Sporting Barbados 2017 by Hiltop Publications Ltd

SPORTING BARBADOS 2017 EDITION

/ w w w. s p o r t i n g b a r b a d o s . c o m

C O N T E N T S

CONTENTS 6 10 12 16 20 32 48 60 72 84 86

110 114 124

20 years of Sporting Barbados! CONTRIBUTORS FOREWORDS SPORTING CONTACTS TOP SHOTS SHOPPING GALORE & IT’S DUTY FREE! Twenty Bajan experiences not to miss! 20 YEARS IS A LIFETIME IN CRICKET GOLF & BARBADOS - YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY THE SANDY LANE CHARITABLE TRUST GOLF TOURNAMENT THE SPORT OF KINGS IN PARADISE - EMBRACING THE MODERN ERA! WE’VE COME A LONG WAY BABY - THE POLO STORY OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS! BEA Brings Eventing to Barbados 20 PLUS YEARS OF SAILING Brian Talma Bajan Ambassador

132 138 142 146

154 160

166 180 186 190 198 202

THE BAJAN SURFING INVASION 20 Reasons To Dive in Barbados Bajan Fishing - a growing tourism sport! MASTERS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL - 20 YEARS & GROWING RUGBY’S COMING OF AGE IN THE OLYMPIC-ERA THE BIRTH, DEMISE & REVIVAL OF FESTIVAL HOCKEY MOTORSPORT SPEEDING AHEAD Road Tennis - a True Bajan Gem Tennis through the years in Barbados COME FOR THE RUN STAY FOR THE FUN Triathlon gaining in popularity SWIM THE BAY!

Cover Image courtesy Brian Talma

Credits Publisher – Hiltop Publications Ltd, 11 Cottage Ridge, St George, Barbados, BB19071 Tel (246) 228-9122 Fax (246) 228-0243 Email sportingb@caribsurf.com www.sportingbarbados.com www.barbadospropertynews.com www.caribbeanpropertymag.com Editor – Pamela L Hiles Editorial – Pamela Hiles, J Clarence Hiles, Mark Wheeler and our Contributors - see page 10 Advertising – Pamela L Hiles Photography – J Clarence Hiles, Pamela L Hiles, Peter Marshall, Sandy Lane Charitable Trust, Sandy Lane Hotel, Apes Hill Golf Club, Royal Westmoreland Golf Club, BTMI, Martyn Notesworthy, Bob Crockett, David Speiler,

Kenmore Bynoe, Caribbean Aerial Photography, Zary Evelyn, Alan Burke, Rachel Roett, Chelsea Tuach, Brooks La Touche, Ozzy Osbourne, Kenny Hewitt, Brian Talma, Himal Reece, Nicholas Bhajan, James Peirce, Randy Brooks, CPL & Bushy Park Barbados Design and Art Direction – Neil Barnard at 809 Design Associates, Barbados Distribution – Hiltop Publications Ltd, CITO Distribution (UK) Printed in the UK The Material and editorial contained in this publication was deemed correct at the time of going to print but may be subject to change thereafter. No part of this publication should be reproduced without the consent of the publishers.

4 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

I N T R O D U C T I O N

20 years of Sporting Barbados!

By Pamela Hiles

Pamela Hiles, Clarence Hiles and Sir Everton Weekes at the launch of 50 Barbadian Sporting Greats

Where has 20 years gone? I know it’s a cliché but honestly, it seems like no time at all that Clarence and I sat down and conceived Sporting Barbados! It’s no secret that I met my husband when he was on a cricket tour with North Down Cricket Club from Northern Ireland in 1984. We met in what is now known as Harbour Lights and the rest is history! I spent many years in Northern Ireland working in radio, television, print and marketing before we decided to return to this special place. As a sporting visitor to the island, Clarence, a banker by profession but a total sporting enthusiast and keen cricketer, immediately saw the potential for Sporting Barbados. We both recognized there was a lot going on here, some very organized, some not so much but loads of potential and the idea of

Sporting Barbados was born! This impressive marketing tool for the island was quickly embraced by the Ministry of Tourism and the then Barbados Tourism Authority. They backed us wholeheartedly and our first edition was out in December 1997 – the 1998 edition! It was 104 pages plus cover featuring Golf, Horse Racing, Watersports, Cricket, Rallying, Hockey, Athletics, Sailing, Rugby, Football and Fishing. Not much has changed in terms of covering these key sports but a whole heck of a lot has changed with the sports themselves and in many cases, the venues. Neil Barnard, our ace designer from 809 Design Associates, has been along for the journey from the very start. He’s one of the most talented, conscientious and hardworking people I know and he’s just as

6 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

much a part of this publication as we are. To Neil, Sporting Barbados is not just a job – it’s a love and you can see his passion when he’s working on it. Our printers in Northern Ireland have seen some changes with two printers going bust but we never changed the people we worked with. When they moved on, we moved on so we have worked with most of the same people for all this time. The publication has evolved, as it had to do, from being just a publication. We now have a very active and popular website www.sportingbarbados.com, face book page and thanks to the help of the Tourism Development Corporation, we produced Sporting Barbados on USB sticks for trade shows etc. In this world you have to embrace the digital and we have done that very successfully.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

In the early days, Sporting Barbados was very much a ‘mom and pop’ effort with Clarence and myself doing all the writing and photography. Now, we have expanded and use many free lancers such as the excellent Peter Marshall and Kenmore Bynoe and guest writers such as Mr Motor Sport Robin Bradford! Even our daughter Clare Hiles was seconded onto the work force. Twenty years ago, there was no sparkling new Kensington Oval with it’s fancy media centre and corporate boxes. It was the old Kensington Oval where you went outside to the street at lunch time to get a roti and drink! There was no beautiful statue of our national Hero, Sir Garfield Sobers, there was no Cricket legends museum. However, there was a certain charm and atmosphere to the Caribbean Mecca that is still missed. Now, Kensington Oval sits quiet for most of the year and is used for many other purposes such as events and big concerts like Rhianna! Much of this is of course due to the change in cricket that has transpired over the last 20 years. Test match cricket is giving way to the faster form of the game 20/20 cricket and teams are reluctant to come to the Region to play five test matches. With the exception of the Barmy Army, the crowds are just not there. Golf was very different. There was the nine holes at Rockley, the old course at Sandy Lane and the VERY exclusive Royal Westmoreland. Apart from a pitch and putt at Almond Beach, there was nothing else. Barbados could not be termed a golf destination back then. How things have changed! Now we have a fabulous new

course at Apes Hill, two new courses at Sandy Lane – The Country Club and the Green Monkey, Royal Westmoreland and the revamped and very successful Barbados Golf Club at Durants. Hooray! There is something for every golfer on the island and this continues to bring in visitors by the loads as well as major Senior and PGA competitions. There is scope for so much more as we move forward with this popular sport. Brian Talma has always paved the way of Beach Culture on this island and through his treasured sport of Windsurfing brought the island world attention. He’s a master at marketing and later in this edition he will tell his own story of growth but he’s done amazing things promoting his sport and Barbados and he’s become a worldwide name. Now of course, there is surfing, SUP and loads of international competitions that draw competitors from around the world to our shores to take part. We have the new Ocean Festival that’s solely aimed at swimmers and thanks to Zary Evelyn and his wife Kristina, this is growing every year. Barbadians are embracing the sea as they learn to swim at the Aquatic centre and we are seeing a great change and more use of our beautiful beaches to draw visitors not just to sun worship! The growth in Sailing has been phenomenal. The Government in recent times has strived to promote this sport worldwide and the success, drawing international events have been terrific. Last year we had the GP14 world championships, we also had the 505’s in 2015, the plan to have more in 2017.

8 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

These events bring thousands of visitors. Long may this continue. Motor sport, probably one of the best organized sports on the island, has done a phenomenal job with Sol Rally Barbados bringing both competitors and spectators from far and wide. The organisers should be commended for their stalwart work in creating and growing an event that is indeed world class! On the horse front, 20 years had made an impressive difference. The corporate boxes at the Garrison Savannah were actually built in 1995 and although Horse Racing struggles sometimes to get the crowds of years ago, the big events like the Gold Cup and Derby are always well attended and tourism attendance is growing. This Sport of Kings has kept going though the generosity of sponsors and foreign enthusiasts who recognize the importance of keeping horse racing as an industry. With Polo, there has been incredible advancement. We went from an island with basically one polo field to having four. The sport has taken off and polo matches and being seen at a polo match are the ‘in’ thing today! We even had to create a magazine solely devoted to Polo! I could go on and on but I’ll let you read on and see for yourself how much Barbados has become a top sports destination in the last 20 years. I know we have played some part in this by promoting and presenting the various events and festivals year after year and it’s a joy to see them prosper.

C O N T R I B U T O R S

CONTRIBUTORS

Clarence Hiles

Gus Reader – Sailing

Anne Tindale – Sailing

James Peirce - Fishing

Charlie Heath – Racing

Michael Phillips – Polo

Peter Marshall – Photography

Kristina Evelyn – Marathon and Water Festival

Kenmore Bynoe – Road Tennis and Photography

Paul Wright – Football

Monique Archer – Equestrian

Brian Talma – Beach Culture

Alan Burke – Surfing

Roddy Carr - Golf

George Nicholson – Rugby

Martyn Notesworthy – Diving

Log onto www.sportingbarbados.com for up to date news on events in Barbados! 10 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F O R E W O R D

Foreword by the Honourable Richard Sealy, M.P Minister of Tourism and International Transport

Congratulations to ‘Sporting Barbados’ on your 20th edition. Since 1998 Barbados has benefited from the publication of ‘Sporting Barbados’ with its comprehensive articles on the innumerable sporting and leisure activities available on our island. I comment the Hiles’ for this magazine which has been and continues to be used to market Barbados in a very effective and interesting manner. I also thank them for their invaluable contribution to the development of Sports Tourism. Through this excellent magazine, potential visitors have been given the opportunity to get an insight into Barbados’ offerings. It is fitting on this occasion, I extend belated congratulations to our Sports Ambassador, National Hero and renowned world cricketer, the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers who celebrated his 80th birthday , in grand style. The ‘Garfield Sobers’ International Cricket School Tournament’, which throughout the years has helped to develop the skills of youth all over the world, will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary of existence. Sir Gary’s legacy bears the hallmark of excellence and this Tournament is no exception. Already 2016 has proven to be a sports year to remember. From all indications, 2017 is going to be a landmark year for sports. In anticipation of this it has been designated as ‘The year of Sports’ by

the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI). Many exciting initiatives have been developed as Barbados enhances its efforts to increase its competitiveness in this arena. The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc has recently completed a four year Sports Tourism Plan with a view to identifying and attracting new opportunities that could benefit Barbados. In addition to the usual sporting activities, the sporting initiatives planned for this year include Barbados Beach Tennis Open, an International Stand-Up Paddle Boarding Event, a World Surfing League-sanctioned International Surfing Event, a West Indies vs England One-Day International, the Golden Oldies World Cricket Festival, The Finn World Masters Championship and OK Class Championships. The Barbados Festival of Speed promises to be another exciting addition to the Motor Racing calendar, as well as the Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket tournament and the rebranded Run Barbados Marathon Weekend which has as its new partner the Cave Shepherd Group. The Barbados Hockey Festival will also be revitalized by the recent renovations of the Astro Turf surface which should enhance its ability to attract a greater number of visiting teams. Sports has truly emerged as a vibrant part of the tourism sector and as we reflect on the industry over the past twenty years, we can be justifiably proud of our achievements, and the areas in which we have excelled. We have demonstrated our ability to host major events and in so doing have generated new tourism business, which achieved international recognition including : • The World Golf Championships World Cup in 2006 • Cricket World Cup Finals in 2007

12 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

• The Internal One Metre (10m) in 2009 • Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup in 2010 • Fireball World in 2010 • AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championship in 2010 • Panerai Transat Classique Yacht Race in 2012 • SAP 505 World Championship in 2013 • Top Gear Festival in 2013 and • Race of Champions in 2014 I wish to applaud all those who have helped in organizing those events. I must acknowledge also several of our athletes who qualified and participated in the recently held Rio Olympics 2016 including Akela Jones, Levi Codogan, Ramon Gittens, Burkhead Ellis, Kierre Beckles, RiaAdana Belle, Michele Marshall, Alex Sobers, Lani Cabrera, Darian King and Jason Wilson. The future is bright. Barbados has made significant strides in the sports tourism niche because of the several partnerships that have been created with the local sporting bodies such as the Barbados Olympic Association, the Barbados Cricket Association, the National Sports Council and the business community and we appreciate the role played by these agencies. The Ministry of Tourism and International Transport reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that tourism improves the life and economic development of the people of Barbados and proves to be a livelihood for some of our outstanding athletes. Congratulations once again on attaining this milestone and for your magnificent contribution to sports, locally and internationally. I wish you continued success in the future.

F O R E W O R D

Foreword by the Honourable Stephen A. Lashley, M.P. Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth

On behalf of the Government and People of Barbados, I am pleased to congratulate the Principals of Hiltop Publications Ltd. on their 20th Anniversary of producing the Sporting Barbados Magazine. This publication has been conducive to the leveraging of Barbados’ brand value as a sports destination, as well as to tapping the potential of our splendid resources for sports. Such resources include our infamous Kensington Oval and the Garrison Savannah Race Track, the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, four world class golf courses, our polo fields, newly installed athletic track and field facilities, football astroturfs, a Formula 3 motor-racing circuit and of course, our beautiful beaches. Over the years we have seen Barbados evolve to be a premier destination for sports, attracting the top events and sportspersons to our shores. This has redounded to the island being renowned for the hosting of ICC and WICB Cricket tournaments, Gold Cup horse racing, Mount Gay Sailing Regattas, surfing at Bathsheba and our bodybuilding, cycling and motorsports events. Additionally, this offering has been diversified over the years to embrace the hosting of numerous regional and international events in many of our 72 exciting sporting disciplines, including the

Top Gear and Race of Kings Motorsports Championships, conferences such as the world famous Soccerex and the now legendary Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket Competitions and Golf tournaments. In enlightening the world about our diverse sports tourism product, Sporting Barbados has consistently demonstrated a high level of creativity and expertise that has complimented the exciting sporting experience on offer in Barbados. Much like Barbados, it is pleasing to note that Sporting Barbados has evolved to become synonymous with fun vacation packages for the sports tourists, enthusiasts and fun loving leisure seekers. The evolution of our sports tourism product has also led to the ideal marriage of sports and entertainment, where sports, culture and sumptuous culinary delights are combined to provide our visitors and locals with action-packed "Sportainment" packages. This model has been perfected in the nail-biting T20 cricket tournaments, but its successful impact has led to the model being utilised for our indigenous sport of road tennis and many our other sporting disciplines. This Barbadian experience is complemented by our beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and our UNESCO’s Inscribed World Heritage Property – Bridgetown and its Garrison, all of which have differentiated Barbados as an ideal sports and family holiday destination. Of course, we have come to recognise the sports tourism value of our only living National Hero, the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, the world’s greatest cricketer and the other Cricket Legends of Barbados. We reflect too on Mr. Ronald “Suki” King, World Go As You Please Draughts Champion for 21 years and Mr. Roy Callender, Mr. Earl Maynard and Albert Beckles, who dominated bodybuilding internationally for many years, as well as the many other Barbadian sports icons

14 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

whose fame continue to enrich the attractiveness of Barbados as a sports paradise. As Barbados continues to grow and glow in the eyes of the sporting world, we look forward to continuing its illumination through Sporting Barbados. I once again congratulate the publishers of Sporting Barbados, on its invaluable contribution to Barbados over the past 20 years and wish you continued success in the future.

