The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

OVER 100 prospective student athletes participated in the return of the “Mega Malt Frank Rutherford National Youth Combine” this weekend.

The Bahamian track and field icon, who now serves as a scout and mentor for his development programme, said he saw tons of potential over the two-day combine.

“I thought this weekend, for the time that was put into the organisation of it, went pretty well. We had about just shy of 150 kids. I think that the bottom line was accomplished. The bottom line was to get some kids before who had never played sports whose parents have no idea that their kids have a future in playing sports at a high level,” he said. “We came away very encouraged and I would say there was at least 10-15 kids that could play between high major division one football and basketball, it’s in their future.”

The combine, free of charge for boys and girls aged 10-17, was facilitated by Rutherford and several coaches.

“We had a few objectives. The number one objective is to get kids that have never played. This was the gateway for them to come and enter the sporting arena. It was just to give them an understanding of their skill set and what they could do and the second objective is to point them toward the way to go, then the third objective was to see which ones have the actual size, the age that would fit into our system and programme in the US that they could maximise now. I think all three of those things were accomplished,” Rutherford said.

For the combine to be a true success, in future years, Rutherford called on the involvement of sporting federations throughout the country to assist in identifying talent which may be applicable to their respective sport.

“The combine is an annual programme but in Nassau we need to make it more of a consistent thing. We have done the combine in the family islands, in Acklins, Harbour Island and San Salvador. We need to make it more consistent in the capital, because I think it is a necessity. We have so much amazing talent,” he added.

The foundation will also be keeping a database of all athletes in order to steer and recommend to parents as to what league sport in which to get their children involved.

Some of the most noteworthy members of the programme include Darling - a 2004 NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, Waltiea Rolle of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and Wannah Bail of the UCLA Bruins.