One of the standout sprinters in Bahamian history is calling on the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) to establish a national preparation program for relays that will be ongoing. Iram Lewis Jr. urges the BAAA to put plans together for a national training camp for relay runners and present the same to the government through the Ministry of Sports.
"To the BAAA I say this: You know who the top athletes for all of the relays (males and females) are. Get the athletes together. Get a coach who can command respect and one who is able to put together the kind of legitimate program that the athletes would buy into. Structure a plan for a national camp and get it to the government."
Lewis is convinced that once such a step is taken, The Bahamas would "without a doubt" be more productive in the men's 1,600 meters (m) relay. Lewis is also of the firm view that the cadre of young female sprinters who have surfaced, gives the country great opportunities to add to the sprint relay legacy of the 'Original Golden Girls' and build a quality women's 1,600m relay squad.
Then, there is his specialty. Lewis believes that despite the dearth of adequate male sprinters (without the presence of Derrick Atkins), a sustained national program can bring that aspect back prominently into the mix. The background of Lewis speaks to full knowledge of the subject of relay running. In a series beginning today, Lewis's strong views on what needs to be done for the country to maximize its great potential in the sprint relays will be presented.
He is well positioned to deal with the issue. It was 12 years ago when he, Renward Wells, Dominic Demeritte and Sylvanus Hepburn ran in a race in Montauban, France, and zipped to 38.98 seconds, the national record. (Incidentally, according to Lewis and Renward Wells, it was in fact Sylvanus Hepburn and not Andrew Tynes as is listed, who teamed with them and Demeritte in Montauban). Perhaps the BAAA should look into sorting that out.
In 1993, Lewis, Wells, Tynes and Bernard Young ran 39.42 seconds to erase the national mark of 39.45 seconds set by Tommy Robinson, Kevin Johnson, Norris Stubbs and Bernard Nottage, that had stood for 25 years. The truth be told, the sprinters of today (given their performances to date) are not capable of coming close to the record-setting teams of 1968, 1993 or 2000. This is a serious indictment. The situation can be fixed though.
Lewis wishes that the Ministry of Sports would "take a serious look" at the potential of sports.
"The government (through the sports ministry) should look at the social benefits from sports. Let me make a point. In 2008 when Usain Bolt was getting set to run the 100 meters final in Beijing, everybody in Jamaica was zeroed in on Bolt. The statistics reflect that during that particular time period, there were no crimes in Jamaica. The criminal element was focused on sports history in the making.
"If we put a big focus out there and finance a massive sports program, so many of our young boys and girls and older males and females would be involved in some sporting situation with no time at all for crime. This is how important our sports program is.
"We keep missing the boat. Look, we just had the opening of the national stadium. Over 15,000 persons flocked that facility. In that group were those who might have been involved with some criminal act, but they were at a sporting event. Multiply that scene and you have the answer to our social dilemma (sports). When you think about the economic, sports/tourism and health benefits, the argument for a greater concentration on sports by our governments is further emphasized.
"I say all of that to give ample reason why it should be a no-brainer to fund a national relay training program. It will take about $1.5 million per year. The obligation to organize the appropriate training program is that of the BAAA. However, the program has to be funded. The reasons stick out why the various governments should focus more on sports development," said Lewis.
Lewis is coming forward because he is convinced that as a nation, "we must stop missing out on grand opportunities for positive image growth through sports."
(In the following days in this space, this series will continue. To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at fredericksturrup@gmail.com)

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