The Tribune

BAHAMAS Waste continues to celebrate its nine-year partnership with Nassau Rowing Club, through a renewed commitment to ensuring the organisation’s sanitation needs are met year-round.

At the club’s Lake Cunningham site, Bahamas Waste has provided public toilet or “porta-potty” facilities, in addition to waste bins for the club’s members and guests, with frequent servicing free of charge.

Since 2011, Nassau Rowing Club has impacted lives throughout the country, particularly in New Providence, introducing young Bahamians to the sport of rowing which can unlock life-changing opportunities including educational scholarships. The club operates six days a week at Lake Cunningham and has over 50 members, starting from as young as six-years-old.

“Historically, we’ve operated in people’s backyards and places where we didn’t have access to bathroom facilities,” says Kyle Chea, president of the Nassau Rowing Club.

“So, what Bahamas Waste has come in and done is basically make it so that we can operate a facility that is more-or-less self-contained, not having to infringe on the hospitality of others more so than we already do.”

“Everyone needs to go to the bathroom and should have the ability to do it in a sanitary way. So, until we get to the point where we can have four walls and running water, Bahamas Waste has basically given us a self-contained facility and we’re thankful.”

Over the past year the club has been focused on getting more public high school students involved, recently introducing 250 C.R. Walker Senior High students to the sport and into row boats.

By May of next year, the club aims to expose more than 1,000 government school students to rowing machines and hopefully recruit some of them into their Opportunities & Access Rowing Squad (OARS).

OARS removes as many barriers as possible for promising athletes to participate in rowing, a shuttle provides round trip transport from C.R. Walker to Lake Cunningham, swimming lessons are provided at no cost, and donated clothing is provided from donors and friends in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Chea said with more colleges and universities interested in recruiting young rowers, Nassau Rowing Club has been seeking to get more high school students involved to potentially introduce them to more scholarship opportunities.

“Rowing has one of the lowest applicant-to-scholarship ratios across the NCAA, which makes it highly attractive, coupled with our deep relationships with several head and associate head coaches at leading programmes across the United States,” Chea said.

“We’re focusing on recruiting Bahamian students, primarily from government schools, underprivileged backgrounds, who are usually the most at risk. If we can find enough young Bahamians who can meet the baseline athletic standard, they can work to meet the baseline academic standard, while we can then provide an additional avenue for them to get scholarship aid through athletics. So, through the sport we’re really trying to change lives.”

“Nassau Rowing Club, for years, has been doing such a great job throughout the community, and we’ve been truly impressed,” said Bahamas Waste Managing director Francisco de Cardenas.

“The work the club continues to do with the youth of our country is admirable and one that must be celebrated. So, we look forward to supporting them in their venture, in whatever way we can.”