and look what we did.”

#What the Mets and everyone else will see is a team that keeps finding a way despite a roster bereft of stars outside of the electrifying Chisholm, who was 5 years old growing up in the Bahamas in 2003 the last time the Marlins made the playoffs at the end of a 162-game regular season.

#Little was expected in 2023, yet the Marlins entered September at 67-67 and on the fringe of an underwhelming wild card race before hitting the gas over the last four weeks.

#Miami used a 17-9 September surge to vault over San Francisco, Chicago and surprising Cincinnati in the standings.

#Jon Berti had three hits for the Marlins and started the go-ahead rally with a leadoff walk in the sixth off Quinn Priester (3-3), beginning a sequence that symbolized Miami’s “whatever it takes” approach.

#Garrett Hampson bunted for a hit when Nick Gonzalez was late covering the bag at first. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice by Jacob Stallings and Berti put the Marlins in front 3-2 by beating shortstop Liover Pegeuro’s throw home on a sharp grounder by Jorge Soler. Bell’s sacrifice fly pushed the advantage to 4-2.

#Bell — who spent five years with the Pirates from 2016-20 before bouncing from Washington to San Diego to Cleveland to Miami — provided the Marlins with some welcome insurance in the eighth with a long drive to center that drove in Berti and Soler.

#“Thought I’d celebrate here years and years ago,” Bell said. “But just to be able to celebrate here now, is icing on the cake.”

#A night after rallying from three runs down after the seventh inning for the sixth time this season — the most by any MLB team since 1900 — the Marlins made sure no such dramatics were required.

#“This team has just exemplified heart and they know it,” said general manager Kim Ng, the first female GM in Major League Baseball history. “And I think that is the driver of this group.”

#Endy Rodriguez had three hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Jared Triolo and Ke’Bryan Hayes added two hits each. Bryan Reynolds provided an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth that trimmed Miami’s lead to three, but the Pirates would get no closer.

#Priester, a first-round pick in the 2019 amateur draft, put together 5 1/3 workmanlike innings as he tries to position himself for a spot in the starting rotation in 2024. Priester allowed four runs on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts to finish his rookie season with a 7.74 ERA in 10 games (seven starts).

#TRAINER’S ROOM

#Marlins: 2B Luis Arraez did not play while nursing an ankle injury. Arraez’s batting average remains a major league-leading .354 as he closes in on becoming the first player in MLB history to win batting titles in different leagues in consecutive seasons.

#UP NEXT

#The series wraps up on Sunday. It’s unclear whether the Marlins will have to return to New York on Monday to finish a suspended game against the New York Mets.

Second annual Bahamas Dragon Boat Racing

Champions Dragon Concherers successfully defended their title at the Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Racing competition.

As of Monday, October 2, 2023

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RBDF Naval Destroyers celebrate with their medals.

RBPF King Tide team celebrate with their C divisional awards.

B DIVISION champions Mushu Dragons with their awards.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Dragon Concherers successfully defended their A divisional title in the second annual Bahamas Dragon Boat Racing competition in Goodman’s Bay yesterday and they are already talking about coming back next year for a three-peat.

#While they celebrated their two-straight, there were a number of first time winners, including B champions Mushu Dragons, C champions King Tide, D champions Breezes Dragoneers, E champions IV League and F champions MediDragons.

#The two intense days of sailing, held from Saturday to Sunday, also crowned the Naval Destroyers as the open 500m champion, Phoenix Dragoneers as the Youth 200m champions and Bustin’ Free as the Seniors 400m champions.

#The series of races drew a large crowd of spectators who got to hear from ‘Da Party Animal,’ Stiletto, as well as participate in a junkanoo rush out as the organisers of the Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Racing Association brought the curtain down on another successful event.

#In defending their A title, Aaron Chea said the Dragon Concherers said they didn’t want to leave any stones unturned as to who will be the champions again.

#“All of our practices together really showed in what we did today,” he said. “We came out here hoping for best. We came out here with the expectations to win and it was manifested in our performances. So we are happy to win it again.

#Chea said just in case their challengers have any ideas of dethroning them next year, Chea said they will have to do it in the water because “we are going for three straight titles.”

#Chief Petty Officer Andy Deveaux said as a team coming from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, they own the waters, so it was a natural fit for them to win.

#“It was awesome. We got on everybody and told them that we had to rely on our endurance as our strength,” he said. “We’re used to enduring to the end. The race, like the Bible says, is not for the swiftest, but who endureth to the end.

#“This is our first time here. We got the information late, just 10 days before the competition. Can you imagine what we would have done if we had more time to practice. But we will be back next year. We will have more time to prepare our team.”

#David Rolle, a senior immigration officer of the Bahamas Immigration Department, noted that their Mushu Dragons are delighted in their B category victory.

