The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net HEAD coach Andy Knowles said he's extremely pleased with the team that was selected to represent the Bahamas in this year's Carifta Games. But he noted that each member will have to be at their best when the big event is held over the Easter holiday weekend. The Bahamas Swimming Federation (BSF) has named the 36-member team that will compete against athletes from 22 visiting countries for the regional meet at Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre. "We definitely have a strong team and I think we are going to surprise some of the countries," Knowles said. "We had some of our swimmers who have gone away and they are swimming very well." The team held its first practice on Saturday and Knowles said they were able to put everything in motion as the event, sponsored by BTC, draws near. "We have a little bit of a hiccup right now with three strong kids with a shoulder problem, so they are going to have to swim limited races," Knowles said. He was referring to Joanna Evans of Grand Bahama and both Bria Deveaux and Dustin Tynes, who are currently going to school in Tennessee. "We are going to have to limit the amount of races that we had intended for them to swim," Knowles said. "We still hope that they will swim very well in the events that they will be in. And with them and the other swimmers we have coming in, we hope that they can all swim well so that we can still challenge for the top spot. I think with the home crowd, we will have a lot of excitement." This is only the third time that the BSF has hosted the Carifta Swimming Championships and BTC has invested $40,000 as its platinum sponsor. The company will be joined by bronze sponsors Morley Reality, Commonwealth Brewery, Asa H Pritchard Limited, Bluebird Juice and JS Johnson. The aqua sponsors are Caribbean Bottling Company Limited and Coca-Cola. With the games to be held in New Providence, Knowles said there will be a lot of pressure on the swimmers to perform. "We told them that we want all of them to swim faster than they have ever swum," he said. "I've told them that anybody who looks like they are goofing off and playing around now, then I will switch them with somebody else who didn't make the team. "I want everybody focused and working hard right now. I don't want anyone saying 'okay, I made the team and I have a new swim suit.' We want everyone swimming faster. We want someone who will break out of the box and set the example for the rest of the team to follow their lead." With the team assembled, Knowles said he's confident that they can get the job done. And he noted that the team's strength is in the 13-14 boys' and girls' divisions where they are hoping to see the bulk of the top performances along with some of the senior competitors. "I would think the middle age group right now is our depth but, in the seniors, we have one or two stars who will win medals for us," he said. "So we have some bright spots to look forward to." Knowles said the younger age group competitors normally swim faster when they get into the heat of the competition so that is where they are looking for some surprises. Clement Bowe and Miller Albury have been identified as two of the pacesetters on the boys' side, while Celia Campbell and Jasmaine Gibson are the two girls to watch. "We have enough superstars in just about every division but we also have enough depth to make our relay teams very competitive," Knowles said.