BBFF focusing on healthier living in 2014

Tue, Dec 17th 2013, 12:37 PM

With a strong focus on healthier living and family life, the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (BBFF) is starting the new year off with a fun run/walk set for March, 2014.
BBFF President Danny Sumner said that it is their goal to get as many of their athletes as possible, and Bahamians in general, fit, eating right, and living healthy lifestyles. He said that it is imperative to maintain a certain level of fitness, especially for bodybuilders and fitness athletes to produce better results at international competitions.
"Proper diet and nutrition is so very important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle," said Sumner yesterday. "In the federation, it is our goal for our athletes to get their bodies in shape early in the year. I think it should be like that across the board, with all sports. That is why we are putting on this fun run/walk which will be open to all Bahamians. During the IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness) Congress this year, it was determined that a stronger focus should be put on fitness and family life. We want families to be aware of their diet and the type of food that they are eating. We are hoping to decrease the rate of obesity here in The Bahamas. Obesity, diabetes and hyper-tension are serious problems here in The Bahamas. We want to do our part to curtail that."
Sumner said that they are looking at it as their duty, as a sports organization, to promote health and fitness for the entire Bahamas. He said that they are doing this for the benefit of the whole country.
"We want to encourage people from all walks of life to take part in this fun run/walk," said Sumner. "It is our first event for the year, and we're hoping that it will be well attended. We want it to be a family affair - mothers, fathers and children of all ages are all welcomed to come out and take part. The focus is on the entire family. This is our first step in developing better athletes for 2014 and beyond."
Sumner said that they intend to get all of the major gyms in the country involved, so that Bahamians from every walk of life could take part in the event.
The fun run/walk is just the beginning of things to come for 2014 though, as far as BBFF events are concerned.
Sumner said that it is their intention to finally get the armed forces championships off the ground, which could possibly be held in conjunction with the novice championships. The event could possibly have a high school segment as well. After that event in May, the federation will move into the Northern Bahamas Championships, which is expected to include Bimini this time, and the nationals will wrap up local competition in July.
"With the armed forces championships, our goal is to get the police, the defence force and the prison together in friendly competition. It is imperative that these three arms of our national defence system maintain a level of fitness," said Sumner. "These championships will allow for those officers to engage in friendly competition, and at the same time, stay fit. We have been strategically getting the high school championships off the ground. We started it this year, but we still have a ways to go. There's a strong possibility that you will see a segment of that with the armed forces championships this year."
Overall, Sumner said that the focus this year is definitely fitness for all athletes.
"As you can see by our performances at the CAC Championships every year, we have some of the better athletes in the entire Caribbean, and that's across the board. What we are lacking is more advanced training to get our athletes as fit as possible. We are certainly getting there in that regard, but we still have a way to go. I would love to see a cross section of Bahamian athletes getting more fit, and that's in every sport. If they are getting the type of training that a bodybuilder or fitness athlete goes through, they would be better when they compete in their respective sport.
"Having said that, we desperately need more funding to get our athletes the proper training and proper dieting. That was a major problem for us in 2013, and hopefully we could get more assistance in that regard moving forward. For athletes to improve themselves in all aspects in their respective sports, we need for funding to be increased so that our athletes could get the proper training."
The BBFF will wrap up its year, in 2014, with representation at the 42nd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. A 15-member Bahamian team finished with 10 top five finishes, a pro card from Grand Bahamian Dominique Wilkinson, and an overall fourth place finish this year.
Sumner said that they are looking to possibly host the CAC Championships in 2015.

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