S P O R T I N G

C O N T A C T S

SPORTING CONTACTS

SPORTING CONTACTS BALL SPORTS

CRICKET: BARBADOS CRICKET ASSOCIATION President: Joel Garner CEO: Deighton Smith Tel: 246 274 1325 Add: Kensington Oval, Fontabelle, St. Michael theoffice@bca.org.bb www.bcacricket.org www.windiescricket.com BASKETBALL: BARBADOS AMATEUR BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION President: Derrick Garrett Tel: 246 2431517 barbadosbasketball@olympic.org.bb

NETBALL: BARBADOS NETBALL ASSOCIATION President Nisha Craigwell Tel246 231 4344 (c) netballbarbados@olympic.org.bb FOOTBALL: BARBADOS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION President: Randolph Harris Tel: 246 228 1707 Add: BFA Artificial Turf, Wildey Complex, Wildey, St. Michael www.barbadosfa.com office@barbadosfa.com GOLF: BARBADOS GOLF ASSOCIATION President: Trevor Tasker President@barbadosgolfassociation.com Secretary: Trenton Weekes Tel: 246 836 9969 www.barbadosgolfassociation.com bga@caribsurf.com RUGBY: BARBADOS RUGBY CLUB President: George Nicholson gnicholson@adebbarbados.com scopeland@jadagroup.com www.rugbybarbados.com HOCKEY: BARBADOS HOCKEY FEDERATION INC President: Mark St Hill Tel: 246 287 9125 www.barbadoshockey.org Email: bhf@barbadoshockey.org president@barbadoshockey.org - Mr David Rouse secretariat@barbadoshockey.org - Mr Kofi Hinds secretary BARBADOS BALL HOCKEY LEAGUE Stevmar House, Suite 1 Rockley, Christ Church Barbados WI BB15137 www.barbadosballhockey.com info@barbadosballhockey.com VOLLEYBALL: BARBADOS VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION President: John Griffith Tel: 246 429 1998 (w) 246 428 1243 (h) 246 266 4818 (c) jfgriffith@olympic.org.bb www.volleybarbados.com

COMBAT GAMES

JUDO: BARBADOS JUDO ASSOCIATION President: Hoskins Caddle President Tel: 246 436 2608 (h) 246 263 7792 (c) www.barjudo.com president@barjudo.com/ hoskins@caribsurf.com

TAEKWONDO: TAEKWONDO ASSOCIATION OF BARBADOS Contact: Anthony Williams taekwondo@olympic.org.bb

Telephone: {President} (246) 230 4739 {Secretary} 246 239 4790) Address: P.O. Box 659, Bridgetown, Barbados www.barbadosbadminton.com Email: bba.association@gmail.com

TARGET SPORTS

ARCHERY: BARBADOS ARCHERY ASSOCIATION General Secretary – Judy Magras Tel: 246 437 9479 www.barbadosarchery.org

KARATE: THE BARBADOS KARATE ASSOCIATIONBARBADOS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUB President: Paul Bernstein www.Shotokanbarbados.com 246 435 6734 ISKF Peter Warren, Chairman and Chief Instructor Tel:246 289 8699 pwar@caribsurf.com

SHOOTING: BARBADOS RIFLE ASSOCIATION Tel: 246 428 0158 Add: PO Box 608, Bridgetown, St. Michael bra.barbados@gmail.com

FENCING; THE BARBADOS FENCING CLUB Contact: Kurt Straker Tel: 246 253 0282 barbadosfencing@gmail.com

International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Geoffrey Browne, President geoff@ipscbarbados.com Tel 246 262 9984 www.ipscbarbados.com

BOXING: AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION OF BARBADOS Contact: Anthony Jones Tel: 246 258 9833 captainj@caribsurf.com

BAT AND RACKET SPORTS

ROAD TENNIS: PROFESSIONAL ROAD TENNIS ASSOCIATION Contact: Dale Clarke Tel: 246 2453953 proroadtennis@hotmail.com/ proroadtennis2@gmail.com www.proroadtennis.com TABLE TENNIS: BARBADOS TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION President: Ray Jackman Tel: 246 838 9506 barbadostabletennisassociation@gmail.com TENNIS: BARBADOS TENNIS ASSOCIATION INC. President: Dr Raymond Forde Tel: 246 433 3889 raydoc@caribsurf.com/ tennisbarbados@caribsurf.com www.tennisbarbados.org SQUASH: BARBADOS SQUASH ASSOCIATION President: Mr. William “Monty” Cumberbatch m_cumberbatch@live.com Tel: 246 230 5065 Secretary: Mr. Don Bennsquashbarbados@olympic.org.bb International Delegate: Craig Archer www.squashbarbados.org BADMINTON: BARBADOS BADMINTON ASSOCIATION Contact: Ms Shari Hope (President) / Ms Jade Browne (Secretary)

16 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

THE BARBADOS RIFLE & PISTOL FEDERATION INC. President: Antonio Rudder info@rifleandpistol.org Tel 246 427 0966 www.rifleandpistol.org

KENDAL SPORTING Contact: Richard Bradshaw www.gokendal.net kendalsports@caribsurf.com Tel: 246 437 5306 BARBADOS CLAY TARGET SHOOTING ASSOCIATION Tel: 246 437 4930 www.bctsa.com

HEALTH AND FITNESS

SURFSIDE WELLNESS GYM Tel: 246 436 1024/ 246 436 5669 Add: Unit 1B, 5 Wildey Industrial Estate, St. Michael admin@surfsidewellness.com www.surfsidewellness.com BODYBUILDING: BARBADOS BODY BUILDING AND FITNESS FEDERATION Contact: Shirley Garnes Tel: 246 424 0888 Add: PO Box 383, Bridgetown, St. Michael barbadosbabbff@hotmail.com GYMNASTICS: BARBADOS AMATEUR GYMNASTICS ASSOCIATION President: Douglas Patrick Luke Tel: 246 822 3218 douglaspatrickluke@me.com

MIND GAMES

DOMINOES: BARBADOS NATIONAL DOMINO WHIST & HEARTS CLUBS’ ASSOCIATION President: Callam Barnard Tel: 246 235 3543 General Secretary: Mrs. Veda De Bellotte Tel: 246 249 2224 barbadosdomino@gmail.com

S P O R T I N G

C O N T A C T S

SPORTING CONTACTS

SPORTING CONTACTS WARRI Contact: Lee Farnum-Badley leefarnumbadley@gmail.com Tel: 246 432 1292

BRIDGE: BARBADOS BRIDGE LEAGUE Contact: Roglyn Hinds Tel: 246 231 0149 roglyn@caribsurf.com/ barbadosbridge@gmail.com www.barbadosbridge.org CHESS: Barbados Chess Federation Contact: President Allan Herbert Allan_herbert@hotmail.com Tel: 246 231 3710 www.barbadoschess.org

TRACK AND FIELD

ATHLETICS: ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION OF BARBADOS President: Catherine Jordan Tel: 246 427 4684/ 246 262 1071 Fax: 246 427 2658 admin@aaabarbados.com www.aabarbados.com BARBADOS OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION INC. Contact: Erskine Simmons Tel: 246 429 1998 www.olympic.org.bb info@olympic.org.bb SPECIAL OLYMPICS (BARBADOS) Arbor House, #23 James Street, Bridgetown, Barbados Tel: 246 426 9064 Website: www.specialolympicsbarbados.org PR Edward Thompson: 246 423 0967 (h) 246 825 0021 (c) publicrelations@specialolympicsbarbados.org BARBADOS FEDERATION OF ISLAND TRIATHLETES President: Peter Gibbs Tel: 246-428-3211 or 246 840-1233 pgibbs1947@hotmail.com http://www.triathlonbarbados.com

SWIMMING

BARBADOS AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION President: Tony Selby basa@caribsurf.com www.swimbarbados.com

GAME FISHING

BARBADOS GAME FISHING ASSOCIATION Contact: Dennis Marsh or Craig Batstone Add: PO Box 80, Bridgetown, St. Michael info@barbadosgamefishing.com www.barbadosgamefishing.com

YACHTING

BARBADOS YACHT CLUB Tel: 246 427 1125 Add: Bay Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael byc@caribsurf.com www.barbadosyachtclub.com

BARBADOS SAILING ASSOCIATION Contact: Ms. Renata Goodridge Tel: 246 233 2170 renatabdos@gmail.com www.sailbarbados.com

WATERSPORTS

SURFING: BARBADOS SURFING ASSOCIATION President: Christopher Clarke Louis Venezia Tel 246 230 4681 secretary@barbadossurfingassociation.org www.barbadossurfingassociation.org BARBADOS JUNIOR SURFING CLUB President: Alan Burke Tel 246 2302456 Email burkesinc@caribsurf.com NSSA Caribbean Conference Executive Director: Alan Burke 246 230 2456 burkesinc@caribsurf.com Director: Gregory Rose www.nssa.org WINDSURFING AND WATER FESTIVAL Contact: Brian Talma Tel: 246 428 6596 www.briantalma.pro BARBADOS KAYAK AND CANOE FEDERATION Contact: Nicholas Neckles Tel: 246 256 3848 nickneckles_@hotmail.com DIVING: DIVE HIGHTIDE WATERSPORTS Contact: Martyn Norsworthy or Gavin Smith Coral Reef Club, Holetown, St James info@divehightide.com www.divehightide.com Tel 800 970 0016/ 246 432 0931

MOTOR SPORT

BARBADOS MOTORING FEDERATION Contact: Andrew Mallalieu Tel: 246 266 3791 andrew.mallalieu@terracaribbean.com BARBADOS RALLY CLUB: Sol RALLY BARBADOS Contact: Jeanne Crawfordrallyoffice@rallybarbados.net Add: PO Box 71, Bridgetown, St. Michael www.rallybarbados.net BARBADOS AUTO RACING LEAGUE barl@barl.com.bb www.barl.com.bb Tel 246 266 2344

CYCLING

BARBADOS CYCLING UNION President: Mr. Keith Yearwood Tel: 246 248 1299 keitheyearwood@hotmail.com www.barbadoscyclingunion.org

18 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

EQUESTRIAN

BARBADOS EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION President: Mrs. Monique Archer Tel: 246 422 0607/ 246 262 3754 (c) monique@archershall.com/ barbadosequestrian@gmail.com www.barbadosequestrian.com

SOME USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS THE BARBADOS TURF CLUB The Garrison, St. Michael Tel: 246 626 3980 www.barbadosturfclub.org BARBADOS POLO CLUB AT HOLDER’S HILL www.barbadospoloclub.com Tel: 246 432-1802/ 246 230-1308/ 236 437-5410 CLIFTON POLO CLUB Tel: 246 433 8800/ 246 826 POLO bbayley@insurecgi.com APES HILL POLO CLUB Tel: 246 432 9550/ 246 262-3282 info@apeshillpolo.com LION CASTLE POLO CLUB Tel: 246 427 0022 cps1@sunbeach.net NATIONAL SPORTS COUNCIL Contact: Ryan Toppin Tel: 246 430 7700 http://www.nscbarbados.com/ Email: nsc-bdos@caribsurf.com NATIONAL STADIUM AT WATERFORD Tel: 246 426 0627 YMCA Tel: 246 426 3910/ 246 435 2230 ymca_bdos@caribsurf.com YWCA Tel: 246 425 7308/ 236 425 6290 ywca@sunbeach.net BARBADOS TOURISM MARKETING INC Tel: 246 427 2623 www.visitbarbados.org Barbados- btainfo@visitbarbados.org UK- btauk@visitbarbados.org Canada- canada@visitbarbados.org Miami- btamiami@visitbarbados.org New York- btany@visitbarbados.org Los Angeles- btany@visitbarbados.org BARBADOS NATIONAL TRUST – HIKE BARBADOS Tel 246 436-9033 Email reservations@hikebarbados.com/ hikebarbados@yahoo.com www.hikebarbados.com Barbados Hash House Harriers www.barbadoshash.com

Elegance is an attitude Simon Baker

Conquest Classic Moonphase

Chelsea Roett 20 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

3T AR F I S H BY "EL L E ยกT OI L E ย BEL L EET OI L EJ EWEL R Y COM

Parnell, CPL 2016 - Photo courtesy of the CPL 22 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Barbados Festival of Speed at Bushy Park - Photo by Himal Reece courtesy of Bushy Park Barbados

24 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

John Hardy and Classic Chain Collection are Registered Trademarks.

The Artisan Handcrafted Classic Chain Collection

Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, Holetown, St.James T: 271 8230 Lower Broad Street, Bridgetown T: 430 2400 The Grantley Adams International Airport, Christ Church T: 418-2300 www.DiamondsInternational.com

Phaedo during the Mount Gay Round The Island Race 2016 - Photo by Peter Marshall 26 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Roger Mayers goes airborne on Sol Rally Barbados - Photo by Nicholas Bhajan courtesy of the Barbados Rally Club 28 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS THOUGH THE YEARS

Mr Hiro Thani – the Royal Shop – presenting the trophies at Polo

Aymara Cummins and Gina Cummins Sol (Barbados) Ltd

Jacob Hassid(left) at Polo at one of many prize givings

Evans Husbands, Broad Street Mens and Womens Designer Wear at Polo 30 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Clarence Hiles (left) and Phil Symmonds with the Banks Gals

Digicel lady at Cricket

The Sandy Lane Gold Cup held high by trainer Robert Pierce and owners Derrick and Gay Smith

Michal Hassid, Diamonds International and Pippa Challis, Sandy Lane Charitable Trust

Scotiabankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kiddie Cricket Mascot at Cricket

Virgin Atlantic staff with Sam Torrance at Royal Westmoreland after the Seniors Open 2010

Winners at the Rockley Open sponsored by Massy United and Diamonds International

Ollie Newman being presented with is prize by Christopher Burnett, CEI at the CEI Open at Rockley Golf Club 31 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

SHOPPING GALORE & ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DUTY FREE!

32 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

33 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S H O P P I N G

For such a small island, we have shopping ‘fuh days’! You can get just about anything here and the really fabulous part is that much of it is duty free for visitors! This island has three main areas of shopping – the West Coast, Bridgetown and the South Coast – all very different but great fun!

SHOPPING The West Coast

The buzz word on the West Coast is Limegrove! This new innovative Lifestyle Centre absolutely transformed Holetown, the site of the first settlers on the island! Architecturally stunning with cosy courtyards, this place is a must do! If you’re into designer wear, then this is the place for you. Cartier, Diamonds International, Colombian Emeralds International, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Longchamp, Armani, Mac, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, House of Jaipur – they are all there and more. All duty free! In addition, some superb coffeshops such as Relish Epicurea and restaurants Fusion, Lemon Tree and Opa. Don’t miss the Lime Bar for a quick bite and drink or the Limegrove Cinemas with luxurious seating and the latest movies. Limegrove Lifestyle has developed into a major hub on the west coast and a tourist attraction in itself! Don’t miss it! Not too far away, there is the quaint Chattel House Village with Best of Barbados, The Gourmet Shop and more, between the Sunset Crest Malls that house the banks, Massy Supermarket, Cave Shepherd and individual boutiques. You can have an enjoyable day wandering from one end of Holetown to the next and

34 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

plenty of choices for lunch! The Massy Supermarket is due for a major refurbishment in January 2017 with the mall closing to accommodate this but another great Massy Supermarket can be found in Warrens so don’t despair! Tucked away somewhere in the Middle of the island… Almost like an attraction on it’s own is Earthworks Pottery! Sigh…what can be said about this very very special place? If you like pottery – it’s like heaven on earth! Started many moons ago by accomplished artist Goldie Spieler, her son David is now the main potter and can often be found at his wheel creating another masterpiece. When they first started the pottery, it was nestled in the hills in St Thomas, far from anywhere with a spectacular view. Today, many homes protect it but it’s well signposted and you can weave your way though the neighbourhood. Come away empty handed and you will be in the minority! If you’ve made it to Earthworks, not far away is the Mill house and Home development! This enclave of stores mostly caters to the home but do drop by and visit Dwellings, Walkers World, Archers Hall, Do it Best and have a bite in the

S H O P P I N G

36 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S H O P P I N G

SHOPPING Cave Shepherd

Earthworks

Open Kitchen! It’s quite an eye-opener what’s available on this island! Bridgetown

The Historic city of Bridgetown is unique. Apart from the normal business district and banking centre, Bridgetown has wonderful historic Parliament buildings with a simply amazing Museum well worth a visit. We have a statue of Nelson in Heroes Square which is reputed to be older than the one in Trafalgar Square, we have a lovely boardwalk and picturesque yachts and of course, we have duty free shopping galore! The main Shopping street is Broad Street. There you will find Diamonds International, The Royal Shop, Colombian Emeralds International, Cave Shepherd Department Store - just amble along, taking your time and you will discover the magic of Bridgetown. If you care to go into the back streets, it’s a hustle and bustle with vendors and lots of small stores selling anything from footwear to material. Swan Street has an atmosphere all it’s own but it’s well worth a wander. There is a shuttle from your hotel or

you can take the local Blue bus with the yellow stripe, the mini van (yellow with a blue stripe) or the ZR vans if you fancy a REALLY Barbadian experience! There is also parking around the outskirts of Bridgetown. When you get thirsty, pop over to the Waterfront Café for a beverage and some plantation pork or fishcakes! Yum! South Coast

Shopping on the south Coast is in pockets but easy to find. There is the Lanterns Mall opposite Tapas Restaurant with some superb food choices as well as an iMart (one of those stores where you can get a little bit of everything – including a pharmacy!), the Grape Vine wine store and more. A little further up in Quay Side, you’ll find a great Barbadian institution – Best of Barbados. Jill Walker and her husband Jimmy started this souvenir shop over 40 years ago and it’s a real treat to visit. Now managed by their daughter and her husband, Sue and Chris Trew, you will find charming and quality momentos of this wonderful island! Of special interest, Sue has recently done a whole range of

38 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

children’s books based on turtles, complete with stuffed toy hatchlings, and tee shirts. Adorable! She’s also done a series of turtle paintings and transformed them onto trays, mats, napkins, you name it’s there! Wonderful momentos of your trip to the island. Not to missed on the South Coast is Cave Shepherd in Worthing next to the Esso Station! Colombian Emeralds International can be found inside as well as clothing, perfumes etc. If you don’t fancy the bustle of Bridgetown, this is perfect for you as you will find lots of variety again, at duty free prices! Wherever you are in Barbados, there will be shops and many of them quite unique. If you’re arriving by Cruise ship you will find the spacious Cruise Terminal Mall with world famous Harley Davidson gear, Earthworks Pottery among others and if you are leaving, our Airport also has plenty of choice to tempt you just before you board! Go out and explore!

