The Long Island Sports Academy rolls easily off the lips. The name just sounds right. Tucked away in the northern end of Long Island, Omar Daley, a noted bodybuilder, has been making a huge effort since 1997 to provide young boys and girls from Stella Maris, neighboring settlements and the wider community with opportunities to stay fit and develop athletic skills.
Daley is known in the nation's bodybuilding family for sure. However, there was little or no general knowledge of his outreach into settlements of his beloved Long Island, on a constant mission to build quality adults. The Long Island Sports Academy was given full attention recently by a group from the Bahamas Boxing Commission. The commission's Family Islands program is timely for Daley.
He lamented the plight of young islanders who get exposed to "unhealthy physical and social realities" and often sink down into obscurity. Because of certain social conditions, lives can be changed negatively very early.
"I've seen so many instances of children not getting any chance at all to grow up gracefully and become adults who can contribute something meaningful to society. Sadly, they don't even get many chances to develop. This is a great social problem in our land. Here in Long Island I've been trying as best as I could, against large financial odds, to keep the movement going. I am very happy that the government is thinking about an overall, nation-wide body that will foster the growth of all sports and provide young boys and girls of the nation with all the benefits they deserve, as those who we look to lead the country in the future.
"I am satisfied that my program has helped a lot of them to emerge above the bad elements and lead respectable and productive lives. I want to do so much more. This talk of a National Sports Academy sounds good. Also, I get a good feeling when I see a group out of the capital, like the boxing commission come in with just one intent and that is to help. I'm glad that there is recognition that the best of talents are to be found in the Family Islands. Hopefully, the position taken by the commission, will spread and cause other Nassau-based organizations to come into the islands more often to help with the development process," said Daley.
Entities like the Long Island Sports Academy, the premier island product in Moore's Island that is operated by Rev. Anthony Williams, and James Culmer's program in West End, Grand Bahama are ideal planks for the National Sports Academy. Of course, the proposed national sports development arm, when fully established and legitimized through an act of Parliament, will need the support of federations and all other organizations that are involved in sports.
The Bahamas Boxing Commission has taken that big step to focus on the Family Islands. Director of Sports Tim Munnings, when told of the initiative, was pleasantly surprised.
"Oh yeah... that's good. I like the approach," said the director. The commission intends to provide Munnings with a detailed report and seek his guidance with the Family Islands program going forward.

(To respond to this sports feature, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com)

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian