“Go Mingoes!”

That was the chant of University of The Bahamas (UB) students Monday, February 27, as the institution officially unveiled, ‘Mingoes,’ its new athletics brand and mascot.

‘Mingoes’ is the brainchild of Renbert Mortimer, artist and alumnus of UB, who is responsible for leading the concept, creation and branding initiative of the mascot.

It is “a majestic, flamingo-like representation of what we see in UB; it is the essence of our spirit. This spirited beast is fierce, it is bold; it is courageous,” said Mr. Mortimer.

Kimberley Rolle, Director of UB athletics, said the mascot is expected to be entrenched in the life of the university and is not solely for athletics purposes.

UB President Dr. Rodney Smith described it as an “historic” day for the university. He said student athletes are already making their presence felt in the country as well as outside of the country, and it is anticipated that UB’s athletes will be competitive winners and the institution will host tournaments in years to come.

President Smith informed that fundraising for student athletes is in progress. “One of the big things we talked about is endowed student scholarships. Want to make sure our student athletes get the very best opportunities possible. We have a lot of work to do but we’re well on our way. I know without a shadow of a doubt that UB Mingoes will make their presence felt.”

The athletics Director said over the past three years the athletics department has worked assiduously to develop competitive teams and attract the very best cadre of student athletes and coaches. She said UB is beginning to see the results in the performance of their athletes, locally and internationally, as well as calibre of coaches. In track and field, soccer and basketball UB is becoming a force to reckon with.

UB currently has six athletic teams including men and women’s basketball, soccer and softball. The Director said plans are afoot to expand the department to include golf, sailing and baseball programmes.

Alumni and friends of UB are invited to support the Men’s Basketball Team when they play on Thursday, March 2, at 2:00 pm at the Oakes Field Campus. At 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 4, UB Mingoes will play against the Pros Basketball Team at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

By Kathryn Campbell

Bahamas Information Services