The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN memory of one of the pioneers of sports, the St Augustine’s College Alumni Association will pay homage to the late Deacon Leviticus ‘Uncle Lou’ Adderley by hosting the 10th annual Uncle Lou 10K Fun Run /Walk.

The event, honouring the life of Adderley, the former principal and sporting coach at St Augustine’s College, is all set to begin 6am Saturday from Rawson Square, ending at SAC’s campus off Bernard Road.

For the past three years as the president of the alumni association, Steven Robinson said he has been trying to sensitise former students and athletes of the Big Red Machine to come out and throw their support behind the major fund-raising event.

“When we revitalised the event during our first year of our tenure, we had over 300 participants,” Robinson said. “The second year, last year in 2016, we fell off by half that amount.

“So we are hoping that we can go back to that 300 or even more. When you think about SAC and the persons who would have passed through SAC and are still living, I think it’s kind of a poor showing that we can’t pull more than 500 to honour the person who had a legacy from 1993 or beyond.”

The walk race is one of the two major celebrations that the alumni association has hosted during Robinson’s administration. The other is the Night of Celebrations in Red Square on SAC campus.

But Robinson said it’s sad that persons are not willing to come out and make a contribution of just $25 to assist with the ongoing development of the sporting programmes that are still being staged by the Big Red Machine in their participation in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools.

The walk/run is designed to not only attract the alumni association, but also their children and grandchildren with categories including the 15-and-under, 16-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-and-over for both men and women.

“For the first time, we are giving everybody who participates a participation medal,” Robinson revealed. “We also have awards for the first, second and third finishers in each division.”

Aliv, one of their major sponsors, has donated four telephones for the overall male and female winners in both the run and the walk. 

The registration fee is $25 and the package includes a t-shirt, water, breakfast and other goodies from the various sponsors, including Bamboo Shack, McVities, Vitamalt, the Sports Center and The Mall of Marathon.

For the runners, they will travel from Rawson Square to south on Parliament Street, right onto Shirley Street around Princess Street in front of Government House.

From there they will travel right on Cumberland Street onto Bay Street to Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge. They will head over Paradise Island to the old Paradise Island Bridge, left on East Bay Street, right onto Village Road, left onto Bernard Road and right into SAC.

The walkers will take a slightly different route as they leave Rawson Square and head up East Bay Street, turning right onto Village Road, left onto Bernard Road and right into SAC.

While the emphasis is being placed on the alumni coming out to show their support, Robinson said they are inviting the general public to participate as they know there are many who would have benefited from Adderley, who serves as one of the founders of the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials (BACO).

Pre-registration is being conducted at the Sports Center at both the Mall at Marathon and Harbour Bay until Friday. On Friday, those who pre-register can pick up their package from the Harbour Bay branch.

On the morning of the race on Saturday, Robinson said registration would take place up until the start time at 6 am.

Transportation from SAC to Rawson Square prior to the race and for those who are parking on Bay Street, they will be transported to Rawson Square after the race.

“We’re making it as accessible for any and everybody to participate,” Robinson stressed. “But our pre registration is going very slow.

“I’m still expecting us to have a record turnout withy this being our 10th year and my administration’s final year in office. So we’re hoping that with all of the success that SAC has achieved recently, including taking back the BAISS track and field title, we hope this is the opportunity for the old scholars to come out and celebrate those victories.”