Putting together two strong sides to represent the country in the regional beach volleyball tour is going to be hard work for the new officers in the Bahamas Volleyball Federation (BVF).
With little over a month to prepare, for the beach tour and other tournaments pencilled in on the calendar, the newly elected officers will definitely have their work cut out for them. However, newly elected BVF president, Joseph Smith, is determined to have teams compete, especially in the beach tour which serves as a qualifier for international competitions like the Olympic Games and World Championships. Smith was selected to head the local governing body for the sport on Tuesday night.
Immediate past president Don Cornish is now first vice president, De'Vince Smith is the second vice president and Dr. Greg Swain will remain in the third vice president position. Other members of the board are Raymond Wilson and Lloyd Davis, treasurer and assistant treasurer respectively, and Crystal Forbes as secretary. Forbes will be assisted by Helena Cooper, who is in charge of the Grand Bahama Volleyball Association. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Tuesday in the Bahamas Olympic Committee's (BOC) office.
"There are no reasons why The Bahamas should miss out on the beach tour," said Joseph Smith.
"In fact, we have all agreed that De'Vince will head this program, so you should be hearing more from him on the exact dates for the start of the tour. More will be done in this four-year term.
"This is a great slate of persons who are committed to seeing the sport, as a whole, grow. There was one or two shuffles in the election. De'Vince has now been added to the executive team and I moved from the first vice into the president's chair. De'Vince has a lot to offer, and we are confident that the programs that he will be in charge of will flourish, so look out because volleyball will back into the spotlight with even more talented players."
The beach tour, set to start in March, is just one program on the long list for the BVF. Also sitting high on the agenda is a drafted proposal, asking permission from Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Danny Johnson to host the second round of the World Championships Qualifiers. Aside from that, the federation is seeking financial assistance with travel expenses from corporate Bahamas, for the two junior teams competing in regional tournaments this year.
The senior teams are still together and will be playing in a number of regional competitions this year as well.
Smith said: "While the beach tour is very important, because we feel as though that our teams can qualify, getting a meeting with the minister and the letter giving us permission to host the tournament is more pressing. We are in the process of trying to tie everything down for the qualifiers. So far, we have gotten help from the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC), but we need that letter to send off to NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation). It is a stamp of approval.
"This year is very important. It is imperative that we make a start in implementing and improving our programs. The junior program and beach tour are a must. Our attention and focus must be on these two. There is a vision, and in order for that to continue we must implement some things."
The Junior Caribbean Volleyball Championships (CVC) will be held in Martinique and the Youth Championships will be held in Trinidad and Tobago. A junior Olympic beach tournament is set for this summer.

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