#“Our performance was great. We won every race, except for one where we got third. The fellows just flew through the competition. They were on one accord and we got the job done,” Rolle said. “This is our first time and it feels great to win. We will definitely be back next year.”

#Royal Bahamas Police Force’s D/Sgt 3127 Terell Stubbs noted that his King Tide started out a bit sluggish, but they regrouped as the Police do and they came up with their victory in the end.

#“It’s a good feeling to win. It’s not the category we wanted to win, the C. We were aiming for the overall category in A, but a gold is a gold, so we will take it,” he said. “The water was kind of choppy, but we managed to manoeuvre through it and we came out with the victory.”

#Larhondo Hanna, an employee of Breezes, said their Dragoneers team certainly had the breeze behind their back as they pulled off their title.

#“We just put this team together two weeks ago. We were up against some veteran teams. They were laughing at us in the beginning, but we came out here and put our best foot forward and we got a medal,” Hanna said. “The team did an awesome job for the first time competing in the event.”

#Hanna said they have a super boss at Breezes, so they can’t wait to see what type of celebrations they will get because “she’s the best boss in the world. She’s a winner herself and she will definitely push us to come back for another title next year.”

#Ambassador Dai Qingli, of the People’s Republic of China, who was on hand to watch the event and also participate in the awards ceremony, said it was an important milestone for the continuation of the event they got started last year.

#“I’m really excited because this year we had much more teams participating,” the ambassador said. “We saw competitors from all ages racing, so it shows that this sport is something that everybody can get involved in. “The significance this year is that you are celebrating your 50th year of Independence. In China, it’s the 74th year of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, so this is a good occasion to celebrate our achievements as countries.”

#She also commended the Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Racing Association which worked so closely with the community in the Bahamas to make sure that the event was a tremendous success.Association president Dr Christine Chin said this year’s event was a lot of fun.

#“We had 35 teams, who all showed up and participated. The Dragon Concherers came back and defended their title,” she stated.

#“So we were very pleased with how things went this year. And we are definitely looking forward to next year.”

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Shown, left to right, are Willis Rolle, men’s champions Marvin and Larry Rolle, Shena Bowleg and Dianne Rolle.

As of Monday, October 2, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IN a number of first-time partnerships, Marvin Rolle and his uncle Larry Rolle emerged as the men’s doubles champions of the inaugural Welsey Rolle Memorial Invitational Tournament yesterday at the Baha Mar Tennis Centre.

#Marvin Rolle also teamed up with Barbara Carey as they captured the mixed doubles. Carey also picked up her second title as she paired up with versatile Larikah Russell for the ladies’ doubles crown.

#The thrill of victory

#When he heard about the tournament, Marvin Rolle said he felt there was no better person to team up with than his uncle Larry Rolle so that they could keep the title in their family as they honour his deceased uncle. They did it by doubling the pair of Livio Bisterzo and Alexander Myrbach 12-6.

#“It was a good experience to play with him,” said Marvin Rolle before he was interrupted by Larry Rolle, who added that “this is the real deal.” He emphasized that once they got together, they knew they would win.

#“We just wanted to send a strong message that we are the team to beat,” said Larry Rolle, but Marvin Rolle then interrupted him and stated that they will be back for their second, third, fourth and fifth” titles.

#And like the opportunity to team up with his uncle, Marvin Rolle said he had quite an experience as well with mixed doubles, knocking off the duo of Bjorn Ferguson and Richette Percentie, in a match that was stopped due to the wet courts from the brief rain that fell on the final of the three days of competition.

#“I am honoured to be playing with Mr Rolle, I feel like I’m on a pedestal right now,” Carey said.

#But Rolle said the pleasure was all his because Carey “played well, she’s athletic and she kept the ball in play. So it definitely is a good experience as well. We had a good, friendly competition. I enjoyed it.”

#Now that they have forged a relationship together, Carey said she will not let Marvin Rolle go. She noted that he will be her “partner for life.”

#Rolle, however, quipped that she might “find somebody better than me,” to which Carey stressed: “No, I don’t think there’s anyone out there better than you to play with.”

#Despite their loss, Percentie said she enjoyed herself.

#“This is my first time playing in a tournament. It was fun,” she said. “I just wished we had completed the match because we still had a chance to win.”

#Her partner Bjorn Ferguson was a little upset as well. He said he definitely wanted to win the match for Wesley Rolle. But he said it was unfortunate that “the match got stopped” because of the wet courts, which allowed their opponents to “take the title” after leading at that point.

#Carey also noted that she has formed a formidable combo with Russell in women’s doubles that she doesn’t intend to relinquish anytime soon after they knocked off Marsha Williams and Loretta Mackey 12-3.

#“Larikah is a great partner. She decided on how we will play the game from the start. Whatever she told me to do, I just followed and that was how we got the win,” she said. “I was just honoured to play with Larikah. She knows how to coach, so I knew we would not have any problems. I’m not giving her or Marvin away.”