S H O P P I N G

40 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S H O P P I N G

SHOPPING

42 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

2 0

T H I N G S

Twenty Bajan experiences not to miss!

Harrison’s Cave

The drive to Harrison’s Cave in St Thomas, nearly in the centre of the island, is a treat. As you move away from the busy coast roads, the lush tropical vegetation and rolling hills speak to you of Old Barbados. This spectacular stream cave system was discovered many years ago, in the 1700’s but was difficult to get to. It was on the land of Thomas Harrison, who founded the popular school on the island Harrison’s College. The Cave was opened to the public in 1981 after being taken over by the Barbados Government. The Cave is 2.3 kilometers long with the Great Hall measuring 15 meters/50 feet high. It is an active cave that carries water and the stalactites and stalagmites are truly spectacular. Travel by tram through this fascinating natural phenomenon, experience the darkness for a few seconds and imagine the early settlers trying to explore! This is an adventure not to be missed!

2 3

Duty Free Shopping in Bridgetown

You shouldn’t come to Barbados and not have a trip into Bridgetown, even if it’s just to walk around and view the historic Parliament Buildings, have your picture taken at the Nelson Statue or enjoy a beer at the Waterfront Café! The hustle and bustle of the island’s city center is sure to captivate you and if you don’t go down Broad Street – you could be missing some of the best duty free bargains of your life. Diamonds International, The Royal Shop, Colombian Emeralds, Cave Shepherd Department Store – all there to entice you!

Parliament Museum

You could be excused for coming into Bridgetown and not even knowing it’s there! Go to the side gate at the front of the Parliament Buildings facing Heroes Square, walk in the car park, go to the left and you’ll find one of the quaintest and most interesting museums on the island. This little gem houses the National Heroes Gallery and the Museum of Parliament, which goes into the history of our government and traces the democracy of the island since 1629. Honestly, it’s treasure for the history lovers!

48 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

4 5 2 0

T H I N G S

Barbados Museum and Garrison Area The Barbados Museum

Discover the history and culture of Barbados in this unique Museum in the Garrison Area. The Museum itself is housed in one of the historic Garrison buildings and has a number of Galleries including the Military Gallery, The Aall Gallery, the Children’s Gallery and the African Gallery. It’s open 9am-5pm six days a week and 2pm-6pm on Sundays. The entire Garrison area has become a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can tour the area with guides James and Peter – at night for a thriller or during the day. You can see the authentic cannons, explore the tunnels, visit the military cemetery, have dinner with George Washington and learn the history of this fascinating area!

Kensington Oval and the Legends Cricket Museum

Are you a cricket fan? Then head on down to Kensington Oval .This magnificent stadium was completely redone for the Cricket World Cup in 2007. Today, you can take a tour of the Oval, have your photo taken at the iconic statue of Sir Garfield Sobers outside the Oval and then wander over to Herbert House to see the Museum of the Cricket Legends. This intimate room houses some of the most precious memorabilia of cricket in the world. You can then purchase your West Indies cricket shirt and souvenirs, happy in the knowledge that the memory of some of the games greatest players lives on!

6 7

Underwater Fun

We are water people! As a coral island, Barbados is famous for it’s clear, beautiful turquoise waters hiving with tropical fish and wrecks to explore. The SS Stavronnikita, Friars Crag, Carlisle Bay and Pamir are all excellent diving sites. The Barrier reefs located ½ mile to 2 ½ miles off shore are the habitat for colourful fish, eels, sea horses and the hawksbill turtles. The water temperature is consistent at around 80F and the visibility is often up to 70 feet. You can’t go wrong with a visit to Hightide Diving on the West Coast. Martyn and his crew will show you the best underwater fun off island!

Earthworks Pottery

50 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Earthworks is a working studio of 12 master potters, there is no admission to enter and freely walk through the studio. The studio walls are decorated with mosaics, Earthworks is known for its mosaics as well as its functional Bajan-made stoneware pottery. It is located on a breezy hillside with an upper parking lot and a lower one, the studio being handicap accessible. If you like exercise perhaps use the unique mosaic staircase from the lower carpark up to the building, it's different. There are also benches under the almond tree to just sit and take in the view. But above all this is a tempting place to find gifts for those at home or something functional and totally Bajan for yourself or for the home. All the pottery is food safe and microwave/dishwasher proof.

8 9 2 0

T H I N G S

Tiami Cruises

Climb onboard any of Tiami’s luxury catamaran cruises and set sail on the crystal clear waters of Barbados. From exploring shipwrecks to feeding thousands of tropical fish and swimming with the turtles, a catamaran cruise is the best way to experience the island from the outside and once you’ve worked up an appetite- the crew will help you to a delicious, traditional Bajan lunch, not to mention the fully stocked bar!

The Jolly Roger experience

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum- that’s the motto of Barbados’ very own Pirate ship- the Jolly Roger. Prepare to walk the plank as the famous party ship takes to the seas along the West Coast of Barbados, offering rope swinging, turtle feeding, shipwreck snorkeling and much more. With unlimited drinks, a guaranteed conga line and buffet lunch as well, this expedition is jam-packed with fun and will have you dancing all the way back to the dock.

10 11

Enjoy a thrilling Island Safari

Who says island life is all about rest and relaxation? Let your adventurous side loose and spend a day with Island Safari- Barbados’ Jeep and 4x4 tour specialists. Explore a new dimension of the island by taking to the rugged roads of the East Coast to see the most scenic parts of the island from new heights. Led by a charismatic driver, this all-day expedition is great for travel enthusiasts craving panoramic views and a bit of off-road excitement. And, like any good Caribbean tour, the rum punch is in full flow too!

Beach time!

Did you know that not one beach in Barbados is private? From the Crane in St. Phillip to Juju’s and Mullins on the West Coast- spending a day on one of our gorgeous beaches is one of the easiest, and cheapest, experiences for island visitors and arguably one of the best! With soft sand, clear waters and guaranteed sunshine, who could resist? We recommend packing a picnic stuffed with crisp flying fish cutters and ice cold Banks beer, then finding a perch and staying put all day. It’s what island life is all about, isn’t it?

52 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

12 13 2 0

T H I N G S

Exploring on your own

At only 166sq miles, exploring Barbados by car is a great option for sightseers who want to stick to their own schedule. Plus with Barbados’ easy to maneuver road signs, you don’t even need a map! Hiring a rental car gives you the freedom to find the secret spots of the island you may not find in a visitor’s guide, then return to them as often as you like. You never know what hidden gems you might stumble upon! Our recommendation is to seek out a rum shop or two, which are often found off the beaten track, or take a day trip to the less-inhabited East Coast.

Heaving Oistins

Fish, fish and more fish is on the menu at the Oistins Fish Fry, which takes place every weekend but is at its most popular on a Friday evening just as the sun goes down. Food vendors are a plenty, with each serving up a mouthwatering array of delicious catches, straight from the fishing boats docked that afternoon. And if fish isn’t to your liking – don’t panic. From succulent roast chicken and proper pork to juicy steaks, Oistins caters for all taste-buds. Once the knives and forks are down, stay for the fantastic atmosphere, with live local music, karaoke, craft stalls and even a few animated domino games or two.

14 15

A meal at one of our Fabulous Restaurants

If there is one thing Barbados knows well, it’s food. Restaurants across the island feature menus brimming with delicacies from our own tropical shores to global influences and any gastro-enthusiast will be spoilt for choice for where to dine. Fine dining options are a plenty and restaurants feature Japanese, African, American or European themes, as well as top class Barbadian and Caribbean food. You have all levels of price ranges to choose from – you can go fast food or waterside romantic – whatever you prefer you will not be disappointed. The Food and Rum Festival is also a must in November for the foodies!

All uh we! Our Crop Over Festival

If you are lucky enough to be visiting beautiful Barbados in the summertime, you will no doubt become immersed in the annual Crop Over festival. The cultural extravaganza marks the end of the island’s cane-cutting season and the entire country is taken over by sweet soca music, exciting events and of course- the odd party or two. It all culminates on the first Monday of August – Grand Kadooment – where revelers gather in their bands to dress in vibrant, colourful costumes and dance through the streets. Even if you don’t take part, standing on the side lines can be infectious. So come on down and join in the fun!

54 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

16 2 0

T H I N G S

Flower Forest

The Flower Forest Botanical Gardens is a natural nature trail in the middle of the Bajan Rain Forest, planted with exotic tropical flowers, many of which are rare. This verdant garden is planted, and conserved as a treasure, with a view to wowing horticulturally while relaxing simultaneously. There are beautiful views from the hills of the 'Scotland District' looking north and east from the breezy hill top down towards the audible, rumbling waves of the east coastline. Benches are located strategically for resting or simply passing the time in special, secluded places. Flower Forest is romantic if you are in love. Flower Forest is serene if you crave rest. Make peace and tranquility yours for a day, or buy a year's seasonal membership for the price of only 2 entries, and return many times. Stop, sit and meditate; walk the 1 km trail for exercise as many times as you like, sit in the cafe and enjoy lemonade, organic bayleaf or lemongrass teas, salads and lunches; or maybe a decadent ice cream. Optionally sit on the indoor outdoor deck; under cover in the rain, or outside when conditions are favorable. Umbrellas are available and when it is rainy the garden is even more lovely. Find your tranquility, put stress into the past, become one with the universe. A special, extraordinary treasure.... not to be missed.

17 18

The Barbados National Trust Properties

This island is rich with heritage! You only have to visit one of the National Trust Properties to see this up front. The Jewish Synagogue in Historic Bridgetown is not to be missed. Next to it is a modern, informative museum with a wealth of information on the History of Jews on the island. Head up to Gun Hill Signal Station in St George to get in a bit of military history and put full moon night on the calendar as a must for their special cocktail party. From Arlington House in Speightstown, to Morgan Lewis Windmill in St Andrew, the Barbados National Trust has a wealth of places to explore. During the winter season, view some of the islands most splendid homes during their OPEN HOUSE programme.

Limegrove Lifestyle Centre

Whether you just want to ‘chill’ in a shady area, sip a coffee in a café or do some serious Duty Free Shopping, Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown is the place to go. This landmark high end shopping mall is a treat. Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Cartier, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Armani– the designer names are all there along with a host of smaller boutique stores filled with a plethora of exciting merchandise. For an after shopping cocktail the Lime Bar is the spot and dinner at one of the many special restaurants won’t disappoint!

56 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

19 20 2 0

T H I N G S

Rum Shop Tour

This island is FULL of rum shops! Every little village has a rum shop (and a church and a shop!) It’s just part of life on the island. Many visitors love to just amble along and pull in, have a few beers, take part in the inevitable dominoes game and just enjoy the atmosphere. Some rum shops have become quite commercialized and serve great Bajan delicacies – pudding and souse, pork chops, fried chicken, salt fish and cou cou. Lemon Arbour in St John is one very known well spot as is Chris’s Place just above the West Coast. You can actually do a Scenic Rum Shop Tour around the island at certain times of the year but if you’re there when it’s not running, just ask around in your hotel and they will recommend some Rum Shops to experience.

The Concorde Experience

Did you ever travel at the speed of sound? No? Not many people have and sadly, the fabulous Concorde now flies no more. However, this magnificent aircraft used to fly to Barbados weekly, carrying hundreds of passengers and thrilling many who flocked to the airport to see it land and take off. Barbados is one of the few places in the world you can actually visit a genuine Concorde aircraft, kindly given to the island by British Airways, take a tour, go in it, sit in the seats – it’s the next best thing to flying on this special bird! The Concorde stands majestic in a hanger next to the Grantley Adams International Airport and is open daily. An experience absolutely NOT to be missed!

58 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

60 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

20 YEARS IS A LIFETIME IN CRICKET

by Clarence Hiles

61 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

C R I C K E T

There was a time when cricket was invincible and throughout the world the great players were household names. They were legends everywhere and everyone knew about Sir Garfield Sobers, the 3Ws- Weekes, Worrell and Walcott, all knighted, Sir Conrad Hunte, Sir Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

CRICKET The original Kensington Oval

But the brilliance faded with the memories and the Nineties proved badly short-changed after such an era of outstanding greatness. Sadly, the burden of expectation saw a huge disappointment. We expected another era of Test supremacy, but the game was indoctrinated by limited overs and inevitably, 20-overs cricket. Perhaps the irony is that West Indian cricket is now best-suited to playing shorter matches and this new style of the game! Times have changed. 20 years is a lifetime in cricket. Test cricket has suffered painfully with only the Barmy Army travelling to our shores to support their team in any great numbers, but Twenty20 and ODI cricket once again bring hope and is full of promise to bring back the enthusiasm for this magnificent game. Of course, we need the best performers to participate as they draw the crowd but for whatever reason the hierarchy doesn’t seem to get it. Test cricket may not be as popular but it has a place. It’s the gourmet version of the game. Both codes can work together if teams are picked according to their strengths. Several multi-millionaire players perform well and operate on this shorter diet, but surely West Indies cricket selectors can swallow their pride and get on with the business of selecting the best players at the highest level? Last year showed what is needed

62 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

when the Twenty20 World Cup took place at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in India. It was an amazing performance and Barbadian Carlos Brathwaite was in the limelight. His never-say-die onslaught batting struck four sixes against Ben Stokes, England, with only two balls to finish. The celebrations were unbelievable, and let’s not forget the ladies West Indies team who were also at the forefront. They came onto the field in celebratory mood with their colleagues having successfully beaten Australia in the preceding game with Barbadians Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin playing pivotal roles. There were seven Barbadian players at the championship. These gutsy West Indian Ladies had never won before 2016, although the men’s team under Darren Sammy won the 2012 trophy against Sri Lanka. This euphoria proved the interest is in shorter cricket. In contrast to empty stands at the Test Cricket, games like the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) and ODI international matches have strong support and pull the crowds. As a tourist destination, this is what we need. ODI cricket and World Cups have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and the Government and BCA (Barbados Cricket Association) have played important roles on the island. The Kensington Oval was restructured and modernised to stage the ODI World Cup Final in 2007 and the Women’s World

Holder bowling - Photo by Randy Brooks

Australia win! - Photo by Randy Brooks

Kensington Oval

Caribbean Premier League - Photo courtesy CPL 63 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

C R I C K E T

Charles hits - Photo by Randy Brooks 64 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

of Kiddy Cricket throughout the West Indies.

Chirpy Kiddy Cricket Mascot

Let's build the next generation of great cricketers and great cricket moments.

www.scotiabank.com/cricket

Proud Sponsor of Kiddy Cricket and Official Bank of West Indies Cricket ÂŽRegistered

trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia.

Bravo - Photo by Randy Brooks

Kensington Oval

Cup Twenty20 in 2010 when Australia beat New Zealand in a 3-runs thriller. The Kensington Oval ranks as one of the best in the Caribbean and worldwide . Redoing the Mecca was an important milestone in Barbadosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cricket history with the establishment of a cricket ground now worthy of international status. The venue has excellent facilities and the stand titles recalling the days of exceptional performances have been retained as well as an impressive Media Centre. Not be outdone the redevelopment of the 3Ws Oval at the University of the West Indies is also an excellent asset and many touring teams use this facility. West Indies Test cricket may not reach the former glory of yesteryear, but the modern shorter codes are working towards a resurgence in popularity from days of old! Barbados is certainly the place to come for you to enjoy cricket!

