The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

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

BROTHERS Shane and Eric Gibson Jr should be commended for the effort they put forth in partnering with the Ministry of Local Government to kee the memory of their late father alive in the staging of the second annual King Eric All-For-One Family Island Regatta.

The regatta, held in Montagu Bay over the weekend, officially kicked off the 2016 season and from all indications, was a smashing success.

Not only did the boats show up and participate in the three classes, but the people turned out in large numbers.

Prime Minister Perry Christie aptly stated that King Eric Gibson would have been proud of what took place. The three days of competition ended without incident.

Congratulations to Courageous, Barbarian and Crazy Partner, who emerged as the overall chmpions in the A, B and C classes respectively. If the regatta was any indication, skippers and sailors can look forward to an exciting 2016 sailing season.

Honour for Swaby

WHILE it was a fitting memorial for the late King Eric Gibson, it was also good to see over the weekend that long-time women’s basketball coach Anthony Swaby got his “flowers” while he is still alive.

The New Providence Women’s Basketball Association, headed by Mynez Cargill-Sherman and Penia Baion, took the time to honour Swaby by hosting their first All Girls High School Basketball Tournament in his name at the DW Davis Gymnasium over the weekend.

Not all of the high schools, as anticipated, showed up to participate but those that did made it an exciting event.

In the end, it was the Dame Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins who emerged as the champions, defeating the Teleos Cherubims 46-34 in the championship game. The tournament definitely shows that there is no lack of talent to keep the sport alive when you look at players like Antenique Young, Briontae Riely, Chyna Curry, Angelique Bethel and Tyler Collymore, who were the All-Tournament recipients.

Over the years, Swaby has not only served as a coach, having to groom a number of the top players in the country who have gone on to earn athletic scholarships in the United States, but he has also worked diligently to keep the gym in the proper playing environment.

Over the weekend, Swaby could be seen spending more time trying to keep litter off the ground than he did sitting down in the stands enjoying the competition. As he pointed out, someone has to do it so he might as well take the time and do it himself. Well done Swaby, a man for all seasons.

The Week Ahead

WHO could believe that it has been seven years since Sunshine Insurance and its president Franklyn Wilson decided to stage the first Marathon Bahamas.

The marathon, which now has earned the distinction of being a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, is scheduled for this weekend. The 26.2 mile race will be held starting 6am Sunday from the ocean front at Junkanoo Beach and end at the oceanfront at Arawak Cay.

Competitors will also get a chance to compete in a half marathon and for those not so adventurous, they can team up with three others to compete in the relay segment. All three events will be held simultaneously.

And for those that don’t feel they have the ability to do the gruelling event on Sunday, they can take part in the 5K or 3.1 mile run/walk race that starts from Montagu Beach and ends up on the eastern end of the Paradise Island Bridge. That event takes place 7am Saturday.

This event attracts persons to participate for a more worthy cause as they compete in what is called the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure. Participants normally wear pink as they compete for themselves or on behalf of persons who have been stricken with cancer.

It’s a fantastic weekend and a number of Bahamians look forward to completing their own personal challenge of competing in a marathon, or they just want to show their support for a cause by walking in the 5K. If you haven’t built up the courage to do so either this year, now is a good time to start getting in gear for the eighth edition in 2017.