#Their opponents played for the first time, but Williams said had it not been for a few mistakes they made, they could have possibly pull off the upset.

#“We didn’t stick with the plan,” she said. “We decided to continue to pound the ball at their weakest link, but we moved away from that.”

#But Mackey said they still played well together and they “made a good effort. We just didn’t execute our plan.”

#Mackey, however, congratulated Russell and Carey in their victory and she also commended the organisers for putting on such a “fantastic” tournament. They both wowed to return next year to avenge their loss.

#Organisers thrilled

#Ken Kerr, one of the organisers, said a group of players who were either taught or impacted by the coaching of Wesley Rolle got together to find a way to memorialise his name and what better time to do it than in October ahead of the national Hero’s Day celebrations.

#“He liked the kids’ development in the inner city, getting as many underprivileged children involved in the game, but he also enjoyed watching the older people play tennis,” Kerr said. “So, we decided to put on this tournament for players who knew Wesley Rolle and were impacted by his contribution to the game.”

#With a little extra incentive, a small cash prize was added to the tournament and Kerr said they will be looking at ways to increase the jackpot. He noted that they may decide to move the tournament to April, the birth month of Wesley Rolle and have a Hero’s Day tournament to recognise some other players who would have made their contribution to the sport but have been overlooked by the BLTA.

#Bjorn Munroe, who also served as one of the organisers, said they will definitely be back next year with a bigger and better tournament.

#He thanked Baha Mar for hosting them and all of the sponsors, both corporate and individuals, who assisted in making the event possible this year.

#Shena Bowleg, the president of the Harrold Road Tennis Club, said they were planning on hosting the tournament before Wesley Rolle passed away as they gave the senior players a little more events to participate in.

#But she said after he passed away, they felt it was good to go ahead full stream in putting on the tournament in his honour.

#She said all of the tennis clubs came together and there were some players who never participated in a tournament who took part.

#She said it was great for the tennis community.

#Justyn Thompson, the assistant director for the tournament, said at first they didn’t know what to expect but, as time went on, the numbers swell and they were able to put the draw and schedule together.

#“It was good to see everybody was on the same page with us and they were able to get in adequate time to rest in between playing their matches. Thompson said they were glad that the weather held for all of the matches, with the exception of the mixed doubles final, to be completed.

#Family appreciative

#Willis Rolle, one of the sons of Wesley Rolle, said he was thrilled that his father was being recognised in such a special way.

#“I think he would have been proud because this is something he would want,” said Rolle of his father’s name placed on a tournament in his memory.

#“It makes me proud that people are remembering him for what he did for tennis in the Bahamas. Hopefully, it can carry on for the years to come.”

#As a little boy, Willis Rolle said he used to wonder how he could surpass his father’s accomplishments, but he gave up and decided to just bask in his success.

#He said his father left some equipment for him to use to help with the betterment of tennis in the country.

#Accompanied by his brother, Michael Rolle and their aunt Dianne Rolle, Willis Rolle said they will cherish what the organisers did for their father.

 Home|Sports|‘Jazz’, Marlins reach playoffsSports

Bahamian star hits 19th home run on Saturday

Sheldon LongleySend an emailOctober 2, 2023 28 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. and the Miami Marlins have done it.

They weathered the storm, particularly after losing their best pitcher, Sandy Alcántara, and best hitter, Luis Arráez, to separate injuries down the stretch of the season, and advanced to the National League (NL) playoffs of Major League Baseball (MLB).

The flashy Bahamian outfielder of the Marlins surely did his part to help bring the Marlins through, connecting for his 19th home run of the season on Saturday as a part of a three-hit night. The 19 home runs is a single-season high for Chisholm in his four-year career in the big leagues. The Marlins defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-3, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, clinching one of the two final wild card spots in the National League that night. The Arizona Diamondbacks took the other spot later that night.

The Marlins’ game against the New York Mets was called off with the Marlins leading 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning on Friday night, postponed to Monday, but as it turns out, they won’t need to return to New York for that suspended game as they handled business against Pittsburgh on Friday and Saturday.

For the Marlins, it’s just their fourth time in the playoffs in the club’s 31-year existence.

An overjoyed Chisholm sprinted from his outfield position to celebrate with teammates after the final out was recorded on Saturday.

“I feel like we’re just the biggest family in the league,” said Chisholm to reporters in the clubhouse afterwards. “I feel like nobody is as connected as us as a team. I feel like when someone gets going, everybody gets going. That’s the plan here and we’re just family and we’re coming in together.”

Batting clean-up on Saturday, Chisholm finished 3-for-5 with his 19th home run of the season, a towering shot to right field. He scored twice and drove in two. It was his 22nd multi hit game, and fourth three-hit game, of the season.