Caribbean Premier League - Photo courtesy CPL 66 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

C R I C K E T

Brathwaite jumps for joy - Photo by Randy Brooks 68 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Hendy Wallace, ex cricketer and Chairman of the Selectors for Barbados shares some of his memories over the past 20 yearsâ&#x20AC;¦

70 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

C R I C K E T

1 Where were you in 1997? In 1997 I was playing my 14th and unbeknownst to me, my final season with Eglinton in Northern Ireland. Work permit regulations were about to change for which I would no longer be eligible. The next 7 seasons I played in Dublin which provided me with a much needed new challenge to my career." 2 You must have experienced a major cultural change from sunny Barbados to move to a cold and wet climate. What were your first thoughts in the early Eighties? After I convinced myself that the scouts I had been in touch with for the previous 6 months were actually serious about playing cricket in Northern Ireland, there was a level of excitement. I was totally ignorant to the cricketing culture in Northern Ireland and although I suspected the weather would have been different, I certainly was not expecting what I eventually experienced. From a cricketing perspective I realized that the standard of cricket was much higher than I anticipated. 3 At the time Northern Ireland suffered horrendous sectarianism labelled the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Troubles.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; How where you accepted in this community? I was well accepted and benefited from the fact that my club Eglinton was mixed so religion was not too much of a focal point. That coupled with the fact that I coached at both Protestant and Catholic schools in the village, helped me to adapt thus enabling me to have a sense of how both sides felt about the 'Troubles'. 4 You made a major contribution to cricket everywhere. What are the most memorable achievements? I am not sure there was any one achievement that stands out but hitting seven sixes in an over in Northern Ireland was unique. Then returning to Barbados that year and playing for my club Pickwick in a spell of 7 wickets for no runs in picking up 9 wickets in the innings would have been special as well. I was on the losing end in the first instance but we won the encounter in Barbados. 5 Any regrets? I have no regrets in life but I would say I was disappointed when I was not selected for the West Indies under 19s to tour England in 1982 after being voted an MVP of the regional

tournament that was used to pick the side. Players such as Courtney Walsh, Roger Harper and Phil Simmons were in that team and went on to play at Senior Level so who knows what I may have achieved. 6 After 20 years you must have been reflecting on an end to your sporting travels. When and why did you make this decision? My stint in Northern Ireland came to an end due to the change in work permit regulations after 14 years with Eglinton. Then one day whilst at work at The Sandpiper, I got a call from Leinster in Dublin inviting me to play for them since the regulations were different in the Republic of Ireland and the journey continued. After a very successful first season winning 2 trophies with Leinster, I picked an injury in the second year that required surgery and I didn't get the impression the club was very supportive during that time. So I decided not to return and the three years following, I spent with Phoenix and again won a couple of trophies before returning to Leinster for 2 more years in a coaching capacity only. When it got to the stage that I wished it was raining or snowing whenever I opened the curtains, told me I was ready to call time on this aspect of my career. 7 Where you always connected through the years with Pickwick Cricket Club? Yes from the time I left school I was associated with Pickwick Club until present. 8 Was this a huge disappointment to see the end of the club as Kensington Oval? It most certainly was as I believe it was a privilege to call such a historic international venue, home. For a club side to play cricket week in week out at such a venue with what at the time were much better facilities than any other local club, made Pickwick Club quite an illustrious club. 9 Was the rebirth at the Oval viewed as a great stadium and a big boost for Barbados cricket? What did it mean to local cricket? It was seen as a boost in terms of setting the standards for the region and I would say that was achieved. However, I believe local cricket suffered because suddenly it

became out of bounds for club cricket but thankfully that trend has now been addressed somewhat. 10 After playing cricket you started making a career in broadcasting and became an impressive radio and television commentator. Where the opportunities limited in cricket and where you disappointed not to get as involved? I retired from playing cricket in 2004 and I actually started commentating in 2002. I got into commentating by a mere fluke at a club game when I was asked to share my thoughts on local radio on the state of the match. The local radio station then invited me to try out at a regional game and the rest is history. I was very fortunate to be involved at that time in commentary because this was when a regional commentary team was formed and I was selected to be part of it. 11 You were also a highly-respected administrator and eventually took over the reins as Chairman of Selectors. Was this something you aspired to? Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be a selector for Barbados because there was a perception that this was a role was reserved for former West Indies players. None of the current panel has played for the West Indies but I doubt you would find 3 more passionate persons. 12 Have you other cricket ambitions in the future? I would like to continue serving Barbados and West Indies cricket in any capacity which my skills will allow until I no longer have the desire. Cricket has been instrumental in so many positive aspects of my development that my desire is always to give back to the sport that has been kind to me. 13 You have had a very colourful life and boundless personality. The book must be a story to write so is the life of Hendy Wallace being planned? It is most certainly being penned as we speak and I am really driven to complete it as I believe there is a story to be told. It is a journey that helped me to develop and become the person I am today and I am certain it is a path that others can follow.

71 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Barbados Golf Club 72 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

GOLF & BARBADOS YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE COME A LONG WAY by Roddy Carr

73 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

G O L F

The 5th fairway at Rockley Golf Course is famous for being the landing runway for the first flight from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean on March 29th 1929.

GOLF Rockley Golf Course circa 1937

This nine-hole golf course was the first real golf course in Barbados. It is however rumoured that British army officers of the British Empire’s largest Garrison in Barbados played a 6 hole makeshift course inside the horseracing track in the 1800’s. This would be consistent with what happened in many other British colonies in those days. Rockley continues to operate as a thriving 9 hole course, very suitable for all levels of golf and the 19th hole is the best part in this extremely social club! Sandy Lane - the grande dame of hotels & resorts in the Caribbean was built in 1933 and included the original Sandy Lane golf course with two nines, the upper and lower nines. The golf course meandered through the sugarcane landscape and gullies of Barbados and what was left of the magnificent bearded fig trees that were the origin of the name Barbados. The open plan setting in the Sandy Lane villa estate on the platinum West Coast of Barbados was unique and years ahead of its time. It was its iconic status in 1967 that attracted Charles Forte to buy the hotel and further enhance its world-renowned status and reputation as part of the Trusthouse Forte dynasty. There has always been a fond affinity for the Irish with Barbados. The soft lilt in the Bajan accent sits easily on the Irish ear and is not unlike the brogue found in Cork or Kerry. I have never heard the word

74 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

‘shite’ used (‘shite weather today’) as an adjective anywhere in the world except in Ireland and Barbados. The Irish influence goes back to the Cromwellian days in 1650 when 1800 Irish were shipped out of Ireland by Cromwell to Barbados as indentured slaves. They became know as the red-legs and migrated to St. Andrews on the East Coast as their fair freckled skin fried toiling in the sugarcane fields for their seven year tenure. The book ‘To Hell or Barbados’ records this ethnic cleansing of Ireland. In 1998 Sandy Lane was purchased by three of Ireland’s best know business men and their horseracing English friends who had been coming to the Island for decades and had fallen in love with Barbados and its friendly and fun people. The new owners wanted two of the best golf courses in the world and to achieve this goal brought in Tom Fazio of world acclaim to design the Sandy Lane Country Club and the now famous Green Monkey; who’s centre piece is a 22 acre old quarry with 200 foot coral walls. The two new courses cannibalised the ‘upper nine’ and left what is now known by locals as the old nine, which maintains the nostalgic link to the original Sandy Lane course. The Country Club hosted the 2006 World Cup of Golf one of golf’s Majors which was won by Germany - captained by Bernhard Langer. The Green Monkey is a

Apes Hill

Rockley

Royal Westmoreland

Barbados Golf Club 75 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

G O L F

The new owners (of Sandy Lane) wanted two of the best golf courses in the world and to achieve this goal brought in Tom Fazio of world acclaim to design the Sandy Lane Country Club and the now famous Green Monkey; whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre piece is a 22 acre old quarry with 200 foot coral walls.

Sandy Lane 76 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

G O L F

Apes Hill

‘Trophy’ course and one that people travel from all over the world to play. It is a true bucket list golf course. Over on the South Coast in the mid 70’s near the airport the entrepreneurial vision of developing an integrated housing development around the Southern Golf & Country Club on Durants Plantation fell a foul on two occasions leaving an 18 hole windswept golf course designed by Col. Harris to be quickly engulfed by the tropical bush and disappear for almost 25 years. In 1999 a group of locals led by well-known sailor Ralph Johnson and Peter Chesham joined forces with this Irishman and along with Government support and 382 local shareholders embarked on a mission to rebuild the Barbados Golf Club. The course with its tag line “Golf for All” and “The Home of Golf in Barbados” was opened in 2000 and provides a links style test to 200 plus Bajan members and thousands of visitors each year at affordable prices. The Royal Westmoreland 5 star residential golf development on the West Coast was the brainchild of local developer Mike Pemberton in 1993. He brought in Robert Trent Jones Jnr. who designed

arguably his best golf course that features 4 stunning par 3 holes. It is now fully mature and an idealist lifestyle resort that has hosted several European Seniors Tour. Last but by no means least on what could be considered one of the great golf sites in the world comes Apes Hill. This opened in 2009 and lies on 600 acres of indigenous Barbados land at the top of the Island with breath-taking views over both the West Coast & Caribbean sea and the ‘Wild’ East Coast with its Atlantic Ocean backdrop. Thanks to the vision of local pioneer Sir Charles Williams it is one of the most visually spectacular courses in the world and a full championship test. It is the only place on the Island that encompassed Golf, Tennis and Polo in its lifestyle setting. Celebrities like Sir Gary Sobers, Brian Lara, Ian Woosnam, Ian Botham, Gary Lineker , Padraig Harrington to mention but a few are regular sights on the fairways in Barbados. The guests come to Barbados most years with their families to relax and enjoy what is now regarded as the finest golf destination in the Caribbean. Why do they come – They just like it and the local people of Barbados who have embraced golf and to have fun in a

78 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

safe environment. What better reason could there be? Barbados is now about to launch its Barbados Golf Card which will be available for 2017 offering the opportunity to play Sandy Lane Country Club, Apes Hill and Barbados Golf Club at very favourable rates. This will allow visitors to experience golf at its very best in the Caribbean. For details go to: www.visitbarbados.com Roddy Carr Ex PGA Tour Professional Senior International Representative for Jack Nicklaus Design Visitor & Friend of Barbados for 40 years

G O L F

Rockley

Rockley 80 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

G O L F

Royal Westmoreland 82 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

THE SANDY LANE CHARITABLE TRUST GOLF TOURNAMENT The celebrated Golf Day, Dinner and Charity Auction took place at the Sandy Lane Country Club for the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust in January 2016 and was another resounding success. Once again it was all about raising funds for the challenged children of Barbados, some of whom are desperate souls searching for better health, a better body and a fair chance in life. Every year the Event sets new benchmarks in raising muchneeded aid for it’s Sunshine Village and the vulnerable children of Barbados. The Trust is very appreciative of the kindness and generosity of many local business people, friends and guests who attend this popular event. The County Club is always crowded with a who’s who of Barbadian society and sporting celebrities on what has now been established as one of the highlighted events of the Winter Season. The well-known British comedian Russ Abbott does his usual splendid job of a lively, witty and productive auction, in addition to the popular Silent Auction. Sandy Lane Hotel puts on a sumptuous buffet in the beautiful setting of the Country Club Clubhouse and dancing usually follows into the wee hours. Tremendous work has been achieved in the past year by this small charity with a big heart! With their educational initiatives and outreach programmes, the Trust makes a huge difference in the lives of thousands. A short video is always presented at the Gala Dinner prior to the Charity Auction and it is heart-rendering to watch and share the stories and experiences but satisfying to see the Trust making inroads . There is hardly a dry eye in the house after it’s shown. The hardest workers throughout the year are Derrick Smith and his fellow Trustees, Pip Challis, John Lodge and Julian Sacher. The work of the Trust is truly amazing, especially as it continues to run efficiently with no expenses, thanks to the commitment of the Trustees, Patrons and friends. They are always hard at work joining forces with other trusts, doing sponsorships and partnering with new projects like the World Pediatric Project. The Trust takes great pride that every dollar raised goes directly to providing a better life for the needy children of Barbados.

The large numbers in attendance.

84 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Trustees – (from left to right) Derrick Smith, Phillipa Challis, John Lodge, Julian Sacher

Girls just got to have fun !! A great party atmosphere for a great cause.

The Barbados Youth Orchestra welcoming the guests to the gala event.

The winning team for 2016 - Sir Garfield Sobers, Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith & Yvonne Brewer

Second team - Joan and John Hargreaves William Alexander, Luke Crowson

Third team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Andrew and Bernard Heffernan, Penny Rattle and Nick Barham.

Sir Cliff Richard, Vivien Day (daughter of Grand Patron Derrick Smith) and stars of US TV and Stage, Becky and Chris Lythgoe

The comedian Russ Abbott acting as auctioneerâ&#x20AC;Ś..

Sir Martyn Arbib and sir Garfield Sobers standing in front of the portrait donated Jeena Chatrani and purchased by Sir Martyn in the live auction, which he later donated to the Legend Cricket museum in Bridgetown.

Sir Kyffin Simpson (centre), Sir Mark and Lady Thatcher.

85 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

THE SPORT OF KINGS IN PARADISE EMBRACING THE MODERN ERA! by Charlie Heath

86 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O R S E

R A C I N G

87 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O R S E

R A C I N G

Horse racing has been the Sport of Kings for many years on this special island! When Sporting Barbados was first published in the late nineties, racing at the Garrison Savannah was one of the most popular sports.

HORSE RACING

Over the last 20 years the Barbados Turf Club has gone through some rough patches, but today it continues to employ many and provide pleasure year round for locals and visitors alike. The story is an all too familiar one. The BTC, like many sporting organisations, has had itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial challenges. One of the first organisations to be given a license to operate a lottery, there was hope that this would have been a much-needed lifeline for the struggling BTC in the nineties. However, this failed to materialize as a hefty tax was imposed on the sale of lottery tickets making it almost impossible for it to be profitable. Adding to the problem was another lottery coming on line which swept the market! After negotiations over the years, thankfully the debt owed by the BTC from the tax was absorbed by the Government and a joint venture with the competing lottery meant everyone could work together and come out as winners. The threat to an industry that employs thousands was abated! With some much needed funds, quickly the Barbados Turf Club got to work. New PVC flexible rails were installed, replacing the old metal ones that for many years had been a danger to the jockeys and horses. Improvements were being made all round but another danger was on the horizon! Tropical Storm Tomas caused a set

88 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

back in late October 2010. Damaging the administration office, the Grandstand and the Field Stand, the BTC was yet again facing major issues. For almost two years the dedicated staff at the BTC worked in temporary offices until 2013 when they moved into their new premises. The opportunity was also taken to update the seating in the grandstand with individual seats and to put on a new roof. The Field stand was not replaced but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understood that plans are afoot for an all-inclusive entertainment/racing facility. The BTC also entered the modern era by introducing an electronic display timing system, replacing the old manual system, which also shows the fractions. New LED outdoor screens giving all the jockey information etc, showing odds, live racing, replays and payments were also installed. From a betting perspective, the minimum bet on race days which was $2 (Bdos) was reduced to $1. In the trifecta, superfecta, Hi-5 and Pick-4 Bets one can now play them at 50 cents, giving punters the opportunity to play more horses in their bets. Sports Tourism is high on the list for the BTC! The Sandy Lane Gold Cup and the Massy United Derby are two of the most prestigious races on the annual calendar of events and the Gold Cup especially gets world wide coverage going into hundreds of millions of homes world wide, attracting breeders and top owners

89 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O R S E

R A C I N G

from overseas. Visitors travel far and wide to take in the parade and excitement of this fabulous race day. With a packed Grandstand and outfield, the Sandy Lane Gold Cup is one of the leading sporting events on the island and not to be missed the first Saturday of every March. Over the past few years, a festival has been built up around this race including Broadway to Barbados shows and Polo matches. The Gold Cup has even arrived in Barbados by the prestigious British Airways Concorde to lots of pomp and ceremony. Other popular race days include the Diamonds International Boxing Day at the Races, the Ansa McAl Racing Festival and the Barbados International Jockey Challenge in November. Despite many of our top jockeys going off to the US and Canada to ride, horse racing in Barbados continues to hold itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own. High on the agenda is night racing and the plans are in place to have this proceed once the BTC has been given the go ahead. This wonderful, colourful and highly energetic sport has carved a niche in this beautiful island. Many Barbadians love the races and will do all they can to ensure this brilliant sport of Kings remains as majestic as ever for all to enjoy. 90 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O R S E

R A C I N G

92 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O R S E

R A C I N G

94 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE COME A LONG WAY BABY THE POLO STORY OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS! by Michael Phillips

98 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

P O L O

99 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

P O L O

The last 20 years has seen Barbados go through many changes. And much like our beautiful nation which has undergone many social, economic and structural transformations, the local polo scene has grown and evolved over the past 20 years to see it becoming almost unrecognisable from what it was in the 1990s.

