The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE they have helped a number of Bahamian student athletes to obtain athletic scholarships, the Bahamas Parents Association of Track and Field Athletes went a bit further by hosting a seminar to keep the parents and athletes abreast of the latest developments with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Junior College Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The seminar was held Wednesday night at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium where BPATFA’s president Harrison Petty, former BAAA statistician Bernard Newbold and coach Peter Pratt made their presentations. Assistance also came in from IAAF council woman Pauline Davis Thompson and immediate past treasurer of the BAAA, Laura Charlton.

At the same time, the BPATFA also presented a few scholarship options for those athletes who may not wish to or have the opportunity to secure athletic scholarships, to be able to take advantage of it right here at home.

Newbold, now an assistant coach at Colby Community College in Colby, Kansas City, said there have been several changes made by the NCAA, NJCAA and the NAIA in reference to their recruiting process that will have an effect on foreign-based athletes obtaining athletic scholarships.

“I know when many of you parents and athletes hear about junior colleges, you are thinking about high school,” Newbold said. “But it is not. It’s the foundation for that four-year programme. In the junior college setting, they have reduced their number of foreign athletes from nine to five and they are now making it more difficult for international students to enter. Out of that five, they take three on the track team and two on cross country.”

The NJCAA sets the foundation for those athletes who obtain their associate degrees before they have the opportunity to move on to the NCAA Division 1, II or III as well as NAIA schools where they go on to secure their bachelor’s degrees.

“In track and field, trying to obtain those scholarships are difficult, especially for international athletes getting into the United States,” Newbold said. “It’s going to require a lot of hard work from you the athletes. It’s not a part time thing in track and field. It’s a full time thing and you parents are going to have be there for your kids.”

While track and field is improving around the world, Newbold said their association is doing all they can to assist the Bahamian athletes in getting into the schools whether it is in the NJCAA, NAIA or the NCAA, once they qualify academically and athletically.

Newbold said there are schools like South Plains, whose coach has indicated that he is willing to recruit as many Bahamians as possible because he had the opportunity to take in two last year and he was very impressed with their development over the course of the season.

Parents and athletes interested in finding out all of the requirements needed to secure athletic scholarships are urged to contact the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations office at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium or any BPATFA member.

Pratt said that while there are athletes who are econominally challenged, the BPATFA is providing alternatives for those who qualify to obtain scholarships right here at home in the allied health field. The priorities are for those athletes currently in grade 12 and they are not interested in attending colleges abroad.

“We have been looking for careers for our athletes and we came across the allied health programme,” Pratt said. “We are saying that if you are challenged after leaving high school, you can look into the allied health programme, which will get you into the health field.

“You have to decide now what your goals are. If you procrastinate, you will be left in the doldrums or someplace watching TV. We do not want any athlete of track and field or any parent of athletes in track and field saying that my child left their guts competing in high school or the clubs and there is no preparation for his future.”

Students who wish to apply for the allied health programme are reminded that they must obtain a 2.0 grade point average or higher to be eligible for the scholarships being offered by the BPATFA in the following four areas:

• Phlebotomists, who are responsible for explaining procedures to patients, updating patient records, sterilising equipment and taking vital signs. Certification course is $1,000 for six months with a scholarship of $500 each being offered to two potential candidates.

• Pharmacy technicians, who are introduced to Pharmacy, Vitamin Supplement, Herbal Alternatives, Arthritis, Gout, Pain Management, Hypertension, Diabetes, Thyroid, Asthma and ulceration. Two scholarships are also being offered at $700 each. The total tuition is $1,400.

• Electrocardiogram Technicians, who upon completion of any of the courses will be ready to join the team at clinics, medical offices, hospitals and other patient facilities. Scholarships of $1,200 each is being offered to two deserving recipients for a six month course that is $2,400.

• Medical Assistants, who as a graduate, will be ready to draw blood, perform basic laboratory tests and take EKG and X-Rays. The six month course is $5,000 and the scholarships being offered to two deserving recipients are $1,500 each.

“We don’t have a doctor out here that often, unless they have a child out here. We don’t have a physiotherapist out here. We have some massage therapists out here, but you have to pay,” Pratt said. “You may not be the best athlete, but you may want to help assist the athletes so you became a massage therapist, or you may want to be an athletic trainer, so you can come back and help the sport that you love.”

Pratt said interested persons can apply through the BPATFA.

Two student/athletes already involved in the scholarship programme are Stephanie Stubbs and Aneka Johnson, who both talked about their experiences they have encountered so far.

There was also a presentation done by George Hepburn, a former 400m runner who went on and studied in the pharmaceutical field in New York and is now home running a successful business.