The Bahamian was out of the line-up on Sunday as the Marlins ended the regular season with a 3-0 loss to the Pirates. They finished the regular season with a 84-77 win/loss record and will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild card round of the playoffs, starting Tuesday.

The Bahamian ended the regular season just one home run shy of a 20-20 season. He batted .252 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs (runs batted in). He had 22 stolen bases, one short of his career high in that department, an on-base percentage of .305 and a slugging percentage of .462 for an on-base plus slugging percentage of .767.

Defensively, he started 92 of the 95 games he played in, in center field, and finished with 171 putouts, four assists, three errors and assisted in one double play. He finished with a fielding percentage of .983 in his first full year playing the center field position.

Once again, Chisholm struggled with injuries this season, spending three stints on the injured list. However, when healthy, he proved that he is one of the more electrifying players in the majors.

Now, it’s on to the Phillies for Chisholm and the Marlins. The fourth-seeded Phillies will host all of the games in the mini best-of-three series against Chisholm and the fifth-seeded Marlins – the first and second games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the third on Thursday if necessary. The winner of the series will meet the number one seeded Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. The number two seeded Los Angeles Dodgers will have homefield advantage in the other National League Division Series against either the third-seeded Milwaukee Brewers or the sixth-seeded Arizona Diamondbacks.

Chisholm and the Marlins are just excited to be playing meaningful baseball in October again. They weren’t regarded as a playoff contender coming into the season by a number of outlets, but proved the naysayers wrong as they continued to produce on the field when they needed to.

On Saturday, they got another lockdown performance from a bullpen that has carried a sizable share of the load over the last month of the season. A.J. Puk (7-5) and seven other relievers kept the Pirates in check on Saturday. On Friday, they won, 4-3, completing another late comeback.

“Before the game (on Saturday), we called it ‘Clinch Day’ and we weren’t expecting any other day to be ‘Clinch Day’ except today,” Chisholm said. “And that’s what we did and we handled it today.”

Spurred by first-year manager Skip Schumaker’s relentless optimism and a “why not us” approach, the Marlins are now in the playoffs while big spenders like the Mets and San Diego Padres will be watching from home.

Chisholm was five years old, growing up in The Bahamas in 2003, the last time the Marlins made the playoffs at the end of a 162-game regular season. Now, at 25, he is hoping to lead the club on a deep playoff run.

The Marlins used a 17-9 September surge to vault over the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds in the standings.

“This team has just exemplified heart and they know it,” said Marlins’ General Manager (GM) Kim Ng, the first female GM in Major League Baseball history. “And I think that is the driver of this group.”

As mentioned, the Marlins lost their best pitcher Sandy Alcántara and best hitter Luis Arráez to separate injuries down the stretch of the season. Arráez, who finished the season hitting a major league leading .354, is expected to be back for the playoffs while reigning NL Cy Young winner Alcántara is done for the year.

Arráez is the first player in MLB history to win batting titles in different leagues in consecutive seasons.

The Marlins are in the postseason for the second time in four years, following up on their appearance in the bubble in 2020, and just the fourth time in club history.

In two of those trips, they advanced all the way to the World Series, winning both times, in 1997 against the Cleveland Indians and in 2003 against the New York Yankees.

 Home|Sports|Jones, Liberty advance to WNBA FinalsSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailOctober 2, 2023 23 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones and the New York Liberty are headed to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals.

The Bahamian post player made sure her former team, the Connecticut Sun, wasn’t going to be a part of no upset involving her as she turned back the clock on Sunday, turning in a massive double-double to help the Liberty advance. Jones pounded in 25 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and had four blocked shots, to help the Liberty escape with a 87-84 win over the Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sunday.

The Liberty won the series three games to one and will go on to play the defending champions Las Vegas Aces in the championship series, starting next Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jones was unceremoniously traded from the Sun to the Liberty in the offseason, following the Sun’s loss to the Aces in last year’s championship, and was determined to bring a championship to New York. Now, she’ll have her chance.

They had to hold off a furious rally by the Sun in the fourth quarter but proved that they were up to the task.

Jones scored five points in the final minute of the game to help seal the win for New York, now making its first trip to the WNBA Finals in 21 years.

Capped by an 11-foot step back jump shot from Tyasha Harris, the Sun scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the Liberty’s lead to just two points, 66-64, with 8:04 remaining.

They eventually pulled even and took their first lead of the game since late in the second quarter, 72-71, on a 25-foot three-point shot from DeWanna Bonner with 3:54 remaining. The game went back and forth until Jones hit some clutch free shots in the final minute of the game to help seal the win for the Liberty. She hit five of six free shots in the span of just 25 seconds to give the Liberty an 84-78 lead with 29 seconds remaining.

The Sun weren’t dead yet.

Harris buried a 25-foot three-point jumper with 18.1 seconds remaining to bring them to within 84 81, and after one of two free shots from Betnijah Laney, Harris hit another three-pointer to bring the Sun to within a single point, 85-84, with 7.1 seconds left.

