Alex Jordan delivering her keynote address at the NSC Awards in Barbados on Friday.
‘Creating Identity Through Sport’ was the topic of the keynote address given by international cricket broadcaster and former Sportsmax Zone host, Alex Jordan, at Barbados’ 39th annual National Sports Council (NSC) Awards ceremony on Friday.
In the presence of a number of the country’s sporting icons, past and present, Jordan made the point of just how storied the history of sport is in the country with a population of just 282,158.
“Barbados has long had a sporting identity of course. The three Ws, Sir Garfield Sobers, Greenidge and Haynes, need I go on?” she said before adding that sport “is a powerful tool that builds both self and community.”
A Bajan national youth breaststroke champion in her own right, Jordan gave a moving address outlining how sport has formed a major part of how she identifies herself today.
“The potential for sport does not start and finish with being the best athlete, there’s the driver, the coach, the chef, the physio, the statistician, the parent; we’re all forging an identity through sport,” she said.
“We have to cement who we are into our consciousness. We say we understand how rich of a history it is and how successful it is in developing our youth and our nation but we don’t focus nearly enough on it as a livelihood. This right now is a watershed moment for Barbados, a wonderful opportunity to really define modern Bajan sporting identity,” she added.
With that in mind, she is advocating that the stories of more Barbadian sporting icons be told. She mentioned methods such as documentaries and the formation of a visual hall of fame as ways this can be done.
“I want to plead to our nation to tell more of our stories. In order for us to really respect ourselves and feel pride in ourselves, we have to know ourselves. How can we know ourselves if we don’t tell our stories?” she said.
Two athletes Jordan mentioned by name that should be highlighted were seven-time champion jockey Patrick Husbands and Olympic swimmer Antonio Boyle, who is currently the Senior Vice President for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs at Delaware State University.
The son of a jockey, Husbands began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontario in 1994.
In 1990 he became the youngest jockey to win the prestigious Barbados Gold Cup at just 16 years, 9 months on his mount Vardar.
Racing out of Woodbine Racetrack, in 2003 Husbands won the Canadian Triple Crown aboard the colt Wando and that year became his breakout year. Among his other notable wins, he rode Numerous Times to victory in the $1 million 2001 Woodbine Mile and Exciting Story in that same year's Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in New York. He rode Arch Hall to three straight wins between 2004 and 2006 in the Sir Barton Stakes. In 2007, he was the regular rider on Canadian Horse of the Year, Sealy Hill.
On October 4, 2009 Patrick Husbands earned his 2,000th career victory at Woodbine Racetrack and on June 18, 2016, he brought up his 3,000th career victory at the venue.
Boyle had the distinction of competing as part of the Barbados Swim Team in the 1987 Pan American Games and the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
From 1994 to 2014, Mr. Boyle held enrollment management leadership posts at Kentucky State University, South Carolina State University, Florida A&M University and Alabama A&M University.
He was the vice president of Enrollment Management for Wiley College in Marshall, Texas from March 2016 to present. Prior to that, from November 2014 to March 2016 at Wilberforce University in Ohio, he served in a similar position initially and then was elevated to senior vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Services.
He has been at Delaware State since 2018.
“We need to tell their stories and we need to put it in schools. We need to establish a visual hall of fame. Can you imagine showing documentaries in school about Pat Husbands or the amount of horsing talent in Harts gap. What about Antonio Boyle? From St. James Secondary to senior VP in Delaware State University. He was the first generation of black working-class swimmers in this country,” she said.
“What do you think swimming and his success did to his sense of self? He was unstoppable in that pool as a teenager and he has been unstoppable in the field of academic administration ever since. It’s a massive story and we should tell it,” she added.
Jordan concluded her address by asking “what are we the best at but don’t yet realize?”
“Together, we can cement our sporting identity and use it to propel us forward so that we as a nation can keep punching above our weight,” she added.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Sammy lauds Hope’s knock but urges stronger bowling effort ahead of ODI decider against England
West Indies white-ball coach Darren Sammy was both encouraged and frustrated after his team’s five-wicket loss to England in the second ODI in North Sound, Antigua, on Saturday.
Despite a standout batting performance that saw West Indies post a formidable 328-6, Sammy believes missed opportunities in the bowling department ultimately handed England the edge. England chased down the total with relative ease, finishing on 329-5 with captain Liam Livingstone’s masterful unbeaten 124 leading the way.
“It is tough. Obviously, when you put 328 on the board, you expect to win. However, that is the beauty of international cricket; at the halfway stage, when one aspect of the job is done, you can never be complacent about it. Yes, Liam Livingstone played a brilliant innings to get his team home, but I thought as a bowling group our execution was really off, hence we lost a record chase here in Antigua,” Sammy said in a post-game interview.
While disappointed with the loss, Sammy found reasons for optimism, particularly in captain Shai Hope’s exceptional 117—his 17th ODI century—which was the highlight of the innings and pushed him to joint third on the all-time West Indies ODI century list.
Hope received ample support from Keacy Carty (71) and Sherfane Rutherford (54), whose solid contributions underscored the team’s depth in the middle order.
“I think we did some really good things; Shai Hope another 100, the joint fourth most by a West Indian, the way Keacy Carty batted, as well as Sherfane Rutherford making a fourth-consecutive 50. The way Matthew Forde bowled and the way Roston Chase came back after being put under pressure in the second over,” Sammy reasoned.
