Young Bahamian track and field athletes have been forced to sit at home, for the most part, over the past two summers, missing out on regional competitions due to the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now with the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-18 (U18), Under-20 (U20) and Under-23 (U23) Championships on the horizon, they are excited and looking forward to competition. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) named a 40-member team yesterday, and they will represent the country this weekend in San José, Costa Rica. The championships is set for July 9-11 at the National Stadium of Costa Rica in San José.
Named to represent the country are: Lacarthea Cooper, Paige Archer, Kasha Neilly, Javonya Valcourt, Shavantae Roberts, Anne-Marie Oriakhi and Calea Jackson in the under-18 girls category; Zachary Evans, Shamar Smith, Shimar Bain, Stephan Farquharson, Mateo Smith, Otto Laing, Adam Musgrove, Kaden Cartwright, Nathaniel Zervos, Jamal Flowers and Lavardo Deveaux in the under-18 boys age group; Camille Rutherford, Jasmine Knowles, Carnitra Mackey and Rhema Otabor in the under-20 girls; Wanya McCoy, Wendell Miller, Antoine Andrews, Alton Roker, Keyshawn Strachan, Terrance Jones, Tarajh Hudson, Lamont Moss, Brandon Hutchinson and Demetrius Rolle in the under-20 boys; Charisma Taylor, Sasha Wells, Gabrielle Gibson, Denisha Cartwright and Acacia Astwood in the under-23 girls division; and finally Shaun Miller, Kyle Alcine and Gabriel Curtis in the under-23 boys division.
Kim Hanna is the team manager and she will be assisted by Nikita Thompson. John Ingraham is the head coach of the team and he will be assisted by Corrington Maycock, Alcine Alce, Vandyke Pratt and Nekeno Demeritte. Dr. Lavardo Knowles and Jonathan Higgs will travel as the two physiotherapists. Also, a COVID-19 compliance officer will travel with the team to ensure that the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines of the host nation are being followed.
“Costa Rica is well-prepared to deliver a first-class meet and a safe meet,” said BAAA President Drumeco Archer. “This year was an exceptional year for our junior program in spite of the challenges we faced. In the absence of the CARIFTA Games, I believe that this is a wonderful replacement. We are excited to have these young people competing for Team Bahamas and we look forward to The Bahamas winning this meet.”
Meet organizers created an invitational under-20 division this year, so as to cater to the young athletes who would have missed out on the opportunity to compete at the CARIFTA Games. CARIFTA was cancelled for the second year in a row in 2021.
“What that does is fill the void from the cancellation of the CARIFTA Games,” said Archer. “That particular category would not have been disenfranchised in this instance and what we have done in The Bahamas is adopt all of the qualifying standards from the CARIFTA Games, and all who would have qualified for CARIFTA in this age group would have been named to this team. We have managed a sustainable season where there has been upward progression all the way up to the nationals and we are excited about the team going into Costa Rica.”
The NACAC Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 Championships is a non-spectator event. Head Coach Ingraham said he likes the make-up of the team and he is expecting some fantastic performances.
“I’m very excited about this team. We have quality athletes and I know what they’re capable of doing,” he said. “We’ve always been strong in the sprints, but we also have some good throwers and good jumpers. Our strengths are going to make up for our weaknesses and we should perform well.”
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
