The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Coach and chiropractor Mike Armbrister and fitness guru Natasha Brown returned from the 2023 NCCMA Outdoor Athletics Championships in Juarez City, Mexico, with some hardware over the weekend.

Armbrister, an 800-metre specialist, captured a gold in both the 400m and the long jump and a silver in the 800m in the 65-69 age group category of the masters track and field competition.

Brown got a silver in the women’s 50-55 age group long jump, but Nick Dean, the only other member of the team, didn’t compete in the 100m in the 40-45 because of a slight injury.

For Armbrister, it was a good feeling to be back on top of the medal dias again.

“It was a comeback for me in international competition,” said Armbrister, who last competed at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in 2010 where he fell short of getting on the podium.

“I was at the beginning of my age category, so I was very pleased that I got to do so well against the more seasoned competitors. It went very well. I was very happy with my performances.”

Although he’s been a formidable competitor in the two-lap race (800m), Armbrister said the long jump has now turned out to be his best event to compete in. As for the competition, Armbrsiter said it was just what he expected.

“The guys, who I competed against have been competing a lot more than me so they were more race sharp than I was,” said Armbrister, who now serves as an assistant coach for the Red-Line Athletics Track Club.

“But I really surprised myself. I went out there and I competed well against them. I knew that I was in shape because I work out with our athletes. So I really, really prepared for the competition.”

Brown, who has since turned to bodybuilding and fitness since she last competed, said the spirit of competition never left her, so she felt right in her element.

“When I went on to get my pro card in fitness, that was another avenue for me to sustain myself explosively,” she noted. “I’ve gotten up in age and I missed my opportunity to make the Olympic team as a track athlete, which was my ultimate dream.

“But I felt like I was jumping again just as I did in the 2000 Olympic trials. I had a lot of different things that got in my way and prevented me from jumping the way I really wanted to, but I felt really good. It felt like I wasn’t away as long as I was since the Olympic trials in 2000.”

Now that she has the competitive juices flowing again for the sport, Brown said she will definitely be back for an encore at the masters level.

Having won the gold in the long jump and a bronze in the high jump at the 1984 CARIFTA Games here at home at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, Brown said she got a nostalgic moment during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of CARIFTA here in April at the new Thomas A Robinson Stadium where she was interviewed about her past performance.

“So 39 years after winning these medals, the message is not about winning the medals, but rather the lifestyle, in addition to having my clientele, it allows me to get up every morning at 5am. It’s a lifestyle.

“The message is that track and field allowed me to get a collegiate scholarship and I was able to come back home and continue in bodybuilding, winning my pro card and now assisting so many people with their healthy lifestyle.”

Like Armbrister, who has competed in several masters competitions, Brown said she intends to continue to perform for the Bahamas in her post-track and field career, while she maintains her fitness programme with her clients.