League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Breanna Stewart hit two free shots and the Sun couldn’t get a final shot off as time expired.

The Sun led by 10 points early and the Liberty by 11 late but the game still came down to some clutch shots and strong defense in the fourth quarter.

After losing the opening game of the series on their home court, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, last week Sunday, the Liberty stormed back to win three in a row to end the series. They lost Game One, 78-63, but bounced back to win the second and third games of the series, 84-77 and 92-81. They won 84-81 on Sunday to win the series three games to one.

On Sunday, the Liberty fell behind 23-19 after the first quarter and were down by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before rallying for a 45-44 lead at the half. There were eight lead changes in the first half.

The Liberty scored seven straight to open the third quarter, after ending the second with six straight, and were up by as much as 11 points in the third before settling for a 66-58 lead after three.

The resilient Sun just wouldn’t go away, making a game out of it in the fourth quarter, before falling.

Stewart led New York with 27 points, Jones added 25 and Laney added 21 in the Game Four clincher.

MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for Connecticut. It was her first triple-double of the postseason after recording a record six during the regular season. Tiffany Hayes had 15 points and DiJonai Carrington added 14 for the Sun, who were trying to make it back to the Finals for a second consecutive season.

Bonner had 12 points and six rebounds for the Sun and Harris gave them five players in double figures with 10 points.

Jones is having a strong postseason, recording a double-double in all six of her games. She is shooting 53.1 percent from the field and is averaging 16.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the postseason.

The Liberty split the four regular season meetings against the defending champion Aces, who advanced to the finals for the third time in four years, sweeping Dallas in the semifinals.

This will be New York’s fifth appearance in the Finals, but their first since 2002. They are looking to win their first title. Jones, now in her seventh year, is also looking for a first title in the WNBA. This is her first year with New York after spending the first six years of her career with Connecticut.

The best-of-five WNBA Finals will start on Sunday October 8 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The first and second games of the series will be played in Las Vegas, and then it will move to Brooklyn for Game Three, and if necessary, Game Four. Game Five, if necessary, will be played in Las Vegas.

 Home|Sports|UB stages Cross Country InvitationalSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 2, 2023 20 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The University of The Bahamas (UB) Athletics Department held its second annual cross country invitational on the grounds of the Queen’s Elizabeth Sports Centre on Saturday.

There were over 800 athletes who were in action, looking to secure the top spots in their divisions. UB Mingoes’ Head Coach Ednal Rolle said that the meet had an increased number of participants from a year ago, and ran smoother than last year’s event.

“After last year we did a postmortem meeting to see how we could make it better this year,” Rolle said. “There is still a lot more work that we need to do. Learning from last year, we worked on those logistics. It went well this year as the numbers jumped up. We want to continue to build long distance. When I thought about this course and design, I thought to make cross country fun. I thought about how to make it engaging as a participant, a coach and a spectator. It was a challenge and I think that the athletes got better.”

The meet had 12 divisions, from the open category all the way down to the under-9 (U9) category. There were also team awards for the under-20 to under-9 categories.

“There were some good performances from the open event. There was even a record set in that event based on last year’s time. There were great times and performances. It is catching on in the long distance races. As a cross country coach, I am learning what you have to do to get better in distance, which includes putting in the miles,” Rolle said.

It was a close race in the open male division with Swift Athletics’ Christopher Saintus winning in 9:41.39. Bahamas Speed Dynamics’ Auston Clarke was second with a time of 9:41.40. Jean Dorelein was third after posting a time of 10:22.93.

Running in a stacked under-20 girls division that had 38 participants, it was 3PA Stallions’ Jasmine Mackey who came out on top with a time of 11:46.92. She comfortably finished ahead of second place finisher Grace Farrington who ran for St. Andrew’s School. She clocked 11:53.73. Power Athletics’ Michal Bullard was third with a time of 12:46.39.

Hurry Murray’s Raywind Winder outlasted R.M. Bailey High School’s Lataji Moxey in the under-20 boys division to get the gold medal. Winder clocked 10:27 while Moxey ran a time of 10:30 to get the silver medal. Third place was secured by Doris Johnson High School’s Fabian Saintil who ran 10:36.

Kids’ Athletics’ Elexia Strachan crossed the finish line first in the under-11 girls division. She had a time of 3:45.12. Her teammate Kailia Symonette finished second in a time of 3:57.68. X-Treme Athletics’ Rayven Munroe ran a time of 3:58.04 to finish third.

Hurry Murray Club came in the meet and won multiple divisions including the under-20 boys, under-17 boys, under-15 girls, under-13 girls and the under-9 boys divisions. The C.R. Walker High School Knights won the under-20 girls division. The Government High School Magic won the under-17 girls division. The C.H. Reeves Junior High School Raptors won the under-15 boys and under-13 boys division. X-Treme Athletics won the under 11-girls and boys and under-9 girls divisions.