POLO With origins of the sport dating back to around 600 BC in North Persia and being brought to Barbados by British soldiers garrisoned on-island in the late 1800's, polo has seen its fair share of progress throughout the years. With the Barbados Polo Club having its first run from 1884 to 1929 and folding with the crash of the US stock market, new life was breathed into the local scene in 1937. Henry Arthur, Vere Deane, Lyle Jones and Elliot Williams (father of the ever-passionate Sir Charles Williams) were the ones responsible for founding the club the second time around and which took up lodging at the Garrison Savannah. In those days, the season ran from June to January, falling in line with the sugar crop season as many of those who played were planter class. It was not until the club moved to its Holders home in 1965 that the real changes came. The establishment of a club house, the introduction of structured tours by overseas teams and the importation of ponies saw the profile of the sport growing slowly over the years. Although polo had become a rather social event when it originally started in the

1800s, the last two decades have seen a much wider cross section of the Barbadian public flocking to fields to take in games and the atmosphere the season offers. In an interview with the Barbados Polo Club's current serving Club Captain Richard Deane, he stated that he was serving for the past six to seven years, but had been playing seriously since 1994. Noting that he had been playing on and off for most of his life before then, Deane said that some of the biggest changes to the scene occurred with the tours and the level of visiting international players. He said that a lot of professional players had come in over the years to lend their services to Barbadian teams and that had taken the standard of the tournaments and local play up. Picking up the mantle of Club Captain behind the likes of Sir Charles, Kent Cole and Jeff Evelyn, Deane said that an increase in membership was another of the major changes the club underwent. “The membership has picked up quite a lot. Obviously, a few years ago, I think it was at its biggest and right now there are still about 35 playing members in the club, and that is a fairly sizable membership for a

100 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

small club.” he said. It is said that adversity is the mother of progress, and in recent times, the importation of mounts, especially from Argentina has become an expensive undertaking. However, according to Deane, this has opened the door to what has the potential to become a robust polo pony breeding initiative in Barbados. Noting that there were still are a lot of Argentine-bred horses on the island, the cost of horses and travel forced locals to become innovative in maintaining their stock. “I think it has changed particularly more so over the last couple of years because of the cost of importing horses out of Argentina and the cost of transporting them. Therefore, you find more people breeding their own horses and there's not as much importation of polo ponies. There's still a few coming in but not like one time.” Deane said. Holders has and still continues to serve faithfully since 1965. However, by 2004 several other international size fields have popped up on the map, meaning more polo at more beautiful venues. The development of Apes Hill by Sir Charles Williams, Clifton by Bruce Bayley, Lion

Cooling down

Pablo Crespin

Jeff Evelyn

Cheshire supporters 101 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

P O L O

The Virgin Atlantic Battle of The Sexes Team with the Virgin Atlantic Ladies

Cheshire Tour at Holders 102 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

P O L O

Sir Charles Williams 104 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

P O L O

‘Best Hat Competition’ at Holders

Castle by Kent Cole and more recently, Buttals by Philip Tempro has seen the value of the local polo product increase ten-fold, making Barbados an even more lucrative polo-playing destination. Deane said that having the extra fields and having the owners work alongside with the club makes a massive difference to if Holders stood alone. “I think the number of fields has helped it a lot. Originally, we were on the Garrison and we moved to Holders somewhere around 1965. But for years, we only had the one field at Holders which made it difficult to put on more than a certain amount of games because one field can't take all the pressure. Since the other fields have come online, we are up to international standard and we have more people from overseas looking to play here. Corporate is now also involved and we have events hosted for corporate entities.” he said. Within the last few decades, sport has become a billion-dollar business with sporting events, franchises and players across the gamut of disciplines holding endorsements and sponsorships. Ladies polo has also been on the increase and has been gaining recognition and popularity.

Although not on the same level as some other countries, the annual season has seen several tournaments and tours being sponsored by members of corporate Barbados such as Virgin Atlantic, Diamonds International, Archer's Hall, Hyundai, First Citizens, ICBL and Scotiabank to name a few. On sponsorship of the major events on the polo calendar, Deane said that it was possibly what has seen the club moving by the leaps and bounds it has over the past 20 years. “I think it is great! It is what helps to run our club. It would be very difficult without sponsorship to do or to put on what we do at the moment. I have found over the last year, that sponsorship was very good considering the economic climate. It has been strong. Last year we had a good sponsorship and we are hoping for the same for this season coming.” he said. With club as it is known now in existence for close to 100 years, Deane has his eye on the future and knows that the only way for polo to thrive in Barbados is to expand its horizons. He knows however that this will take a larger member base and acknowledges the challenges

106 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

associated with raising new blood. “The problem with the sport is that it is an expensive one. Unless the economies can help with the players making some money, it is very difficult to continue it. I would love to see some assistance coming to bring new people into polo. Being that it is expensive, it is hard to get them in. I would like to find some way to encourage others to come in and get involved that are not involved at the moment. Not just the people that are connected like how I play and my son plays. I would like to see more outside interest as well.” Deane said.

P O L O

Luis Clerici

Ollie Taylor receiving the Mickey Hutchinson Memorial Trophy 108 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Mr. Nick Parravicino (centre)

Laura Smith 110 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

E Q U E S T R I A N

BEA Brings Eventing to Barbados by Monique Archer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; President BEA

Tristan Cass on Essien

It has been said that equestrians are a little crazy, ok maybe very crazy, to do what we do. This may have some truth to it, but as riders we prefer to say we are passionate, dedicated and inspired about our sport. The Barbados Equestrian Association (BEA) has launched the discipline of Three Day Eventing on the island this year. Eventing is essentially the triathlon of equestrian sport. A horse and rider combination must compete in dressage, cross-country and showjumping over 3 days. This is no small feat and a test of control, precision and stamina. This new discipline will be offered in Barbados to riders of all ages and experience levels and the BEA has set the lofty goal of producing a strong, competitive team to represent the island at the Caribbean and Central American Games in Baranquilla, Colombia in the summer of 2018. Crazy? Not at all. Ambitious maybe,

but what is life without dreams and goals? Recognising that time is short to prepare for the Games, the Barbados Equestrian Association is forging ahead. In late 2015 we were visited by an F.E.I. (Federation Equestre Internationale) appointed expert, Mr. Jose Ortelli of Argentina, to assess the riders, horses and potential facilities in Barbados. Ortelli was very encouraged by what he saw in Barbados and strongly believes that we have the ingredients for International Eventing success. Is this achievable? Absolutely! We already have riders who are very competitive at the required levels in the disciplines of Showjumping and Dressage. The critical part to develop now is Cross Country and have the riders combine the three disciplines on one horse. Where do you start? Cross country involves jumping natural and mainly very solid jumps, on varied terrain, often from the gallop. There is no doubt that it is thrilling to watch a horse and rider jump the back of a pick-up truck, or an overturned boat in a lake. So how does Barbados get up to speed with the cross country aspect? There are a few main components. 1. We need riders who are serious enough to commit to this road ahead. 2. We need horses that can do this. 3. We need cross country courses to practice on. 4. We need someone with a huge amount of experience to get us there. Barbados definitely has riders seriously committed to the Eventing program. In fact several have committed to following a program to work towards qualifying for the 2018 Games. What does

111 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

E Q U E S T R I A N

EQUESTRIAN Zoe Archer on Millridge

Monique Archer on Destino

this mean? This commitment involves owning or now investing in horses that can get the job done, participation in a rigorous training schedule, fundraising to help finance the building of the required obstacles and committing to the travel needed to gain required experience before the summer 2018 deadline. When the riders are not working they are training or seeking out new sponsors to help finance this project. No small level of commitment! Every one of our hopefuls recognize the need to have a talented, safe and competitive equine partner to be successful in this plan. We already have a combination of imported and local retrained racehorses with the scope to compete at the International Level. In terms of facilities, there are already two on the island (Big C and Congo Road Equestrian Centre) that have cleared land and built practice obstacles. A third facility, Whitehall Equestrian Centre in St. Peter, has been earmarked to be the main facility due to the existing infrastructure and the varied terrain including significant hills. Construction of fences has started with permanent obstacles such as terraced

112 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

steps, a bank, ditches and a water hazard all to be a part of this facility. The Barbados Olympic, Association, in a show of support, has come forward to sponsor the first fence built to international standards. Finally, Joss Gray, an incredibly experienced International Eventer and Trainer, who has competed to the highest level in the sport, has relocated with his family from the UK to Barbados specifically to help make this dream a reality for the island. In addition to his own achievements in the sport he worked with the Indonesian team from the ground up and got them to their first ever Asian Games. He spent his last four years as Chef De Equipe and Coach of the Qatari National Eventing Team based at Aston Le Walls in the UK. He is the ideal coach for this task! So while ambitious and undoubtedly a steep hill to climb, the BEA is not taking this lightly! A solid plan is already in progress and there is a dedicated and excited Executive Committee and several riders, who are willing to work hard and get the job done! Watch out Baranquilla 2018!

114 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S A I L I N G

20 PLUS YEARS OF SAILING by Gus Reader & Anne Tindale

115 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S A I L I N G

2 0 Y E A R S

Barbados has always been blessed with nearly ideal sailing conditions: warm clear water, strong steady breezes, and sheltered bays and beaches on the West Coast, making sailing a natural sport for Barbadians, and Barbados a great location for both local and visiting sailors and yachts.

SAILING ‘Blazin’ in action...

Sailing has a long history in Barbados, stretching back to the days of clipper ships and trading schooners. Since those times sailors, both in Barbados and around the world, have turned to racing and cruising yachts, as well as dinghies, to enjoy being out on the water. Based on sheer numbers, sailing in Barbados peaked in the ‘70s and ‘80s when large fleets of Mirror dinghies, Sunfish, Kingfish and Fireballs raced among a Handicap Class of locally built keelboats and assorted other designs. The number of larger keelboats capable of racing not only in Barbados, but of travelling to regattas in the other islands, gradually increased from the mid ‘70s. Boats such as the locally designed and built Nefertiti, Bruggadung I and Countdown, together with Morning Mist, Angelique, Hard Seed, Sara, Morning Tide, Virgo, Immigrant, Jaystar, Bruggadung ll and Blazin became well known throughout the Caribbean. At home in Barbados, racing was held every weekend from late December to July. Saturdays saw both dinghies and keelboats racing in the handicapped Round the Buoys Series in Carlisle Bay. Sundays then saw many of the larger keelboats racing out from Carlisle Bay to Shoal Bank, along the South Coast to Oistins and back to the finish in Carlisle Bay in the Offshore Series. A lively ‘After Race Party’ at the Barbados Yacht Club always followed!

116 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Every year in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s the much anticipated Coach House Race was held on Boxing Day. Keelboats raced from Carlisle Bay up the West Coast to the finish off the Coach House, an English-style Pub in Paynes Bay. It is from this race that the annual Mount Gay Rum Regatta began in late December 1985. In the late ‘80s the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) made Barbados its finishing destination for its first two years, bringing large numbers of visiting yachts and sailors to our shores in late December and early January each year. Unfortunately, 1988 saw Jimmy Cornell, the founder of the event, moving the finish to St Lucia in search of better mooring facilities. In the past twenty years and beyond, our sail training programs have produced a profusion of recreational and competitive sailors. In many cases, their primary love for the sport arises from being outside and on the water. Starting in 1971, the Barbados Youth Yachting Training Association (BYYTA), headquartered at Brighton, taught large numbers of young Bajans in the versatile and enduring Mirror dinghy. With the closure of the Brighton facility in the mid '90s, the BYYTA joined the Barbados Yachting Association to form the Barbados Sailing Association (BSA). The BSA continued sail training out of the Barbados Yacht Club (BYC) using the recently acquired Topper single handed dinghy and

117 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S A I L I N G

the Echo 12 two-person dinghy. The Barbados Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) was formed in 2001 using a fleet of Optimist dinghies to get the younger children into boats and out on the water. During this time, the BSA sail training program trained and supported a successful team of youth sailors who competed in many local, regional and international regattas. Declining numbers of volunteers and the rising costs of maintaining and replacing boats led to the basic training being taken over by a private company, LRN2Sail, with the BSA concentrating on race training and administration of the sport. A number of sailors from this era of Barbadian sailing went on to represent their country at the international level, notably Olympians Howard Palmer, Bruce Bayley, Shane Atwell, Andrew Burke, Rodney Reader and Greg Douglas. Unfortunately, as in many other countries, the sport of sailing has slowly declined over the years. This downturn has been variously attributed to the rising cost of boats and equipment, competition from other sports and activities, and the decrease in leisure time for both adults

and young people However, starting in 2006, the importation of the J/24, a strict one design 5-person keelboat, brought a resurgence of interest in competitive sailing to Barbados as well as to Grenada, St Lucia, Trinidad and St Vincent, with as many as 18 boats being present at regattas in Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia and Bequia. The high standard of sailing in the J/24 Class has produced teams Hawkeye, Maximum, Impulse and Esperanza who have represented Barbados very creditably at J/24 World Championships in the USA and Germany. This class remains very active today and is administered by the Barbados J/24 Club. The revival of the Round Barbados Race in 2011 by the Barbados Cruising Club, in association with Barbados Tourism Management Inc. (BTMI) and Mount Gay Rum has brought some of the fastest sailing machines in the world to race in Barbados. The first organised race around Barbados was held on January 1st, 1936 when 5 trading schooners competed for 'bragging rights' and a small prize. The winner was Lou Kennedy's Sea Fox in a time of 10 hours and 20 minutes. We

118 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

wonder what Lou Kennedy would make of Team Concise Ms Barbadosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; current Absolute Multihull record time of 2 hours 37 minutes! The Barbados Sailing Association has worked with the BTMI and the Barbados Yacht Club to raise the profile of sailing by hosting a number of successful World Championship events. This campaign began in 2009 with the International One Metre World Championships, which was then followed by the Fireball Worlds in 2010, the 505 Worlds in 2013, the GP14 Worlds in 2016 and the Seaview Classic Dinghy Championships also in 2016. Both BTMI and the BYC are continuing to promote Barbados as a sailing sport tourism destination and propose to host the OK Dinghy and Finn Masters World Championships in May and June of 2017. To celebrate 50 years of sport in an independent Barbados, the Barbados Sailing Association worked closely with the Barbados Olympic Association to hold a day of dinghy racing on November 20th, 2016 as part of the Elite Independence Games. This event featured the best of Barbados racing sailors competing in Optimist, Topper Topaz, GP14, Sunfish and

S A I L I N G

The Barbados Sailing Association has worked with the BTMI and the Barbados Yacht Club to raise the profile of sailing by hosting a number of successful World Championship events. This campaign began in 2009 with the International One Metre World Championships, which was then followed by the Fireball Worlds in 2010, the 505 Worlds in 2013, the GP14 Worlds in 2016 and the Seaview Classic Dinghy Championships also in 2016

120 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S A I L I N G

Laser Classes. The Government of Barbados continues to improve facilities for both local and visiting boats. In the Inner Basin of the Careenage and in the Bridgetown Port, 600 ft of new dock space has been completed, with services including offices for Customs, Immigration and Port Health, as well as Washrooms, Showers, Laundry Facilities, Shore Power and Water Supply. Towards the end of 2016, these new facilities welcomed the boats taking part in Barbados 50, a special transatlantic rally which was held to commemorate 50 years since the independence of Barbados. After a symbolic start in London in late July 2016, the rally, organised by Cornell Sailing Events and sponsored by BTMI, called at various ports in Spain and Portugal on its way south to the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands. The fleet then crossed the Atlantic to arrive in

Barbados in time for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Barbados Independence on November 30th, 2016. Barbados 50 was followed by the Atlantic Odyssey which made its debut arrival in Barbados in December 2015. The Odyssey left Teneriffe on November 19th, 2016. Jimmy Cornell also launched the Multi Transat in January 2016, a new transatlantic race aimed exclusively at production multihulls. Owners of catamarans and trimarans were able to race across the Atlantic to Barbados in a competitive event starting from Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 12th, 2016, and finish in Barbados in time for the Independence celebrations. Playing host to so many prestigious and successful sailing events, including four World Championships, over the past few years has certainly helped to raise the profile of Barbados internationally and

122 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

efforts are underway locally to increase participation in sail training programs, as well as public awareness of the sport in general.

124 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

B E A C H

C U L T U R E

Brian Talma Bajan Ambassador - Living his dream! By G Adams – used by kind permission of Brian Talma

We love to read about the success of “small town” boys, but this is the story of a “small island” boy’s success. 2016 marks the thirty years of Brian Talma’s successful and innovative career in water sports promoting Barbados. Brian was born and grew up in Barbados, a very small island located well to the south and east in the Caribbean Sea.Brian says, one of his first memories is riding the waves on his father back while body surfing when he was 6 years old "I remember that I loved the sensation". His father was passionate about the water, although he was a dentist, he loved fishing. Brian's mother was an artist, she encouraged him to be creative and gave him the freedom to think outside of the norm. Along with his parents influence and being fortunite enough to grow up on the best surf breaks on the South Coast of Barbados, Freights and South Points from a young age he knew "He wanted to get paid to play!!" The passion for windsurfing and beach

life generally was almost certainly in Brian from birth, but he first began to actually surf when he was about ten, and around that time his lifelong dream of developing what he would much later come to call his Beach Culture lifestyle began. By the age of sixteen Brian was spending most of his spare time with a group of surfers in an area known as South Point near his home in Christ Church, Barbados. The group had an image somewhat different from what was considered mainstream for teenagers at that time. The sun-bleached hair and beach-oriented lifestyle went against the grain with many people in Barbados, but this period of Brian's life was when the image and lifestyle that were to become his hallmark in the future began to evolve. Brian initially attended school in Barbados where he first began a lifelong battle with dyslexia. Later he studied in the Gow in New York and graduated with a business degree from Eckard College in

Florida. This education has clearly played a pivotal role in enabling Brian to develop the entrepreneurial side of his career. His ability to visualize the long-term possibilities and have the confidence to “go for them” in a very practical way probably owes much to this higher level of business oriented education. Brian has always understood, and deeply appreciated, the role that his parents played in his success. He greatly respects and admires their willingness to enable and encourage him in his chosen career. This encouragement was given despite the fact that within Barbadian society this was an unusual path and one which many parents would have actively discouraged if not forbidden a son to follow. Things have changed since then but during the seventies and even into the eighties most Barbadian parents wanted their children, and especially their sons, to follow very traditional career paths. Brian had a different dream, and the courage to hold on to it. He was also very lucky in his choice of parents! During the 1980’s while still studying in the United States, Brian took part in windsurfing events whenever possible. His first international event, was the Mistral World, held in the Canary Islands, strengthened his vision that windsurfing was the path to attaining his dream. He also became convinced that his personal image had the potential to sell both him and Barbados. The Barbados team as a whole made a huge impact at this event, both competitively and image wise. Photographs of them were widely used for advertisements and promotional material all over the world. That same year Brian went on to win the Caribbean Airways Wave Classic in Barbados and sold the prize of an airline ticket to help finance his first trip to Hawaii. In Hawaii Brian competed in his first professional event, the Op Wave Pro. At that time he began to work for Naish during summer vacations, and also raked the beaches for

125 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

B E A C H

C U L T U R E

the Hawaiian beach boys. This latter job led to a strong relationship with the local community and helped form a fan base for Brian in future years. During this period Brian began to realize more and more that his appearance and lifestyle generally, which in Barbados had been frowned upon, could in fact be turned to his advantage and possibly develop into hugely successful international image. This realization was further confirmed when he participated in the High Winds Pro. At this event a French photographer took numerous shots of him, and these shots were subsequently used on the covers of major windsurfing magazines worldwide, including the French publication “Wind”, two in the German magazine “Surf” and the Japanese “Windflash”. So what had begun as a love affair with surfing was beginning to lead Brian towards an international reputation and an instantly recognizable image worldwide. During 1988 Brian took part in the Seoul Olympics, and in 1992 he was a member of the team competing at the Barcelona Olympics. These events gave him the opportunity to make use of all the experience gained while he was at Eckerd College in the USA. During that time he

had taken part in many intercollegiate and national windsurfing events and the experience was obviously very useful during Olympic events. After graduating from college Brian returned to Barbados and opened his first windsurfing shop. This project was something that he had always planned, and all his studies had been geared towards it as an ultimate goal, along with the competitive side of windsurfing. Brian's business, entrepreneurial and marketing skills all began to come into play from this point on. After returning from the Seoul Olympics in 1989, he organized his first event, Last Waterman Standing.... windsurfing around Barbados, his vision was to promote Barbados and the windsurfing industry. By 1996, the Barbados government awarded him the Silver Star for successfully promoting Barbados by the combination of bringing the Professional Windsurfing Tour world cups to Barbados and travelling on the professional windsurfing association tour. 1989 was also the year Brian joined the Professional Windsurfing Tour and won the Rosco tees Wave Classic. This victory led to a contract to go on tour for Rosco tees who had just launched a new line of clothing called Irie Blue. Brian became

126 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

involved with the design, distribution and promotion of Irie Blue products worldwide. One of Brian's many dreams had always been to bring Professional Windsurfing Tour events and World Cup events to Barbados. In 1990 this dream became a reality thanks to his relentless enthusiasm and hard work. In that year the first world cup event was sanctioned in Barbados and Brian later went on to win the World Cups held in Barbados in 1993 and 1994.. During the1991 Professional Windsurfing Association Tour Brian became one of the top performers in the wave performance discipline. There followed a string of top five finishes and, to consolidate these results, a third place in the Biggest Wave Event ever in Oahu Diamond Head. So Brian's image was firmly stamped as a major personality on the professional windsurfing tour. During 1995 Brian was badly injured and this kept his world ranking down. However, always ready to turn adversity into an opportunity he began to focus his attention even more on the media and publicity aspects of his sport. He created travelogues, featuring Barbados and other Caribbean islands, which were produced for all types of outlet including film, video and the print media. Brian continued to

B E A C H

focus on maintaining his image within the windsurfing community worldwide and to develop the entertainment aspects of the sport. This not only maintained and enhanced his image, but also increased his sponsorship value. During this time period he forged a relationship with Sporting Barbados magazine from its conception; and collaborated in producing amazing stories about sports in Barbados to visiting sporting people.; and he also appeared on four Sporting Barbados covers Along with all his other projects Brian also served for a time on the Professional Windsurfing Association Committee, which helps to govern the sport worldwide. One of the things he fought for during his time on the Committee was the lowering of the wind minimums as this change would allow more events to take place and at the same time maintain sponsorship levels. Thanks largely to Brian’s efforts this aim became a reality. Brian went on to play a major role in establishing the Professional Freestyle Tour. Together with his best friend Josh Stone, a two-time freestyle world champion, and Robby Seeger, a leading German wave sailor, he put together the tour guidelines in 1998 and created the discipline. In 1999 Brian came in tenth

overall on the Professional Freestyle Tour. After years of work aimed at establishing Barbados as one of the world’s best windsurfing destinations Brian had succeeded in bringing major world cup events to Barbados throughout the 1990’s, and finally in 1999 a grand prix wave event was held in Barbados – the highest level of the professional events worldwide. The next year, Brian conceptualized an unique concept for this time period called The Waterman Festival, combining windsurfing, surfing, boggy boarding and kiteboarding into one competition; along side beach cricket, swimming, conch shell blowing and other beach activities.. At the same time he launched the Island Boyz Adventure, Brian "Irie Man" Talma V Josh "Aloha Man" Stone creating a competitive rivalry between two best friends to see who wins.. This concept allowed Brian to re-inventing himself and Barbados through the festival & the Island Boyz Adventure to maintain or generate more coverage then the PWA World Cups as cost effective as possible to promote Barbados. This spectacular promotion generated a huge amount of publicity in all types of media outlet. Together the two athletes and best friends highlighted their respective homes – Barbados, and the wider Caribbean, and

C U L T U R E

Hawaiian islands and promoted windsurfing, kiteboarding and surfing in fun and very competitive environment.. This consolidated Brian as an waterman and further development of Brian's vision of the Beach Culture World Tour. Brian recorded his first song, "Irie Man Action", in Jamaica, the same year and has continued to produce music to tell his story as a beach man and blended into the Waterman Festival. Continuing on his path of long-term development as a waterman Brian competed in the prestigious Artificial Wave Tour in 1999 and was able to promote the sport in locations as varied as Norway, Austria, Germany, Dubai, Australia, and South Africa. At this point in his career Brian was still promoting action water sports but had begun to focus more and more on the entertainment side of things. This tour invited the best board riders in the world to take part, including Kelly Slater, Tony Hawke, Rush Randle and Jason Prior. Around this time there was one occasion that Brian remembers in a very personal way. He was speaking at the NEA Awards presenting the newcomers award for windsurfing and Brian asked the crowd “HOW DO YOU LIVE FOREVER?” The audience goes silent and Of course Brian’s

127 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

B E A C H

C U L T U R E

shout out "REPRODUCTION" from generation to generation. Brian’s own personal immortality was ensured in 2002 when his first daughter, Sunshine, was born and more joined his Sunshine clan, Starlite, Lion Reef, Rainbow and Ocean Blu Brian's first trip to Maui in the early 1990s was through an invitation by fellow windsurfer Dave Kalama (now legendary waterman), who had an major influence on him along with the rest of Strappers as they were called in though days. As the development of kiteboarding was happening in Maui in the 1990s, Brian found himself in the right place at the right time. His long time relationship with the Naish family was rekindled, Robby Naish sponsored Brian with all the kite gear he needed. Brian started to play his part in the kiteboarding revolution and added it to his Beach Culture World Tour, promoting action sports and their culture. Brian was invited to the first professional kiteboarding event in the Dominican Republic, as a personality to promote the sport. Since kiteboarding was so new, it didn't have the personalities, so Brian's function was to bring his high profile personality to take the sport mainstream and tap into the windsurfing market. As windsurfing played a major role in the developmental stages of kiteboarding. In 2003 Brian began to seriously promote his Beach Culture World Tour philosophy. He used the professional windsurfing tour as a basis and was also promoting various locations as windsurfing & kiteboarding destinations. Brian’s concept of a Beach Culture World Tour took off the same year, and by using his own personal high profile within the windsurfing world he found the key to this tour succeeding. Brian also packaged a range of marketing tools including using the conch shell as the tour’s symbol. Other

items included deAction Maps, deAction Beach Culture Diaries, and a compilation of Beach Culture Music. Conch shell blowing contest was part of the action and Brian also performed his own music. All these different aspects worked together to produce another highly successful Brian Talma venture. Event organizers began inviting Brian to participate in their events – either to compete or to bring along his Beach Culture Show. Opportunities were coming to him, which in turn enabled him to provide entertainment spectacles both on and off the water. Brian’s Beach Culture philosophy, which specifically includes Bajan, or Barbadian, beach culture, promotes the concept of blending together the surfing society with the fishing community, thus creating a unique way of life. But Beach Culture actually embraces any and every lifestyle that revolves around the sea. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, paddle surfing, fishing, and the architecture used for homes, are all included under the Beach Culture umbrella. The Beach Culture World Tour has become a motivational presentation with the message to everyone that they should always follow their dreams. As Brian would say, “Find your passion. Live your dream”. Back to base in Barbados, . Brian redeveloped his deAction Surf Shop in 2007, by adding accommodations and a restaurant. He also started to developing his beach culture art , painting and writing his poetry onto his shop, wooden signs scattered across the island and canvases ,He has also incorporated his art into the design of his deAction style of beach wear which is a line of board shorts, bags, tshirts, etc. The building and location are a true reflection of the Bajan Beach Culture concept coupled with Brian's own image and personality. So the Beach Culture

128 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

World Tour has not only enabled Brian to obtain a great deal of mainstream coverage for the sport of surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding and SUPing but now, at deAction World, he is also able to entertain and educate tourists and journalists alike so they get the full Beach Culture Experience on all levels. By the mid 2000s. And still living half his time in Maui, and once again, Dave Kalama influence came into play with a simple conversation about stand up paddling at Hookipa, Maui. Brian caught the stand up paddling bug and returned back to Barbados. He returned back to Maui for a very special meeting with Swen Rasmuin (CEO of Starboards) and Jeff Henderson (Owner of Hot Sails) and introduced the sport to them, seeing if Starboard was going to introduce it to their windsurfing line. The rest is history. Brian, seeing the amazing possibilities with SUPing, brought the sport back to Barbados; and as Brian says,"This is my biggest contribution to action watersport, helping establish this amazing sport around the world from nothing. I added SUPing to my Beach Culture World Tour, and my first goal was to establish it in Barbados, and the rest of the Caribbean and next was Europe. I am extremely proud to have achieved my goal when so many people didn't believe in our vision, SUP is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world" Again, Stand Up paddling used the same distribution channels as windsurfing, with the brands, competitions, trade show, etc and as a high profile professional athlete Brian was one of the key personality to help establish the sport in the Caribbean, Europe and the USA. During this time period he was now full sponsored Naish international including windsurfing, kiteboarding and

B E A C H

C U L T U R E

now Stand Up Paddling. In 2007 he began to compete internationally, in Holland, Germany, Austria and the U.K and quickly becoming a SUP personality. partnering with international hotel such as Club Roberson in Turkey & the Maldives to promote their destinations and the sport. Stand Up Paddle became an important part of his Beach Culture Tour World promoting destinations, athletes and culture. SUP reenergized Brian's quest for adventure and re-discovering Barbados; with no support boat or nobodies knowledge in 2008 he paddled through the day and the night around Barbados which is a 166 square miles mass, He said, "It was the second biggest adventure after windsurfing Jaw the biggest ride able wave, because it's was just the elements and deAction B Me" By 2009, he staged Last Waterman

Standing......SUPing Around Barbados as a race. This was a continuation of his first event he ever organized Last Waterman Standing.....windsurfing Around Barbados in 1989 following his vision these sports play an enormous role in sports destination tourism which is a mult-million industry. By 2010, Brian was the face for SUPing in Europe and was the poster boy and image for the biggest European event, the German SUP World Cup in Hamburg. And travel through Europe promoting the sport. The BCWT, was to become a dominant part of Brianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, to promote destinations, athletes and this culture and he established it around the world by collaborating with event organizers. He created a tour that travels the world, either by being part of an events called BCWT Pro or/and having the ultimate BCWT event, by the staging of the BCWT World

130 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Championship which he achieved his first in Tobago in 2014 and Hawaii in 2015. This in collaboration with staging either Windsurfing World Cup or the Waterman festival; maintained Barbados in the world action watersport scene. 2016 marks thirty years of work and achievement by Brian Talma in the surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding and SUPing world. This year he celebrated by having the Beach Culture World Championship in Barbados which he claims is the most successful project he ever produced. As a waterman, the coverage spanned across windsurfing, kiteboarding and Stand Up Paddling magazines with amazing activity in social media world, ; simultaneously he launched a project called "Organic Tourism " by promoting and doing business with local businessess in Silver Sand area in Barbados to create a safe, healthy and prosperous community from the bottom up; and re-building the old ship wreak next to his shop creating a museum depicting his career and the rich fish community's heritage with the objective of utilizing his image to create this area as a major Sport & Culture site to visit in Barbados. Also he released his song & video,"The Brain Smiles & Life Sing" in collaborate with international producer York from German and South African singer. This was all rewarded, by finally being official induced as a Sport Ambassador for Barbados, as Brian says,"The brain smiles, life sings...Happy rings and we dance to the music!!" "Action! Action!! and more Action!!! Always driven by his passion for the sport and his passion for Barbados, Brian will continue to move onward and upward; he will always be an innovator â&#x20AC;&#x201C; possibly always a romantic. However, coupled with these qualities Brian has his feet firmly on the ground and maintains a keen eye for business at all times. Truly an all-round promoter of Beach Culture, Brian remains an official ambassador extraordinaire for Barbados, and for Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing too. Brian is possibly one of the few people who truly get to live their dream, "getting paid to play". He has competed, he has created his own image, he has become an entrepreneur, he has made his own music and poetry, he has never consciously striven to be "cool" - he has just been himself and lived his dream.

