The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS On Saturday night, we ushered a new era in sports in the country. The new Thomas A Robinson Stadium was officially opened. The ceremony was one that those present would have been proud to have witnessed as there was no political twist to it, although we are entering the election campaign period. More than 15,000 fans flocked to the stadium to view an event that was basically designed to show an appreciation for the man who has been hailed as the pioneer in the sport of athletics. The night turned out to be a true celebration of sports. While the focus on the two giant screens on the southern and northern end of the stadium displayed a series of tributes to Robinson, there was also a recognition for a number of other sporting personalities, including the "Golden Girls," who were actually honoured with the re-enactment of their gold medal performance in the women's 4 x 100 metre relay at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. But the night belonged to Robinson and rightfully so when one considers the achievement he made, for the most part as a one-man crew that carried the Bahamian flag at a series of international track and field events. For the record * Robinson successfully sat and passed the entrance exam for high school at the age of eight (8) years old when he enrolled at St John's College on January 8, 1947, graduating in December, 1953. * Robinson received an athletic scholarship for a major NCAA institute when he enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1957 and in 1985, winning numerous individual and team Big Ten Championships titles before he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame * Robinson won his first major international competition medal with a bronze in the 100 metres at the West Indian Federation Games in Kingston, Jamaica in 1957 * Robinson was the lone Bahamian at the Empire Games in July, 1958, when he carried the flag during the march past of the Duke of Edinburgh before he went on to run a 100 yards world record of 9.5 seconds in the preliminaries only to end up with the silver in the final and the gold in the 200 yards. * Robinson also won a silver in the 100 yards at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games * Robinson won a silver medal in three consecutive Commonwealth Games in 1958, 1962 and 1966 * Robinson represented the Bahamas in four consecutive Olympic Games in athletics - Melbourne, Australia in 1956, Rome, Italy in 1964, Tokyo, Japan in 1964 and Mexico City, Mexico in 1968 * Robinson advanced to his first Olympic final in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan where he placed eighth * Robinson set a world record in the 300 metres in an indoor meet in Saskatoon, Canada, in 1964. There are other achievements for Robinson, including his name being placed on the original national stadium in 1981 that is still being used today for local and international track and field competitions. Robinson, who was inducted into the Bahamas' Hall of Fame in 1989 and was honoured at a Legends Banquet on July 26, 2009, has not had any accolades placed in front or behind his name like Sir or MBE. But he has been listed as the "Sports Ambassador" for the Bahamas by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. He's a humble individual who prides himself on preaching four important words - discipline, dedication, determination and desire - to help the younger generation to get through life. His son, Robbie Robinson, best summed it up on Saturday when he noted that the support of the Bahamian people was a prime example of their love and appreciation for his father who has been a shining example for everyone to emulate. Congratulations Mr Robinson. COBRAS STRIKE AGAIN THE CC Sweeting Cobras emerged as the champions of the Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic on Monday night, having stopped the Eight Mile Rock Bluejays from taking the prestigious title back to Grand Bahama. The championships culminated the week-long national tournament that featured just 26 teams from across the Bahamas. Although the numbers decreased, the competition was still at a very high level and the Cobras and coach Mario Bowleg should be commended for their efforts. Special commendation to Angelo Lockhart, who was named the most valuable player. It was the second title for CC Sweeting, who first won it in 2005. Not too many schools have been successful in winning the title two or more times, so CC Sweeting finds itself in a unique class of champions. The defending champions RM Bailey Pacers gave it a gallant effort but they fell short when they got eliminated in the semifinal by the Bluejays. While AF Adderley Junior High was hosting the tournament in New Providence, a number of schools were in Long Island where they participated in another big tournament that was held for teams from the junior to senior boys and girls. As usual, the question still arises as to when will there be a national tournament set up to determine who is truly the best high school teams in the country? The newly formed Sports Division at the Ministry of Education, headed by Evon Wisdom, is working on putting a tournament of that magnitude together where he intends to invite the top schools from the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association and the Bahamas Scholastic Association to join the top schools from Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. It's a bold initiative, considering that it has been a task over the years to get all of the top schools to compete in the Hugh Campbell tournament, which over the years has, to a certain degree, filled that distinction. It's time now to bring everybody together under one umbrella. Wisdom made a try at it when a National Volleyball Championship was held in November in Grand Bahama. However, not all of the top teams participated as schools in the BAISS have not played volleyball yet. So with all of the schools having completed basketball, now is a perfect time to get a national tournament off the ground. Let's just hope that all of the schools respond and make it truly a national event whenever it is staged.