“So we were right in the game until the last 10 overs, where I think they scored 100 off seven overs; that is not good enough. But I think as a team, it is about understanding where we are at and the small steps that we have to take to improve,” he noted.
With Livingstone anchoring England’s chase alongside contributions from Phil Salt (59), Jacob Bethell (55), and Sam Curran (52), Sammy acknowledged that the West Indies bowling attack could have been more effective in applying pressure to seal the win after Hope’s brilliance.
“I think Shai will be the first one to tell you that it (his knock) doesn’t matter because it came off a losing cause. But, as I said before, Shai Hope is a class act and one of our icons in ODI cricket, but I know he would want nothing more than a win instead of a hundred.
“Again, it (the overall performance) shows that we are still far off but we are making little strides that will help us along our way with the goal that we have moving forward,” Sammy explained.
With the three-match series now tied 1-1, Sammy expressed hope that West Indies will bring their best game to the decider in Barbados on Wednesday.
“This is a rivalry, so we have all to play for at home. The last time we played in Barbados, we made history and won, so I am hoping we can again. It is two young teams looking to develop and get better in ODI cricket. Again, it is all to play for, so if the fans come out and support, in return, we have to give you guys something to smile about in Barbados,” Sammy ended.
T&T to host inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games
Trinidad & Tobago is set to create history next month when it plays home to the first-ever Special Olympics Regional Beach Games.
The Games is scheduled to run from November 8 to 10 and is being facilitated by Special Olympics T&T (SOTT), with the Digicel Foundation as one of the event’s main sponsors.
This new regional event will bring together 130 athletes, 70 coaches, and delegates from Special Olympics programmes across the Caribbean and North America to compete in a variety of beach sports, including Aquathlon, Beach Bocce, Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball and Open Water Swimming, at venues in both Trinidad and Tobago.
Digicel Foundation Chief Executive Officer Penny Gomez said the company was pleased to be associated with such an important event.
“The dedication and commitment demonstrated by our special athletes and coaches is nothing short of inspiring.
“It’s a great honour for T&T to have been selected to host the inaugural Special Olympics Regional Beach Games, and this recognition of our very own SOTT is very well-deserved,” Gomez said.
Special Olympics T&T (SOTT) is the only Special Olympics programme that currently includes the Beach Games as an annual multi-sport event and has done so since 2016.
Talented 52-member team to represent T&T at inagural Carifta Gymnastics Champs
Trinidad and Tobago has named a 52-member team for the inaugural Carifta Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which will see a plethora of the regions rising stars showcase their skills at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, from November 29-30.
The team to represent the Twin Island Republic across 10 categories was selected after a recent two-day trial event at Woodbrook Youth Facility.
Gymnasts were selected from eight clubs, with Tots & Tumblers (28) and Olympia (14) set to field the most representatives at the event, which will also see Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, along with host Jamaica, in action.
Thema Williams Gymnastics Academy (three), Gymnastics Explorers and Lees Gymnastics qualified two, while Academic Flippers, Golden Stars Gymnastics Academy and Mucurapo Artistic Achievers all qualified one athlete.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Gymnastics Federation explained that athletes who qualified were required to make minimum scores and finish in the top four positions within their level and age group to earn an automatic placement on the team.
“The fifth and final spots within each level and age group were subsequently awarded to the fifth place all-around qualifiers out of the trials event,” the federation said in a statement.
Anabeth Vargas (Panama) and Mabel Moreno (Colombia) officiated at the trials.
Team:
USAG Level 1 – Andaya Singh, Azalea Pierre, Brittney Joseph, Genesis Canzius, Imani Regis, Janicia Hall, Krisanne Ramoutar, Ricquel Marcellin, Sophie Espinoza, Yarii Alexander
USAG Level 2 – Ashley Castillo, Avni Lopez, Eemaan Boucaud, Harleigh Chin Leung Kam, Keira-Leigh John, Kenzie Gonzales, Larisah Nevins, Miya Mondesir, Savannah Thomson, Xara Rampersad
USAG Level 3 – Arya Hagley, Bren Newallo-Badal, Cacique Darbeau, Isoke Morgan, Jael Baker, Kyra Johnson, Zariah Dopwell-Gittens, Zoey Ottley
USAG Level 4 – Aaliyah Gosai, Annabelle Aanensen, Asia Ali, Jaelyn Heywood, Me’Hera Callendar, M’Kaiyah Williams, Onia Hepburn
USAG Level 5 – Alicja Chang Kit, Alissa Mathias, Gabriella Christopher
USAG Level 6 – Chelsea Edwards, Haley Caldeira, Soriya Alleyne
USAG Level 7 – Amba Boodansingh, Gabrielle Webb, Michaela Francis, Shanika Joseph, Tessica Laurence, Tyanna Edwards, Yandy Stafford
USAG Level 8 – Annaleigh Edwards, Dailia Burke, Kathryn Alexander
USAG Level 9 – Alora Morang
PAGU Hopes – Shanika Joseph, Yandy Stafford, M’Kaiyah Wiliiams (level one), Annaleigh Edwards, Alora Morang (level two), Dailia Burke (level three)
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