THE BAJAN SURFING INVASION by Alan Burke

Josh Burke 132 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S U R F I N G

133 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S U R F I N G

Barbados has produced many world class surfers over the years. There are more Barbadian surfers on the Premier World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) than ever before quietly gaining a nick name "The Bajan Invasion" by the commentators and surfers alike

SURFING Surfing as we know it ,standing while riding a wave on the "Modern" Surfboard began in Barbados in the early 60's. Surfboards in this era were garagemade by the local surfers and were constructed of hollow plywood material weighing in excess of 50 lbs! Leashes (a.k.a Shock Cords) were yet to be invented therefore resulting in numerous long swims to the beach to retrieve the damaged boards from the reef/rocks. The sport has come a long way since then with the introduction of Fibre glass boards and the improved competitive aspect from the late 60's and also the growth of many Surf schools. Surfing has evolved from a past time / hobby / beach bum image to a reputable Professional sport with over 23 million active surfers in over 100 countries world wide and now it will be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The sport of surfing is a multi billion dollar industry. Governments all over the world have become the primary sponsors for these Premier Pro surf events in an effort to capitalize on the rapidly growing surf tourism industry. Besides the influx of the competitive surfers,friends,family & supporters to our island ,these events attract massive viewership via LIVE webcast,coverage in the various surf medias and social media postings in addition to the postings by the Professional athletes themselves, many of whom have a tremendous base of followers. I believe the direction should be to host these elite events primarily to attract visitors to our shores and to provide an opportunity for our local athletes to showcase their talents while earning valuable rankings points to enhance their status in their pro careers and world rankings that ultimately benefit

the country. Oxford University economist researchers Thomas McGregor & Samuel Wills have completed recent studies that have shown that high quality waves generate economic activity worth US $50 billion per year globally approximately $20 billion per year for every region with quality surf nearby that consistently produces good waves. Barbados, our island, falls well under this demographic. Sporting Barbados celebrates 20 years in producing a high quality Sporting Magazine and has promoted surfing consistently through the years. Prior to 1994 the annual Soup Bowl event in Bathsheba was a local National Championship and Caribbean Cup team event which then evolved to Pro surfing level. In 2007 global apparel & footwear brand REEF signed on to a three year contract with the Barbados Surfing Association to sponsor the annual Independence Pro which was a terrific boost. Although the 1991 Sprite Caribbean Cup had a record crowd, this kicked off a decade of high level performance pro surfing with a spectatorship in the tens of thousands over these years. It was held, of course, at one of the best surf spots in the world, Soup Bowl in Bathsheba. Eleven time World Champion and one of the greatest athletes of all time Kelly Slater (winner of the event in 2001) has our wave listed in his Auto biography as his 4th most favorite wave on this planet. This speaks volumes of which we Bajans can all be proud of. The Soup Bowl Barbados Pro has become a favorite for aspiring pro surfers from all corners of the globe to participate in,mainly due to the friendly locals,relaxed

134 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

vibe ,scenic environment and of course the amazing surf that is basically guaranteed during their visit. Barbados has produced many world class surfers over the years. There are more Barbadian surfers on the Premier World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) than ever before quietly gaining a nick name "The Bajan Invasion" by the commentators and surfers alike with Josh Burke & Chelsea Tuach leading the charge, Tuach qualified for the WSL World Championship Women's tour for the 2016 year ,while Burke in his first full year on the WSL QS Men's tour is already qualifying in the QS 6000 events. Other invasion hopefuls are Chelsea Roett (WSL QS Women's), Bruce Mackie,Dane Mackie ,Che Allan,Jacob Burke and Zander Venezia actively competing in the QS Men's & WSL Juniors respectively. The future for surfing is very bright along with the success currently being achieved by our surfers on tour and the Barbados Surfing Association is working continually to push this tremendous sport. This vibrant governing body for surfing in Barbados is focusing on providing opportunities for our up and coming preteens by hosting a series of local events known as the Surfer Of The Year (S.O.T.Y) and the annual WSL JR Men's & JR. Women's events for the past few years in addition to taking complete Junior teams every year to represent Barbados at the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championships. Surfing has enormous potential to attract thousands to our shores and our young surfers are doing their utmost to get the Barbados brand out there! The future looks really bright!

Bruce Mackie

Chelsea Tuach

Zander Venezia 135 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

The Soup Bowl Barbados Pro has become a favorite for aspiring pro surfers from all corners of the globe to participate in,mainly due to the friendly locals,relaxed vibe ,scenic environment and of course the amazing surf that is basically guaranteed during their visit.

Chelsea Roett - photo by Ozzman 136 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

experience barbados att Divi Southwinds a S outhwinds Bea Beach ch Resor Resortt

Sweeping bea Sweeping beaches. ches. Livel Lively y festivals. S waying palm Swaying trees. C olorful culture. Colorful Enjoy Enjoy the best of Bar Barbados bados when yyou ou sta stay ayy at Southwinds Bea ch Resor t. O ur loc ation Divi Southwinds Beach Resort. Our location in the S t. Lawrence Lawrence Gap means yyou'll ou'll be St. cclose lose to dining and enter entertainment tainment optio options ns during dur ing yyour ourr sta stay. ayy. Best of all, all,, our al all-suite l-suite pr property operty with ful fully ly equipped kitchens kitchens and ggenerous enerous rresort esort amenities means you you ccan an leav leavee yyour our w worries orries behind as yyou ou gget et the most out of yyour our island va vacation. cation.

15% 15% OFF best available available rate rate

Freshwater pools & swim up bar 3 Freshwater Pureoc ean restaurant restaurant Pureocean Bea ch (it's stunning!) Beach Bea ch chairs and to wels Beach towels D ay spa & bea ut y salon Day beauty Fitness c enter center C hildren’s pla y areas Children’s play Lig hted tennis c our t Lighted court C om plimentar y kids club Complimentary 9-Hole minia ture golf c ourse miniature course Water sports* W ater spor ts* Wi-Fi Free W i-Fi option available All-Inclusive opti on a vaila ble stay eatt ffree Kids sta y & ea ree And muchh mor more! A nd so muc e!

ough 2017 ffor or ttravel ravel thr through Go online: bit.ly/SportingBGI bit. ly/Spor tingBGI S Select: elect: “Disc “Discount ount C Code” ode” En Enter: ter: S SportingBGI por tingBGI *Available at aadditional dditional cost. Kids stay *Available sttay ay and eat ffree frree pr program rrog ogram ffor or cchildren hildrren 12 and unde fr f rom mA Apr pril 2 thr rough ough Decemb er 17. underr from April through December

divisouthwinds.com divisouthwinds.com • 1-2 1-246-418-7300 46-418-7300

138 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

D I V I N G

20 Reasons To Dive in Barbados 5. Ideal novice/training conditions With near perfect conditions and a variety of excellent shallow dive sites the conditions are ideal for learning to dive. So no excuses! Give it a go! 6. Training from novice to Dive Master The full spectrum of scuba diving training is available in Barbados with core courses in fundamental diving and a variety of specialty courses. 7. Boat Diving All recreational diving is conducted by boat on the West and South coasts of the island. 8. Wreck diving for the novice to advanced Barbados is known as the wreck diving capital of the Caribbean with its variety of wrecks that have developed over the years into fabulous artificial reefs. 1. Fringing Reef Barbados is the only coral limestone island in the Caribbean. This provides for a fringing coral reef along the entire shoreline making it a first class destination to dive! 2. Crystal clear waters With 60 feet to 100 feet of visibility all year around you will be challenged to absorb all there is to see. 3. Warm water Sea temperatures average between 26 & 29 degrees centigrade all year around. This will only vary by a degree or so at depth. 4. All year around diving With visibility, water temperature and sea conditions being fairly constant the diving in Barbados is generally good all year around.

9. Diving on Nitrox Nitrox diving has become popular due to the diminished nitrogen effect and the perception of less fatigue. Hightide Watersports located in Coral Reef Hotel on the West Coast, offers a Nitrox service in both training and mixed gas supply by arrangement. 10. Technical Diving Advanced recreational diving in Barbados is increasingly becoming more technical. Technical diving training programs are available through Hightide Watersports. 11. Hyperbaric Chamber A hyperbaric chamber was installed in Barbados in 2004 and is operated 24/7 by a special health unit of the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) 12. Carlisle Bay In order to preserve the marine bio diversity and 6 major wrecks Carlisle Bay is

139 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

D I V I N G

DIVING designated a protected area and is managed by the Coastal Zone Management Unit

13. Folkestone Marine Park Extending from the northern point of the Sandy Lane beach to the northern point of Heron Bay, the marine park encompasses some wonderfully preserved healthy reefs in fairly shallow water such as Dottins, Fishermans and Church Point. 14. Underwater Photography Barbados is ideal for underwater photography with lots of healthy, vibrant, brightly coloured reefs and a variety of marine life.

15. Cement Plant Pier A marine life magnate with regular sightings of the rare Barbados Frog Fish and the even rarer worldwide Sea Horse. A macro photographers dream. 16. Barbados Sea Turtle Project For more than 25 years, the Barbados Sea Turtle Project has been involved in conservation of the endangered marine turtle species that forage around and nest

on Barbados through research, education and public outreach as well as monitoring of nesting females, juveniles and hatchlings. 17. Turtle Tagging The Barbados Sea Turtle Project actively monitor turtles and update their extensive unrivalled database of turtle information accumulated in association with Hightide Watersports. They have been doing this over the past 15 years. Turtle no. 1160 of this endangered species was recorded on the Hightide dive boat in August 2016. 18. SS Stavronikita This wreck is regularly listed in the top 100 dive sights world wide. This Greek merchant freighter was deliberately sunk in November 1978 and over time has become a truly wonderful artificial reef. Sitting on a slope with the prop at 135 feet, the wreck is 365 feet long . The Deck runs from 75 feet (bow) to 100 feet (stern). 19. MV Trident The newest addition to the Barbados wreck portfolio, the MV Trident, the decommissioned flagship of the Barbados

140 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

coast guard, was sunk in Carlisle Bay on the 28th April 2016. 20. Hightide Watersports Operating as a PADI scuba diving centre since 1993 Hightide Watersports is established as the most recognizable name in Barbados scuba diving. Hightide are the only dive operator based in Folkestone Marine Park and are centrally located for the best diving. The Hightide team average 15 years together, a longevity which is reflected in the excellence of diving provision and procedural safety. So what are you waiting for?

142 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F I S H I N G

Bajan Fishing a growing tourism sport! By James Pierce

Brian Cheeseman & crew from La Paloma

The Barbados International Fishing Tournament is a premier fishing event in the Southern Caribbean, and attracts participants from across the region and internationally each year for five days of fun and competition. To describe it as a fishing tournament may be to do it an injustice as it is truly more than that, since the emphasis in recent years has been on making everyone a winner. The tournament moved to Port St. Charles, St. Peter a few years ago and continues to go from strength to strength with visiting friends, anglers and their families from places such as Antigua, Grenada, Guadeloupe, England, Italy, Martinique, Jamaica, Scotland, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United States of America. The tournament is certified as a qualifying event for the annual IGFA (International Game Fishing Association) Offshore World Championships, and also

forms part of the Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit. The tournament is now in its 28th year, and has grown out of earlier inter-club tournaments held by the Barbados Game Fishing Association that just celebrated its 55th Anniversary this year, having been founded in 1961. In 2016 the tournament was again a big success, and saw a total of 34 boats and 225 anglers participating, with some great catches being recorded as the teams reveled in the magnificent conditions. Due to trophy size minimum weights, all Blue Marlin, Sailfish and White marlin were released, while some trophy Yellowfin Tuna and scores of Wahoo and Dolphin were landed that helped the drive to assist the needy children of the island. Sponsored mainly by Republic Bank, Insurance Corporation of Barbados, Port St. Charles Marina, Williams Industries, Digicel and Mount Gay Rum, the tournament attracted teams from around the Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit as well as internationally, and owes a great debt to all its sponsors. The Barbados Game Fishing Association’s 28th Anniversary tournament runs from April 19th to April 23rd in 2017 and big things are planned for the beautiful Port St. Charles Marina. You can check out the BGFA and the tournament at https://www.facebook.com/BarbadosGam eFishing/?fref=ts. Apart from the fishing, there is much dockside activity after fishing to help liven the event, and each evening after fishing sees hundreds of people gathered to witness the boats arriving with their catch (and of course their tall tales about the proverbial “one that got away”), as well as to join in the festivities. In this regard, evenings at Port St. Charles had activities such as cocktail parties, a fashion show, wine-tasting, live band, music, happy hour drinks, pig-roast and fish fry to name a few. The prize-giving ceremony involved just over 300 guests that thoroughly enjoyed the evening and Captain Greg Ward and his team on Grey Ghost won themselves an invitation to the

143 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F I S H I N G

FISHING IGFA Offshore Championships next year in Quepos, Costa Rica, and hopefully they make it there to fly the Barbados flag for us. Sportsfishing in Barbados has made great strides, but is still lagging behind countries such as the USA and other parts of the world in rebuilding and enhancing fisheries through promotion of sustainable fishing practices. The club has moved to release oriented practices for threatened species such as Billfish, but required legislative help to address the other 98% of large pelagic fish that are caught by commercial interests. Successful management programs in places such as the USA, Costa Rica and others have reaped huge benefits, while in the USA alone surveys have shown that there are twice as many Sportsfishermen (40 million) as Golfers, and even more than Golfers (24.4 million) and Tennis players (10.4 million) combined! With a combined economic output in the USA alone of over $115 billion, the economics of Sportsfishing make it a remarkable case study on the marriage of man and the environment. When you combine all of this with some great dockside fun and frolic on a Caribbean Island, well then as they say â&#x20AC;&#x153;the rest is historyâ&#x20AC;?!

144 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

146 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F O O T B A L L

MASTERS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL 20 YEARS & GROWING

by Paul Wright

147 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F O O T B A L L

After our recently concluded 20th Annual Festival which saw us host 22 overseas teams and close to 800 very diverse overseas sports tourists including Greenwich Pumas, a group of Argentinians and Peruvians resident in the USA, Republika Sprska, a group of Serbians resident in Canada as well as individuals/groups from as far afield as Russia and Qatar, it seemed appropriate to look back to our humble beginnings on this our 20th anniversary.

FOOTBALL It all began in May 1995 when the Queen’s Park Club of Trinidad came over for what had become an annual exchange with Wanderers, both teams formed predominately of over 35’s/over 40’s. To try something different we invited local “masters” teams from Notre Dame, Black Rock and Gall Hill to participate in a round robin tournament. Result………. a resounding success with Wanderers beating Queen’s Park 2-1 in the “final”. Following this, we discovered that St. Croix were hosting the “AT&T World Masters Tournament” (which turned out to comprise only seven teams, four of which were from the US Virgin Islands, one from St. Lucia, one from Trinidad and ourselves). We invited St. Croix to attend our first official Barbados International Masters Football Festival held over Whitsun weekend in 1996. To our surprise, we were able to attract further overseas entries from St. Vincent, Martinique and Antigua in addition to Queen’s Park (T&T) and St. Croix. A total of twelve teams participated including seven local teams following the formation of a local Masters League. 1997 saw the Festival grow to 16 teams including two international teams from the UK namely British Airways and Heathrow XS Baggage in addition to six regional teams and eight local teams. The 1997 Festival was an unbridled success and acted as a catalyst for the rapid expansion of our Festival.

Banks (Barbados) Breweries Ltd and the Barbados Tourism Association , recognising the huge potential of our Festival in the niche sports tourism market , came on board as major sponsors which enabled us to grow the tournament . The popularity of the Festival continued to increase, expanding from the five team format played on one ground over two days in 1995 to a 48 team format played over four days on four grounds and six pitches in 2016. Thankfully, with Banks and the new innovative Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. locked in to three year sponsorship contracts together with the advent of the social media, we are confidently targeting 28 overseas teams for the 2017 Festival and overseas teams for the 2018 Festival bringing in excess of 1200 sports tourists to our island at what is considered “low season on the tourism calendar. Yes we’ve come a long way from our very humble beginnings. The key being strict organisation and creating a carnival like “Caribbean” atmosphere at all grounds. We can boast of never having one late kick off in approximately 1500 games to date – quite an achievement in the somewhat “laid back” Caribbean. It would be extremely remiss of us not to extend our warmest thanks to Sporting Barbados and in particular Clarence and Pamela Hiles for their tremendous support in continuing to prominently feature our

148 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Festival in their unique annual sports tourism publication. In closing , we extend our warmest invitation to all “mature” footballers and their supporters , families and friends to partake in our 21st Festival scheduled for 2nd – 5th June 2017 by visiting our website at www.bimff.biz or our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BarbadosInternational-Masters-Football-Festival373334352862957/. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Paul “Starsky” Wright Chairman Festival Organising Committee

149 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

F O O T B A L L

Yes we’ve come a long way from our very humble beginnings. The key being strict organisation and creating a carnival like “Caribbean” atmosphere at all grounds. We can boast of never having one late kick off in approximately 1500 games to date – quite an achievement in the somewhat “laid back” Caribbean.

12 2 5 0/ /S S PP OO RR TT I NI N GGB B AA RR BB AA DD OO S S2 2 00 11 6 6/ /2 2 00 YY EE AA RR SS

F O O T B A L L

152 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Watch every game you want live in stunning HD with the Flow Sports Premier Pack. Plus stream or watch all 380 games live on the go with our app and enjoy exclusives like Manchester United TV, Chelsea TV and much more - only with Flow.

RUGBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COMING OF AGE IN THE OLYMPIC-ERA by George Nicholson

154 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U G B Y

155 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U G B Y

By the time that this article is published, sports fans the world over would have been introduced to Rugby Sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It should be noted that this was not Rugby’s Olympic debut, as Rugby Union (the 15-a-side version) was included in the 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924 Games, but excluded from subsequent Games due to the low number of participating countries.

