The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

When Rashji Mackey got started six years ago, he was actually the first competitor to be trained in the Bahamas Amateur Wrestling Federation.

Today, the 28-year-old’s stick ability is paying off as he has been selected to represent the Bahamas to compete in the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“I am excited to be taking part in the Commonwealth Games but I am also taking it very seriously.  I am trying to get my mind right for competition and to have focus,” he said. “We have been talking about mental drills, just always knowing what the options are in a lot of different situations. I want to be prepared for anything that comes my way.

“So we have prepared physically and I am already down to my weight. I don’t have any distractions with that. The coach just wants me to be in the right frame of mind to take advantage of every opportunity. He is putting a lot of emphasis on remaining aggressive, proactive and not reactive. So that is what I am going to do.”

Mackey, accompanied by his coach Clarence Rolle, the president of the BAWF, will be a part of the team that will represent the Bahamas at the Games slated to run from July 23 to August 3.

Mackey, who is eager to make his debut on the senior international scene, is expected to compete on July 29.

“This is a golden opportunity for our wrestling programme. Our wrestlers do not get too many opportunities to shine on the world stage but our competitor is ready for this,” Rolle said.

“Rashji is in great shape, and although we have a small programme, we can compare favourably with wrestlers from even the large countries with long-standing programmes.”

Rolle, who also serves as a vice president for the Bahamas Olympic Committee, admitted that it’s not going to be easy for Moxey as he faces an uphill battle against the competition from some of the powerhouses in the Commonwealth.

“Canada is dominant in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games. India has also come on strong in the past decade or so. England is also competitive,” Rolle said. “You have to respect every wrestler when you step on to the mat because everyone trains hard and anyone could pull off a victory.

“But we are confident against any wrestler as well because we know how much work we have put in and we know what Rashji is capable of.”

Before getting involved in wrestling, Mackey was training for karate under the tutelage of his uncle, Sensei George Brennen, who was actually the first president of the BAWF. At the time, Brennen was recruiting wrestlers and as it turned out, Mackey was a natural choice because of his involvement in karate.

As they say, the rest was history.

Mackey, the son of Diana Braynen, went on to represent the Bahamas at the Junior World Championships in 2006, although he got eliminated in qualifying round. That same year, he participated in the Central American and Caribbean Games where he was eliminated in the qualifying round as well. His opponent went on to contest the bronze-medal match.

Two years later, the 2003 graduate of Mt Carmel Preparatory Academy went on to compete in the Senior Pan Am Championships in 2008 where he placed 9th out of a field of 13 competitors. He’s just hoping that he will move up the ladder when he’s done competing in Glasgow.