As for his cross country runners at the university, Rolle said that there are improvements, although they are middle distance. They traveled to South Florida to run in meets and finished higher than they did last year. The majority of the team also ran personal best times.

Rolle wants to encourage athletes to do long distance as there are opportunities and scholarships at the university for that aspect of the sport.

He said two colleges in the United States have expressed interest in the third edition of the meet next year.

 Home|Sports|Champions crowned at Wes Rolle InvitationalSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailOctober 2, 2023 30 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The inaugural Wesley Rolle Doubles Invitational for 35-and-older players wrapped up yesterday and three champions were crowned after three days of competition at the Racquet Club at Baha Mar.

The champions on the men’s side were Marvin Rolle, nephew of Wesley Rolle, and Larry Rolle, the brother of Wesley Rolle. On the ladies side, Larikah Russell and Barbara Carey took home the title. In mixed doubles, Marvin Rolle and Barbara Carey teamed up to win – the second title of the day for both.

In men’s doubles, the uncle and nephew duo took down Livio Bisterzo and Alexander Murbach in straight sets in the final, 6-3 and 6-2. Bisterzo and Murbach put the pressure on the elder Rolle but that strategy did not work as he returned serves strong.

“We played well and solid,” Marvin Rolle said. “Larry Rolle held his own. He had some good returns and served well. He also volleyed well. They were coming to him a lot and he held his own. They could not break him down. Larry Rolle and I played well and he even carried me a little.”

Larry Rolle said: “It was a good match. Those guys played good. We had to step it up. It is a relief when the match was over, especially after playing shorter matches in the earlier round.”

The duo had a path to the final, taking down John-Marc Nutt and Johnnie Fong, Tommy Turnquest and Nolan Johnson, and Jyles Turnquest and Bjorn Ferguson.

The elder Rolle said he was happy with the way it was organized and he and Marvin will look to defend their title next year.

Marvin Rolle was not done for the day as he teamed up with Carey to take on Ferguson and Richette Percentie in the mixed doubles final. Rolle and Carey won in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-2.

The winning duo in the mixed doubles took care of Leonardo Braynen and Joyce Cash, Tommy Turnquest and Paula Whitfield, and Devlin Fisher and Marion Bain, on their road to the final.

Carey won her first title of the day when she and Russell beat Marsha Williams and Loretta Mackey in the ladies final. They won the first set 6-4 then went into another gear and won 6-0 in the second set.

“The first set was tough. They had great rallies and we had some good service and returns. We were active at the net. In the second set, we continued with that same momentum and stuck together,” Russell said.

Playing over the three days was tough, but Carey said it brought out the best of her.

“It was tough on me and it brought out my talent. I didn’t know that I was able to do what I did. I came across some tough players and I was able to keep up,” Carey said.

Russell and Carey took care of Denise Symonette and Vernay Mills, and Percentie and Bain, on the way to the final.

They are looking to play again next year once the tournament is held again.

FASTEST GROWING SPORT: Seated, from left to right, are Bernadette Bryne, senior international Dragon Boat official in Pan American, Dr Christine Chin, president of Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Association, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, Franco Siu Chong, president of Pan American Dragon Boat Federation and Meri Gibson, Global President of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers.

As of Friday, September 29, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#As the fastest growing sport in the Bahamas, Dr Christine Chin said she’s confident that the second annual Bahamas Dragon Boat Festival will encourage more Bahamians to get involved.

#The Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Association, with Chin as its president, revealed plans for the staging of the encore of the Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday and Sunday at Goodman’s Bay. The press conference was held yesterday at Breezes SuperClubs resort.

#Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said it’s amazing to see the growth and progress made by the association in just one year. “This Dragon Boat Festival is more than just a competition. It is a celebration of unity, teamwork and true testament to this government’s commitment to the revitalization of the world of sports. “The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture remain hopeful that the Dragon Boat Racing in the Bahamas will be a great addition to our Sports Tourism brand. Sporting events like this helps to boost the economy and have great cultural and social benefits, all of which are extremely significant to our country.”

#Through their partnership with the Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Association, Bowleg said they now have a home in the Bahamas, and he commended the organizers and indicated that they look forward to many more events in the future.

#“So, paddle strong, embrace the challenge and may wind be ever at your back,” he stated.

#According to Chin, a total of 34 boats have registered to participate in the competition, including the defending champions Dragon Conchers and the Police team called King Tide and four teams from the United States, an increase from the 21 teams that participated in the inaugural event last year.

#“This incredible growth in participation is evident of the competitive spirit of our local community and the excitement around Dragon Boat racing,” she stated. “We look forward to the showdown between the armed forces, between the hotels, the medical and corporate teams, but we also want to see the breast cancer survivors and the youth and senior teams battle it out.”

