The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Tribune 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 local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

THE Bahamas Swimming Federation should be commended for setting another high standard in local sports and inking in another historic performance in the process.

The federation, headed by president Algernon Cargill, produced two outstanding high levels of competition in the span of two weeks, featuring both local and international swimmers.

The annual Royal Bank of Canada National Swimming Championships made the splash first in the refurbished Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

The Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships followed. It was the first time that the Bahamas hosted the prestigious international meet.

In both instances, swimmers participated in the hopes of securing their qualifying standards to book their tickets to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.

While it was not disclosed how many standards were attained by swimmers from the visiting countries, the BSF saw Joanna Evans clinching her spot in the Nationals and Dustin Tynes came through at the CISC.

The collegiate duo joined pro swimmer Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who prior to the start of the two events had already earned her third consecutive trip to the games.

The BSF must be commended for the high standard they displayed in putting on the meets.

Following the CISC, the BSF got some commendation from Lynden Maycock, the director of the National Sports Authority who are responsible for the facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

“Thank you team leader Cargill. Congratulations to Team Bahamas,” Maycock wrote. “The NSA share with pride and gratitude the hard work and dedication done by all stakeholders. The passion continues. Thank you all for allowing us to be a part of history.”

The BSF must also be commended for not just winning their first CISC title, but doing it in grand style. 

Head coach Andy Knowles said it was all a part of a 30-year plan that the coaches had submitted to the BSF to win CARIFTA and CISC and to have Olympic finalists.

All three goals have now been achieved thanks to the fact that Allan Murray broke the ice when he advanced to the final of the men’s 50m freestyle at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia.

With the stage set, the focus now switches to Rio where Vanderpool-Wallace, Evans and Tynes will be out to clinch the only thing missing from swimming’s portfolio, an Olympic medal.

Once again, the BSF and its swimmers deserve kudos for setting another banner in local sports. We look forward to the hosting of the Carifta Swimming and the Commonwealth Youth Games next year.

THE WEEK AHEAD

With the deadline now in sight, it’s a wait and see process for who will make up this year’s team to represent the Bahamas at the Olympics in Rio August 5-21.

The Bahamas Olympic Committee is expected to officially name the team following the completion of the Blue Marlin Track Classic on Independence Day (Sunday) at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations is hoping to take advantage of the meet by having all four of their relay teams – men and women 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metre – produce one of the top 16 times in the world in order to make it to Rio.

The majority of the top athletes are home in a relay training camp this week. It’s the first time that the athletes have gotten together with such urgency this year.

While we applaud all of the athletes in coming together, let’s just hope that their efforts are not too late. It would be good to see the Bahamas represented again by all four teams at a major international meet.