Two up-and-coming Bahamian gymnasts are one step closer to fulfilling their dreams of competing at the highest levels in the sport, thanks to Palm Cay Marina, the popular 69-acre beachfront development on New Providence's southeastern shore.
The gymnasts, St. Francis & Joseph's student Christamarah Brennen and Oakes Field Primary's Sydney Wells, both nine, are top performers at Nassau Nastics and Bahamas Star Gymnastics, respectively. They will receive $1,000 each to aid with their gym memberships, travel costs and other related expenses.
"As a proud member of the Bahamian community, we want to help build opportunities for success. Sponsoring young Bahamian talent is part of our exciting, new platform in education, youth and sports through which the Palm Cay team is committed to assisting and encouraging the country's future leaders," said Celeste Nixon, Palm Cay's coordinator of sales and marketing.
"This is why Palm Cay jumped at the opportunity to get involved with up-and-coming athletes who are making a name for themselves in the sport of gymnastics. These two bright young girls, who will now receive all the training and support needed to excel in the sport, will also represent The Bahamas on an international level. We wish them all the best and look forward to cheering them on."
Palm Cay, the $200 million beachfront community that's home to an active lifestyle with pools, clubhouse, the island's largest mid-size boat marina and a full calendar of activities, has steadily supported sports and events that reward discipline and dedication and bring families closer together. Among its efforts are junior sailing through direct scholarships and an art show to raise funds for sailing camp, a Father's Day family fishing tournament, yoga on the beach, beach volleyball and more. With the launch of its education, youth and sports platform, Palm Cay expects to step up its public outreach.
"Palm Cay's team has consistently expressed an interest in investing in the youth of this country, so I'm not surprised by this latest development," said Cora Hepburn, vice president of the Bahamas Gymnastics Federation (BGF). "Gymnastics, in particular, is a very expensive sport - coaching, gym usage and travel costs can become quite high, especially for gymnasts seeking to compete at a high level. As the parent of a daughter who participated in gymnastics for over six years, I am very familiar with the level of financial commitments that, without funding, could become very prohibitive for many promising young gymnasts. Added to that is the fact that the federation has not received any governmental funding for the past three years and corporate sponsorships have been on the decline since the start of the recession. I can only hope that other potential corporate sponsors will follow Palm Cay's lead in investing in our young athletes."
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