#Preliminary competition will begin on Saturday at 9 am and the final will follow on Sunday, followed by a cultural show and the awards presentation in the afternoon.

#As spectators look forward to the events of September 30 and October 1, Chin said friends and families can come together and enjoy the beauty of the environment and experience the racing in the backdrop of the clear crystal waters of the Bahamas.

#“We encourage all of our fellow Bahamians and visitors alike to join us at the festival,” said Chin, which would include the food vendors, entertainers and a junkanoo rush out as they honor the breast cancer survivors.

#Chin thanked all of their sponsors, volunteers and the competitors who will be participating in the festival.

#Franco Siu Chong, president of Pan American Dragon Boat Federation, welcome the Bahamas Chinese Dragon Boat Association as its newest member in what is considered the fastest growing region in all of the international dragon boat regions.

#“I’m very pleased that you have grown from 21 team to 34 teams,” he said as he commended the local association for the work, they have done to make it a success.

#“It really takes a team to bring this together and that is what dragon boat racing is all about. It’s teamwork and comradery. It’s a sport, so I hope that the Bahamians will get involved in this sport and truly become competitive and enter the international scene.”

#Chong said the federation is working on getting the sport included on the Olympic Games sporting programme and when they do, it’s his hope that the Bahamas will be fully represented.

#“You have the waters, the right waters and you can train year-round,” he insisted. “In other countries, they can only train in summertime. What is great about this sport is all ages, but in the Caribbean, we need something for the youth, and this is a great sport to get the youth involved instead of being involved in crime.”

#He noted that in Trinidad & Tobago, they introduced the sport into the schools and it’s now the biggest regatta on the island and he’s hoping that they can Jamaica to follow suit next year in becoming the latest island to join in the footsteps of the Bahamas.

#Hedda Smith, the Sales Manager at Breezes Resorts, welcomed the organizers of the festival to their property.

#“We are very happy to once again by a part of this wonderful occasion, the second annual Dragon Boat race,’ she said. “We’ve been touting this whole weekend to our guests, and we are hoping to have a good turnout for the event this weekend.

#“I would also like to say that we have a boat entered in the race for the first time, so I don’t who the winners are, but watch out. We want to put them on notice, the Breezers are coming.”

#Meri Gibson, the Global President International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission, when she spoke with Franco Chong about growing the sport in the region, they started to see the influx of boats into the Bahamas and then she realizes that it’s going to happen.

#“For me personally, I have never wanted breast cancer to define me. I’m about the sport more than breast cancer, but it is an incredible sport for the survivors and an incredible sport for comradery.”

#She said when she came here in May 2022, there were no boats and three months later, she returned to watch 20-something boats m=compete and this year there are now more than 30.

#“This sport is very additive and caters to people, regardless,” she said. “I’ve just come back from Thailand for the World Championships where New Zealand said very well, but you can paddle from 12 years old to 112. There’s not age level. I think that’s the beaty, particularly in this region.”

#Bernadette Byrne, the senior International Dragon Boat Official in Pan America, said she met the four local officials from the Bahamas in Panama, and she was delighted when they extended an invitation for her to come to the Bahamas for this year’s event.

#“I love the fact that this here, is as much a competitive sporting event as it is a community event,” Byrne disclosed. “I love the competition, the trashing talking between teams and so I’m hoping for some head-to-head competition. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

As of Friday, September 29, 2023

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#YOUNG Bahamian sailors from New Providence, Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Abaco, Exuma, Long Island and Grand Bahama will compete in the Fidelity Bahamas Optimist Championship for the title of national optimist champion this weekend.

#Sailors from the US as well as the Cayman Islands will also be competing in this international event to be held in Montagu Bay.

#Ranging in age from as young as seven to 15 years old, sailors will compete in a number of fleets within the championship, including the Green fleet for sailors entering their first championship, the White fleet for sailors 10 or younger, the Blue fleet for sailors aged 11 and 12 and the Red fleet for sailors aged 13-15 years old.

#“This year’s championship is especially significant to our sailors as it is the first taking place since sailing was named the national sport of The Bahamas,” said Erin Tomlinson, Optimist fleet captain and event organiser.

#“Our national team is ready to compete with sailors from the US and Cayman Islands as well as for the title of national champion in the Optimist class.”

#Hosted by the Nassau Yacht Club, the weekend events begin with an opening ceremony from 6-8pm tobight.

#Sailing begins on Saturday, September 30 with warning signals on the water at 10am and an expected four races to follow.

#On Sunday, October 1, three races are expected to take place and the award ceremony will follow at 5 to 7 pm, with the Optimist national champion named.

#The current national champion, 13-year-old Patrick Tomlinson, will be among the sailors defending his title.

#“We are grateful to our title sponsor Fidelity for contributing to this national sailing championship for the second year,” added Mrs Tomlinson.

