There are some who argue that high school sports in The Bahamas, particularly here in New Providence, lost some of its competitive nature and some of its luster since the teacher's strike of 1986, but few can deny that it has played an integral part of the sustained development of the youth of this country.
 
That year saw the separation of the public and private school sporting programs into two separate bodies, ceasing the frequent matches and rivalries between the two entities here in New Providence. Be that as it may, interest certainly didn't fall off.
 
High school sports here in The Bahamas have produced Olympic and World Champions, such as Tonique Williams-Darling, who got her start athletically at St. John's College on Bethel Avenue.
Currently, the sporting curriculum includes team sports such as basketball, volleyball and soccer in the primary school sector, and all three disciplines along with softball in the high schools. Individually, athletics has drawn the most attention in both primary and secondary schools, and has experienced the most success.
 
The cry for baseball in the school system continues to ring out, but for the most part, it appears that it is falling on deaf ears. The Ministry of Education, through its sports unit, experimented with baseball in the schools a few years back, but apparently, the ministry experienced difficulty fitting it into the after-school sports curriculum and sustaining consistent league play. The program fizzled out, but thankfully, through the various leagues under the umbrella of the Bahamas Baseball Federation (BBF), youth baseball is as vibrant as it has ever been in The Bahamas, and scholarship opportunities are endless.
 
In basketball, Bahamian high schools have produced some of the best young players in the region. Despite not experiencing the same success on the senior side, on the junior level, The Bahamas has advanced to the FIBA Americas Championships on four separate occasions - all four in the past 12 years. The country hasn't advanced further, but no other Caribbean country can lay claim to that level of success. Numerous college stars and professional athletes surfaced out of that success on the junior side. Girls' basketball hasn't been nearly as successful as the boys', but the program is steadily on the rise. In the various high school leagues around the country, the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, the C.I. Gibson Rattlers, the St. Augustine's College Big Red Machine and the Westminster College Diplomats have been perennial powerhouses.
 
Soccer in the high school system has been dominated by the St. Andrew's Hurricanes and Queen's College Comets in the private school sector, and the C.C. Sweeting Cobras and C.R. Walker Knights in the public schools sector. Just recently, a number of young women, many of whom are still in high school, made history for the country when they became the first team from The Bahamas to advance to the CONCACAF Championships. That under-17 national team entered the CONCACAF Championships as the number three team in the Caribbean behind Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, and during the tournament, was able to play the top ranked Caribbean nation Trinidad to a scoreless draw.
 
The sporting disciplines of volleyball and softball have struggled to produce regional champions in the 39 years of The Bahamas' Independence, but the competition here at home is as intense as it ever was, and the interest continues to grow.
 
The sporting discipline of athletics has produced World and Olympic Champions on all levels for The Bahamas. Just last year, a youth team from The Bahamas, consisting mostly of Bahamian high school students, produced the best ever finish for The Bahamas at a world level event. Team Bahamas returned from the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, with three gold medals and one bronze - the best ever collective finish for The Bahamas.
 
As if that wasn't enough, the team traveling to the World Junior Championships is expected to be just as successful, if not more successful. The World Junior Championships get started on Independence Day and will continue until July 15.
 
Hence, this Independence Day is expected to bring a period of true national pride for Bahamians. A junior team is in Barcelona, Spain, preparing for the World Junior Championships, and in a couple weeks, a 20-plus member team will depart for the Olympic Games in London, England.
 
Both teams are expected to fare well, and bring recognition and prestige to this tiny nation of just 39 years of age - The Bahamas.

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