The Tribune

THE Bahamas Swimming Federation is sending a national swim team to the Goodwill Games August 19-21 in St Lucia. This is the XXII edition of the Goodwill Games swimming meet held annually in one of five member countries in the southern Caribbean.

Annually, each host country is allowed to invite a non-member country to compete, and this is the second year the Bahamas has been invited to participate.

Last year,  a small team of seven swimmers represented the Bahamas andthis year, a larger team will be representing the country, including four swimmers in each age group (male and female), 8-and-under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17 years of age.

This meet allows younger swimmers  international exposure before they are old enough to participate in the CARIFTA Swimming Championships and older swimmers, who may have qualified for CARIFTA but were not selected, an opportunity to represent the country.

The meet is short course metres (25m)  and all events are timed finals. Many countries do not yet have a 50 metre pool to train and compete.

Last year saw many successes, including Marvin Johnson (8 and under) from Freeport getting a meet record in his very first event.

Marvin was a multiple medal winner, as was Amauri Bonamy from Nassau. Between them they earned 8 medals: 4 gold, 1 silver and  3 bronze. Others all did personal best times.

The BSF is hopeful to field relays in every age group this year.

Swimmers on the team this year hail from Freeport, Abaco, Nassau and from nine of the registered BSF clubs.

The meet also provides an opportunity for a cultural exchange between the countries in attendance and last year our swimmers danced in Bahamian costumes to a medley of traditional Bahamian songs. The participants also exchanged gifts from their respective countries.

Algernon Cargill stated that he is “encouraged that the Bahamas can be present and participate in this competition as it affords our hard working and up and coming swimmers the opportunity to compete against their Caribbean peers. The BSF is grateful to Shirley Mireault and her team of BSF coaches who have taken the initiative once again to organise and lead this group to St Lucia. Corporate and private Bahamas are encouraged to invest in the youth by supporting the swimmers at this year’s Goodwill Games.”

This Goodwill Games is not on the BSF annual schedule of events and therefore the team depends on fundraising to be able to underwrite the costs of travel to the meet. The cost to send each team member is approximately $1,000, which includes airfare, room and board and uniforms.

The family island swimmers also have to travel to Nassau to accompany the team. Any corporate or private donations are encouraged and welcomed to assist these young persons to compete and represent the Bahamas.

The swimmers are excited to go to the meet this summer, and those who went last year and are on the team again are looking forward to seeing the friends they made last year.

The coaching staff includes head coach Shirley Mireault, assisted by coaches Allan Murray, Geoffrey Eneas and Mancer Roberts Jr. The team manager is Travis Bowe and the chaperones are Wendy Bowe, Sunita Bonamy and Livingston Duncombe.