#“The skippers are young, but many have competed in international events representing The Bahamas sailing against different countries.

#“Our sailors are ready, and we look forward to an excellent weekend of competitive sailing and sportsmanship,” according to Mrs Tomlinson.

#Other important sponsors include J.S. Johnson and Campbell Shipping. In addition, Panama Jack, Shoreline Distributors, Aquapure, Thompson Trading, Home Fabrics and Abaco Big Bird are also on board to help ensure a successful event by donation of their products.

#The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy that is one of the two most popular sailing dinghies in the world with over 150,000 boats officially registered in the class.

#Young sailors up to the age of 15 sail the class in competitions around the world.

#The Bahamas also starts sailors in the Optimist for competitive sailing.

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg.

As of Friday, September 29, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg was “shocked” when he learned about the trade but indicated that there could be more to the reason why the Phoenix Suns sent their former Bahamian first round draft pick Deandre Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers.

#In a huge National Basketball Association blockbuster three-three deal on Wednesday, the Suns traded Ayton to Portland.

#Damian Lillard was traded by Portland to play alongside Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, a deal that ends his 11-year run with the Trail Blazers and a three-month saga surrounding his wish to be moved elsewhere in hopes of winning an NBA title.

#The seven-time All-Star — a player so elite that he was selected to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team — goes from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks in a three-team deal that sends Jrue Holiday from the Bucks to Portland, Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Jusuf Nurkic from the Blazers to the Suns.

#“I am still trying to understand the trade by the Suns, but I understand that in order to give up Damian Lillard, they had to get something in return that could be some sort of franchise,” Bowleg said.

#“When I look at it, Deandre would have been the only person in the trade who could help them rebuild their franchise. He’s a centrepiece that could help build the franchise.”

#Bowleg said he could not understand why the Suns traded their 7-feet and 250-pounds center because he felt he could have fitted right into the scheme of things as Pheonix made another push for an NBA title. But with the trade, Bowleg said there could be more behind the deal and in due time it could be revealed. During the 2022-23 season, Ayton averaged 18.0 points (58.9% FG, 29.2% 3-PT, 76.0% FT), 10.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game in 67 games (all starts).

#Originally selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Ayton holds career averages of 16.7 points (59.7% FG, 26.3% 3-PT, 25.5% FT), 10.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game in 303 games (296 starts) in his five seasons with Phoenix.

#Ayton helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals and a regular season record 64 wins the following year. But after that, he was saddled with some off the court decisions that may have worked against him.

#He and former coach Monty Williams reportedly didn’t have a good working relationship and after he was made a restricted free agent last summer, the Suns were forced to match an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers to retain him.

#The Suns eventually fired Williams and brought in Frank Vogel as their new coach, who quickly indicated that “I think he can be one of the best centers in the league.”

#It turned out that Ayton just won’t get to prove it in Pheonix.

#Ayton, 25, is one of three Bahamian born players who played in the NBA last season. The other two are Grand Bahamian Buddy Hield with the Indiana Pacers and Kai Jones with the Charlotte Hornets.

#Bowleg, the immediate past president of the Bahamas Basketball Association and former coach of the men’s national basketball team, has had the opportunity to watch them all perform.

#But like everybody else, he’s concerned sbout the future of Jones, has been dealing with some personal issues that has not been disclosed. The 22-year-old Jones, who was drafted with the 129th pick in the first of the NBA draft in 2021, has not been himself during the off-season.

#“I haven’t had a chance to speak to Kai, but I spoke to his father, on a daily basis on his progress,” Bowleg said. “He is receiving some sort of help. I know when the Charlotte and representatives of the Players Association met, they could not force him into some rehabilitation center to receive some help.

#“But what I was advised was that he was to go and receive the necessary help so that he could get himself back to the Kai Jones that we once knew. Not wanting to go into the details of his present situation, but he’s in my prayers and I pray for him and his family when he gets back to normal, and we can see the dedicated and committed young man become the NBA superstar that he is capable of being.”

#To Ayton and the 30-year-old sharp shooting Hield, who continues to be the subject of trade talks once again, Bowleg encouraged them both to continue to “remain focus” and do what “you do best” as the Bahamas support them in their future endeavors.

#“While Buddy maybe up for trade right now, wherever he lands himself, sometimes it’s not until later in life that you find the right fit,” stressed Bowleg, of Hield who was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans but was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2017 and the Pacers in 2022.

#“But today, they are doing something that they love to do, they are being paid to do it and they have a desire to win a championship and when that opportunity come, they can embrace it.”

#Hopefully Bowleg said he’s looking forward to the day when Ayton and Hield and even Jones, could experience what fellow Bahamians Mychal ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson (1987-1988) and Rick Fox (2000-2002), both with the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Thompson’s son, American-born Klay Thompson with the Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022), felt and NBA champions.

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