The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Sydney Clarke, recently crowned the Ministry of Sports’ 2020 Athlete of the Year, is looking forward to giving back to the community, which has helped so far in her success as a young tennis player.

Back home since November 13 from her freshman year as a member of the Blazers women’s tennis team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Clarke has decided to stage a food and toy drive for the Bahamas Children’s Emergency Hostel.

Clarke, who celebrated her 19th birthday on November 18, will be at the National Tennis Centre from 4-6 pm on Tuesday, December 22.

At that time she hopes to collect items from the general public such as non-perishable foods, disposable utensils, hand sanitiser, toiletries and of course Christmas toys. Once packaged, the 5-foot, 5-inch Clarke hopes to distribute them to the Children’s Emergency Hostel on December 24, just in time for Christmas.

And just why did she decide to do this philanthropic gesture?

“I saw a segment on ZNS about the hostel a few weeks ago. One of the business managers was explaining that their pantry was low and needed to be restocked,” Clarke said.

“People are always helping me, so I felt it was my duty as a citizen to step up and help in any way I can.”

Coupled with the fact that she just loves children, Clarke said it was an easy choice in selecting the home.

“I love to be around children,” stated Clarke, who is grooming her sister Sarai to follow in her footsteps on the tennis court. “I have a soft spot in my heart for helping them so it was a must for me to start this initiative,” she said.

Having just gotten the public support in voting for her as the MOY’s Athlete of the Year last month, Clarke said she’s confident that they will once again rally behind her, this time, for a more worthy cause.

“I have very high expectations from the public despite the pandemic we face,” she noted. “Even though COVID-19 has prohibited a lot of things, there are still ways in which the public can support.”

The daughter of Bernard and Shayon Clarke said she’s just delighted to be back home with her family after completing her semester at AUB.

Prior to heading off to college, Clarke previously attended the CR Walker Secondary High before transferring to Windsor High School on a full athletic scholarship and was a part of the Albany Tennis Academy up until she graduated last year. “My first semester was wonderful even with the challenges of COVID-19. A lot of things changed but I was able to study abroad and get an education while playing tennis,” said Clarke, who is studying business and journalism.

“I learned a lot of new things and built new relationships with the people around me.”

Having gotten her feet wet in a few tournaments this past semester, Clarke said she’s eagerly looking forward to returning for a full Blazers tennis season in January.

“I look forward to tackling the spring semester in January by hitting the books and the court,” she projected. “I’m awaiting to compete in my spring season (tennis) which starts January 19. Also I hope to continue to be a role model for others in the new year as well as the future.”

Clarke, who was previously named the MOY’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year in 2019, said she was extremely delighted to win this year’s prestigious AOY award over such notables as Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm, Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashad Fenton, Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton, Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield and Olympians Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner.

“I’m on cloud 9 and I’m enjoying the moment of being Athlete of the Year,” she said. “It feels good to know that my hard work paid off and pushes me to continue.”

And as she looks forward to the public support once again, Clarke said this will only inspire her in her future endeavours. “We should be our brother’s keeper,” she said. “As a country we should be willing to help each other at any time. Also, as an athlete I try to be a good example to inspire others (well-rounded).”

That is another reason why she is so elated to be giving back to the Bahamas Children’s Emergency Hostel at Christmas in this COVID-19 environment.