The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

As they celebrated International Women’s Day, Pauline Davis thought it would be fitting to use the opportunity to launch the official release of her book “Running Sideways” yesterday at the site where she got her long and illustrious track and field career started at Goodman’s Bay.

As the event got started, Jeff Todd, the award winning author of the book that went on sale at $35, read a message from World Athletics’ president Lord Sebastian Coe, who endorsed the book. “I’m fascinated that you receive so much comfort from the Bahamian people, but it also occurs to me that you’re carrying the baton in the relay, not just for your teammates, but also for the population of the islands,” wrote Coe, a four-time Olympic middle distance champion for Great Britain.

“You are also carrying the baton for the dreams of the young men and women who wanted to come through your footsteps and become Olympic champions. You have created a magnificent legacy.”

With the global theme “Breaking the Bias” and the symbol of striking a pose used, Coe said they are sharing it across social media and on March 8 as they shine the light on global women, he called Davis his role model for her achievement.

Emotionally at times, Davis thanked everybody, including Coe, for the role they played in her life from the Williams family that got her first job at McDonald’s to former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, whom she stated resurrected her career.

But there was no more touching a moment than when she took to the stage and joined one of her former athletes Daniella Dean as she sang “You’re My Hero.”

And Davis embraced her former coach Neville Wisdom as she paid tribute to his contribution from her infancy in the sport as a barefoot girl out of Fleming Street, running barefoot as a member of the Bain Town Flyers. “She’s been somebody who has been instrumental in my life, so I was more than happy to do this for her and for her to sing along with me for her coach, who has been instrumental to her all of her life,” Dean said.

“So it was just a beautiful moment all together.”

As a former student of William Gordan Primary School, Davis went to DW Davis Junior High where she was coached by Dawn Knowles. She then moved on to LW Young, but quickly was recruited by Wisdom to attend Government High School where she began to flourish.

In her tribute to Wisdom and his family, who opened the door to their home and accepted her as their adopted child, Davis said she remembers the 4:30am sessions that she had to endure on Goodman’s Bay.

As she thanked the countless numbers of persons who assisted in her rise from CARIFTA champion, including the impressive come-from-behind victory in the under-20 girls’ 4 x 400m relay at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, to becoming the first woman of colour to be elected as a Councilwoman of the governing body of track and field, the International Amateur Athletic Federation, now known as World Athletics, Davis said she owes a debt of gratitude to Wisdom.

“Coach Wisdom coached the Bahamas first (Olympic track and field) medallist (Frank Rutherford), he coached the Bahamas first world champion (high jumper Troy Kemp), he coached the Bahamas first Olympic (track) gold medallist (Davis) and he coached four of the five Golden Girls,” Davis said.

“On top of that, he coached many other athletes. He also coached Desmond Bannister, a former deputy prime minister.

“Coach Wisdom, I hope that one day you be knighted for all of your hard work and your dedication. We all came out of the belly of the ghetto, but coach Wisdom believed in us and he made us believe in ourselves.”

In response, Wisdom brought a bag that showed a photo of Davis running as a barefoot athlete, when she competed in the Bain Town Flyers Track Club to demonstrate that it does not matter how one starts, but how they finish.

She went back down memory lane about the controversial story in Puerto Rico at the Central American and Caribbean Games when a Bahamian official denied her the opportunity to compete in the women’s 400m because she was suspended from the team for insubordination.

As her coach at the meet where triple jumper Frank Rutherford also got suspended, Wisdom said she was poised to win the race, but because of that incident when the officials at the meet told the Bahamian official to deal with the matter when the team returned home. Yet still she was not allowed to compete.

“I don’t want it to happen to another Bahamian child,” Wisdom said. “The suspended Frank Rutherford became the first Bahamian to win an Olympic medal in track and field, the suspended Pauline Davis went and won the first Olympic gold medal in track and field and the suspended coach (Wisdom) became the Minister of Sports and the official who stood in your lane that day was one of my employees.

“The message is that the stone that the building rejected became the cornerstone. As I said to you all then, I say to Bahamians all over this country, righteousness is what exalts a nation. Simply put, you became a component of good and right. I am so proud of you. I salute you and I know my mom, Andre, and Gerry, are smiling down from heaven as you are celebrated.”

Noting that there is no Commonwealth personality in athletics who has achieved what Davis has achieved, he said she deserves to be honoured as such and they are pulling for her to receive that recognition.

Minister of Sports Mario Bowleg presented a gift to Davis, calling her one of the greatest women ever in the history of the Bahamas on behalf of all of the former Ministers of Youth, Sports and Culture, including Daniel Johnson, Wisdom and Desmond Bannister, who made a brief appearance.

Marjorie Davis, accepting a copy of the book on behalf of her husband, Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, said she was honoured to recognise Davis as the epitome of what a true woman is all about. “That is what we’re celebrating today, International Women’s Day,” the prime minister’s wife said. “She is one that fought all of her battles and despite her problems, she moved forward and overachieved and that is what we’re here celebrating today and so I’m happy to be here celebrating one of our own.”

And Miss Bahamas Universe Chantel O’Brien, who made history of her own in December in Eilat, Italy where she became the first Bahamian to crack the top 10 in the Miss Universe pageant, said it’s important to watch as the Bahamian ambassadors make their own mark in all facets of life.

“Pauline Davis has done that time and time again and to be able to see her transcend into different chapters is important because she’s leaving opportunities for other young people to be thoroughly impacted,” O’Brien said. “She has ran her race time and time again and now she has put her heart into this memoir so I feel inspired and impacted to be able to be here to share this moment with her.”

Another woman in attendance who made history was Lanisha Rolle, who served as the first female to be elected as a minister of youth, sports and culture. Also, there was Dr Pattie Symonette, one of the country’s most outstanding versatile athletes and medical experts.

The ceremony was chaired by veteran historian Kendal ‘Getting It Right” Wright, who introduced a number of the guests in attendance, including former sprinter and Sports Talk show host Rudy Laverity and veteran historian Stanley Mitchell, who has filmed more of the accomplishments of Bahamian track and field athletes than anyone else in the country.

Todd, the award winning author who once served as the business editor for the Nassau Guardian, talked about the genesis of the book and how he was inspired by the accomplishments of Davis.

He along with long-time media personality Diane Phillips, president of Diane Phillips & Associates, made some remarks as they reminisced on the accomplishments of Davis that led to the making of the two-time Olympic gold medallist in 2000, including running as a member of the Golden Girls relay team of Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and Eldece Clarke, who together also collected an Olympic silver medal in 1996 and a World Championship gold medal in 1999.

Some of the other dignitaries on hand were Rev Dr CB Moss, who was lauded for his contribution to Davis’ success, Michael Pintard, the newly elected leader of the Free National Movement and Shanendon Cartwright, the new deputy leader.