The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It’s not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish.

• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in the local sports scene, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

THE WEEK

THAT WAS

In everything we ought to give thanks and what a more appropriate time than now as we are smacked into the Thanksgiving season.

So to start off this week’s column, I want to commend the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and organiser Adrian Francis for hosting the Bahamas’ first major sports awards banquet over the weekend.

The event was held Friday night at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island where Shaunae Miller was named the overall Athlete of the Year. The IAAF World Championship silver medallist was also named the Female Athlete of the Year and the Male Athlete of the Year went to boxer Tureano ‘Reno’ Johnson. The Bahamas Swimming Federation, however, was the dominant federation as Algernon Cargill took home the President of the Year honours, Andy Loveitt was the Coach of the Year, Joanna Evans was the Junior Female Athlete of the Year and the CARIFTA team was honoured for winning their back-to-back titles.

There were a number of other awards given, including the recognition to the Special Olympics team that captured 11 gold medals in Los Angeles and the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation for their impressive showing in the same venue at the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships.

While I think all of the athletes in attendance were quite thrilled to have been recognised for their achievement, including Steven Gardiner, who was selected as the Rising Star Athlete of the Year and both Jonquel Jones and Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield were the Collegiate Female and Male Athletes of the Year, there should have been more nomination from the other sporting bodies.

Although she wasn’t nominated for any category, former WNBA player Waltiea Rolle and other athletes in attendance like Oralee Fowler and golfers Jameica Duncombe and Georgette Rolle could have been put in the spotlight where they were called upon to introduce the nominees and call the winners.

I also think it would have been good to hear a brief comment from each of the winners on how they felt about the initiative.

Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands was given the floor to speak after he was presented with the Courage Award for his fantastic comeback from surgery to repair his knee. He had a chance to wax his frustration on persons who felt he should have retired. It was a passionate speech and, at one point, he had to be consoled by his mother Elaine Sands, who didn’t feel that he should have said what he did. 

Truth be told, he had the right forum to make his remarks as he felt that his voice was not heard or ignored in the past. One good thing that came out of the night for him, Minister of Sports Dr Daniel Johnson declared that he will definitely get a cheque for making the final at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Sands and high jumper Trevor Barry had objected to the policy that had indicated that only the top eight finalists would get $5,000. 

It was definitely good news for Sands as he proclaimed that he’s going to make believers out of all his doubters by making the team for his return to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next year. Remember it was in London, England, at the 2012 Olympics that Sands suffered a near career-ending injury to his knee, but he’s back and he’s completing his document produced by his cousin Sosa Man on the “Road to Recovery.”

Should be an interesting piece to view.

Again, let’s applaud the Ministry and Francis for the effort.

It was great to finally get as many of the sporting bodies together in one room at one time. The potential for the event is endless and with a little more tweaking, it could become the major sporting event on the calendar for this time of the year when we pause to give God thanks for so many wonderful things in our beloved Bahamaland.

KUDOS TO GIBSON

While he didn’t win any of the awards Friday night in the Bahamas, Gibson was recognised by the Caribbean Sports Journalists Association (CASJA) as the 2015 Male Rising Star of the Year. The honour was announced Monday as CASJA - a regional sporting body of journalists officially launched in the Bahamas two years ago at the inaugural IAAF World Relays - put the spotlight on the athletes for their performances as individuals as well as teams.

Gibson, 24, was the only winner from the Bahamas after he was recognised for his record-breaking performances this year en route to winning the Pan American Games gold and IAAF World Championship bronze medals in the men’s 400 metre hurdles.

Shaunae Miller, the IAAF World Championship 400m silver medallist, was nominated for the Female Athlete of the Year, but that award went to Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

This marks the second year that CASJA has released the awards list, which had Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt as the Male Athlete of the Year. The association is looking at the possibility of hosting a gala awards banquet in the future where all of the athletes will be properly acknowledged for their accomplishments.

The only problem is where and when as all of the association members are lobbying for their respective countries. As the treasurer, I’m definitely looking forward to the Bahamas being the initial host. It would have been good to have it in Baha Mar, but Atlantis looks like a sure bet.

It’s going to be a huge undertaking wherever it is held, but we in CASJA are confident that it can become a reality.

THE WEEK AHEAD

So I got it wrong. I have to admit that last week’s assertion of the projection for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations was off. There were some other persons who have indicated that they are seeking to run as independent candidates, but they were not included.

So while I have received some results from persons who wanted to participate in a poll to determine the winners, I will have to forego releasing them because I didn’t get to include the others like Dawn Johnson, who is vying for the post of public relations, Dionne Britton for special projects Family Islands and Andrew Tynes for technical director.

So it seems as if all of the positions will be contested as Rahming will not be running alone.

Once again, the elections are set for 10am Saturday in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s conference room and it was keenly contested between incumbent Mike Sands and his One BAAA slate, challenger Rosamunde Carey and her United Purpose slate and a few independent candidates who will be contesting various positions.

We just have to wait and see how it all unfolds.