RUGBY A lot has changed in the world of Rugby Union over the past 20 years with the push for inclusion in the Olympic Games starting in the early 1990s. Rugby’s then governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB – now World Rugby) recognized the need to increase the number of nations in which the sport is played as well as the number of women playing the game, in order to bolster its chances for inclusion in the Olympic Games. As such, developing Unions such as the Barbados Rugby Football Union (BRFU) started to receive funding for development directly from the IRB in the early years, which was aimed at boosting the Unions’ efforts to recruit new players, both male and female. In addition to increasing the global participation in Rugby Union, the IRB also had to comply with the International Olympic Committee’s limit on the number of athletes at the games. Rugby Sevens, which features squads of 12 players of which seven are on the field at any one time, is a perfect fit. Barbados and other Caribbean nations, blessed with fast, fit athletes that did not always have the physical attributes required to compete at the international level in the 15-a-side game, have found Rugby Sevens to be a more suitable tool to develop the game. The BRFU’s efforts in the late-‘90s to employ a Youth Rugby Development Officer in order to expose more young players to the game yielded moderate success, but the model was not sustainable without external funding. The advent of the IRB Development Grant funding made it possible for the BRFU to engage the services of a Rugby Development Officer, Dennis Hargreaves, who implemented and

ran the Schools Rugby programme for 12 years before stepping down from that position in 2014. His efforts yielded several crops of young players who provided both suitable opposition for touring school teams and new blood for the National 15a-side and 7-a-side teams, thus making Barbados a viable tour destination once again. World Rugby’s introductory programme, Get Into Rugby (GIR), was rolled out in Barbados under the supervision of its governing Regional Association, Rugby Americas North (RAN), in March of 2015. The programme has yielded immediate results, with a notable increase in the number of young boys and girls involved in the sport. Indeed, Barbados hosted two girl’s rugby tours from Trinidad in 2016, with the promise of more to come. This rapid growth in the number of women involved in the sport in Barbados, both at the playing and administrative levels, is typical of the rest of RAN, with women now comprising 42% of Rugby’s membership in the region, the highest in the world. Rugby teams are well known for their love of touring and, despite the depressed global economic situation that has persisted for several years, Barbados continues to be a destination of choice for Rugby teams, with the BRFU welcoming an average of six touring teams per year. (An exception was 2011, when Barbados hosted the NACRA Rugby Sevens Championships and welcomed 23 teams from the region over a five day period). As an example of the island’s attractiveness to US Rugby teams, the BRFU hosted five Ivy League schools between 2010 and 2015, with word of

156 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

mouth between them being the main means of advertisement. Barbados’ recent achievement of qualifying for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with the financial support of the Olympic Solidarity Fund through the Barbados Olympic Association, yielded dividends in terms of touring sides due to the intense media coverage of the team during the games. As a direct consequence of that exposure, two teams toured Barbados in 2015, with one party comprising 43 members that virtually occupied an entire small hotel on the South coast. Barbados was once again in the Rugby and international limelight when the inaugural Rugby Barbados World 7s took place on December 10th-11th, 2016 in Holetown, Barbados, In keeping with the global drive to promote and expand women’s Rugby, the tournament offered US$ 15 000 in prize money for the Women’s Open competition. Teams from the USA, UK, Canada and the Caribbean participated in two days of intense competition and three days of Rugby fun. We look forward to welcoming you to sunny Barbados to enjoy our beaches and the Rugby Sevens action in 2017! (For information on the tournament, please visit www.barbados7s.com or www.sportingbarbados.com or follow us on Facebook at Rugby Barbados World 7s.) The Barbados Rugby Football Union takes this opportunity to congratulate Sporting Barbados on its 20 years of excellence in Sports Tourism journalism, and looks forward to working with Hiltop Publications Ltd for another 20 years.

157 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U G B Y

Rugby teams are well known for their love of touring and, despite the depressed global economic situation that has persisted for several years, Barbados continues to be a destination of choice for Rugby teams, with the BRFU welcoming an average of six touring teams per year.

158 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

THE BIRTH, DEMISE & REVIVAL OF FESTIVAL HOCKEY by Clarence Hiles

160 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O C K E Y

161 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O C K E Y

The birth of Barbados hockey is widely acknowledged as starting in the late 1920s, albeit it was slow progress with only sporadic visits of naval ships who made up the main competition. The real organization took place in the post-war era when Combermere School played actively and Pickwick Club played several other teams. In due course a formal Barbados Men’s Hockey Federation was formed in 1958.

HOCKEY The birth of Barbados hockey is widely acknowledged as starting in the late 1920s, albeit it was slow progress with only sporadic visits of naval ships who made up the main competition. The real organization took place in the post-war era when Combermere School played actively and Pickwick Club played several other teams. In due course a formal Barbados Men’s Hockey Federation was formed in 1958. Deighton Maynard is synonymous with hockey and first began at Combermere School in the early 1950s before joining the school as a teacher. His passion and enthusiasm produced some of the best hockey players in the island, and when he later moved to a military career in the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), he continued his hockey sporting work. He has been affectingly dubbed “Colonel Maynard” and continues after service postretirement. Spanning almost 60 years he has served as club, National player, National Coach and prolific regional and international organizer. It soon became the era of synthetic surfaces and in particular Astroturf and in 1986 came the birth of the Barbados Festival hockey. Men like Mike Owen and Tony Cozier were at the forefront and arguably they provided the biggest advance that was the catalyst in festival hockey resulting in international hockey on the island. Sports tourism was growing and overseas clubs were invited to an Invitational Hockey Tournament. The Astroturf pitch, facilities and competition were amongst the best in the world. In addition, Barbados had a special attraction as a beautiful island

offering unlimited sand, sea and sunshine and a plethora of nightlife, excursions, restaurants, beaches, and parties. Festival hockey in Barbados was quickly known throughout the world. Bank’s Beer has been a loyal and long-term sponsor. Overseas teams have been known to fade as the week long partying comes at a cost with the overseas teams consuming a little too much of the sponsor’s product! Sabotage by the locals??? Who could forget about the wonderful grand opening parades at the Astroturf, optional fancy dress, and a guaranteed party? Banks Beer and Cockspur Rum were drunk by the gallons. It was well known that the beer sales increased at the festival every August! Visitors came from all over the globe and included over 100 teams of men, women and supporters. They came from Abu Dhabi to Bermuda, from Ireland to Germany, from South Africa to United States, from Venezuela to Scotland, from England to Italy and Germany. And what about these colourful names that captured the spirit of the tournament? They ranged from the Artful Dodgers from Wales, Auld Reekies from Scotland, RAF Flyers, Madhatters, and Pigs will Fly from England. And who can forget about the Caribbean teams and the hosts who joined the party revelry? More often than not, the hosts emerged as winners. Barbadians are renowned for lasting the distance when it comes to a party, or two! Perhaps it was never going to end, but it happened and it came with a big bump. Astroturf has a life span and eventually had

162 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

to be replaced. Without Astroturf, top players were not going to play on long grass. But unfortunately the funds were not available and as the days became months, the months became years. Hockey on a bad surface was not so attractive, irrespective of Barbados as an island. Sadly over eight years the bulk of visitors almost disappeared. The Festival still continued during August, but the sparkle had gone. In the absence of Astroturf the festival depended on helpful hosts like the Kensington Oval, Dover, Police and Empire. The Oval is a great venue, but world hockey needs fast synthetic surfaces. This Festival is a great sports tourism product and everything should be done to make it happen! Happily, Festival Hockey has a bright horizon! President Mark St Hill of the Barbados Hockey Federation has promised to deliver in 2017. A former goalkeeper on the National team, Mark’s committee has vowed to provide a refurbished Astroturf. He commented at the last festival in August; “I’m extremely pleased. We had two touring teams in 2015 and five in 2016. It was very pleasing to me as we wanted the fun brought back into the tournament and we achieved it. I feel it is a good platform to build on in 2017.” Overseas teams can win this tournament and over the years many have said the experience has been priceless so come on over for the fun and beer! It’s a Festival not to be missed! For more information www.barbadoshockey.org

163 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

H O C K E Y

HOCKEY

164 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Tommy Hill vs three-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Bushy Park 166 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

MOTORSPORT SPEEDING AHEAD by Mark Wheeler

167 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

M O T O R S P O R T

While island motor sport can trace its roots back to the 1930s, the start of a structured calendar of events did not follow until 1957, when the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) was founded on the success of the inaugural June Rally. As the Club and Sporting Barbados mark 60th and 20th milestones respectively, it is a good time to look back . ..

MOTORSPORT

Saloon car racing at Bushy Park circa 1974

By the time the launch edition of Sporting Barbados was published, motor sport had expanded significantly, the BRC by then one of four clubs catering for various disciplines. Founded in 1979, the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc (MCBI) drew hundreds of spectators to its ‘acceleration tests’, the Barbados Karting Association (BKA) was marking its 10th Anniversary, while the Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL) had organised its first race meetings at Bushy Park in 1996. While the sport had grown in scope, it was still largely amateur in nature, the social side of an event – or the evening ‘lime’ that followed - as important to the participants as the results. That would change somewhat, however, as expertise in vehicle preparation and driving skills grew, along with higher levels of sponsorship, to bring additional pressure to achieve. That said, the overseas competitors who now flock to the island every year to compete on race track or rally stage all remark on the social nature of our events, compared with what many see as the over-regulated and sterile state of the sport ‘back home’, particularly in the UK, from where the majority travel. In the past 20 years, three further clubs have been formed – the Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sport Club (VRMSC) in 2001, bringing with it a new venue and the discipline of Rallysprint, the Barbados Association of Dragsters and Drifters

168 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

(BADD) in 2011 and, finally, Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc (BPMSI) in 2014. Perhaps more significant, however, was the creation in 2001 of an umbrella organisation, the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), which has played a key role in motor sport’s exponential development in recent years. Bushy Park is as good a place as any to start this trip down Memory Lane. The first two chapters of the St Philip facility’s story were written in the 1970s and early ‘90s, when it was a successful circuit racing venue run by the BRC, first for four years, then again for two, before being forced in to closure on each occasion by a global fuel crisis. When BARL was formed two decades ago, the venue had largely fallen into disrepair, the perimeter fencing installed by the 1990s promoters dismantled and the Clubhouse a shadow of its former self. The enthusiasm of the Club’s members, a determination to see circuit racing thrive again and success in wooing corporate sponsors resulted in steady progress, however; the venue became a co-host of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship, regional racers returned and spectators turned out in their numbers. That chapter ended in 2013, when the facility was closed for nine months – a remarkably short hiatus, compared with most regional time-lines - during which it was transformed into a world-class multi-

Radical SR3 Cup racing at Bushy Park

Sol Rally Barbados

M Sport works driver Elfyn Evans at Sol Rally Barbados

Suzuki Swift Cup racing at Bushy Park 169 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

M O T O R S P O R T

Barry Mayers

Three-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton

Stuntbikes performing during the Barbados Festival of Speed

purpose facility and the first 24/7 motor sport venue in the English-speaking Caribbean. Under the management of Bushy Park Circuit Inc (BPCI), the redevelopment has brought with it worldrenowned brand names such as Top Gear Festival, the Race Of Champions and Red Bull Global Rallycross, along with arguably the sport’s biggest brand name of all, three-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Fiercely proud of his Caribbean roots in Grenada, he jumped at the invitation to be the ‘headline act’ at TGF Barbados, which launched Bushy Park to a global audience in May 2014, since when he says he has adopted the island as a second home. He has returned twice for the annual August Crop Over Festival – in 2016, he even arrived overnight direct from Hockenheim, where he had won the German GP the previous day – and also starred in May 2016 at the inaugural Barbados Festival of Speed, which BPCI 170 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

intends to develop into a ‘must-see’ annual event for both locals and tourists. Aside from Hamilton, a regular stream of movers and shakers from Formula 1, British Touring Cars, European F3, British GTs, British Superbikes and other high-profile championships have landed in the island, some for brief holidays, others investing in holiday homes. Barbados has become a popular destination in world motor sport circles . . . and not just in circuit racing. Already well-established on many a rally fan’s ‘bucket list’ is Sol Rally Barbados, which has grown from a local event attracting around 30 local entries in 1990 to a major pillar of the island’s sportstourism product – 20 years ago, the entry had risen to around 50, including half-adozen or so regional crews, but the figure is now closer to 100. A record overseas entry of 45 crews in 2015 brought more than 4,500 visitor nights to the island and an injection of approaching Bds$3.8 million, much of it in valuable foreign

M O T O R S P O R T

Dane Skeete on Sol Rally Barbados - Photo by Nicholas Bhajan courtesy of the Barbados Rally Club

exchange. And there is potential for further expansion - in 2016, a current World Rally Championship crew competed in Sol RB for the first time, Elfyn Evans and Craig Parry, just a few months before they clinched the British Rally Championship and mid-way through their WRC campaign. They drove a state-of-the-art Ford Fiesta R5 Evo and enjoyed support from M-Sport, which runs the Ford WRC operation and had senior personnel in the island, who were impressed with what they saw. It is not just the steady increase in overseas participants which has contributed to the growth of motor sport, however, although they do offer locals a benchmark against which to rate themselves. In recent years, as many as 500 local drivers and co-drivers have been licensed annually by the BMF, many using far more advanced machinery than 20 years ago. While the idea of race and rally cars being imported is nothing new – many raced by visitors to Bushy Park

in the 1970s were never freighted home – island drivers increasingly look to importation, with Duty Free concessions negotiated by the BMF for competition vehicles and parts making it a more affordable process. Much has changed in island motor sport over the past two decades, but the names are still familiar, not least as family has always played such a major part. In the launch issue of Sporting Barbados, the drivers pictured in action included St Elmo Cumberbatch, Doug Maloney and Roger Skeete. While St Elmo has retired, replaced by sons Sammy and Owen, Maloney and Skeete are still going strong; Maloney’s sons Mark, Sean and Stuart and grandsons Zane and Joshua also rep the family name, while ‘The Sheriff’s son Dane has now taken his own place among the island’s elite.

174 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

M O T O R S P O R T

Elfyn Evans on Sol Rally Barbados - Photo by Nicholas Bhajan courtesy of the Barbados Rally Club 176 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

M O T O R S P O R T

Republic Bank “Blue Machine” debuts with Sol Rally Barbados group win

Motor rallying in Barbados’ took a spectacular turn in 2016 when Republic Bank’s dazzling Blue BMW M3 rally car was unveiled at the Hilton Hotel to a chorus of oohs, aahs, and approving looks from an audience of motorsport fans and journalists. Billed as the fastest Blue Machine ever introduced by Republic Bank, the strikingly attractive rally car caught the eye of spectators at its first Flow King of the Hill event late in May. The newly rebuilt BMW then marked its debut season with a Group SM3 win, and a commendable 16th place overall in Sol Rally Barbados, held over the first weekend in June. It was the first ever group win for the pair of driver Justin Campbell and navigator Juan Watts coming in their first year sponsored by Republic Bank. It also came as a dream entry into the motorsport arena for Republic Bank Managing Director and CEO, Ian De Souza. “Justin and Juan, and the entire

Campbell Racing Team have done us proud and we are extremely pleased to be a partner with them on this journey. We will continue to support them as they go from strength to strength. This is just the beginning. We are looking forward to further success and they will have our full backing as they take the Blue Machine onto the regional rally circuit representing Barbados at events in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago,” De Souza said. Speaking during the final stage of Rally Barbados at the Vaucluse Raceway, Campbell attributed the group win and overall performance to an outstanding team effort. “This year’s Sol Rally Barbados was very competitive with some pretty challenging courses, and credit must go to our entire team. We had suspension and differential issues from King of the Hill, and then after getting accustomed to a new sequential gearbox, we had additional problems which again were resolved with

178 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

the help of our team. Our plan was to stay on the road, be consistent and finish the rally and we did it,” Campbell noted. The young motorsport competitor was full of praise for the support of his full team of sponsors. “The support of sponsors is very important. Being sponsored by Republic Bank is a new experience for us and has been excellent. The Republic Bank team treated us like family. They asked for results, we delivered, and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership.” Campbell added. Republic Bank’s sponsorship of motorsports is an extension of the Bank’s support of local sports and sporting organisations which also includes tennis, golf, sailing, game fishing and horse racing.

Julian ‘Michael Jackson’ White 180 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R O A D

T E N N I S

Road Tennis a True Bajan Gem by Kenmore Bynoe

Kerry â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;TCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Francis

As Barbados celebrates 50 years of Independence it is only fitting that some tribute be paid to the only sport which was created in this island, road tennis. Although a lot of uncertainty surrounds most of the history of the sport which many claim was started in the 30s, it is unanimous that road tennis evolved from the bowels of poverty during a period where social and racial discrimination prevented poor blacks from joining or participating in lawn tennis. A crudely drawn court on any flat surface and a piece of board served as a racquet with a piece of string stretched across the centre of the court acting as a net in those early days in the late 50s. Many people would be shocked to learn that most of the players from that era had already fashioned or would go on to make a name for themselves in many other disciplines. Players like Keith "Grell" Griffith, Antony "Gabby" Carter, Victor "Gas" Clarke, Lance Bynoe, Victor

Eastmond, Nicky Bryan and Tyrone Forde were some of the earliest champions when the game was played at Weymouth, the former home of the Combermere School. The nearby lawn tennis courts at the current Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited lot provided used tennis balls which were skinned for road tennis. Woolworth would later import balls which were used for the sport by those persons who could afford to buy rather than beg for balls. The lack of expense in playing the sport and the recognised physical conditioning led to an explosion of the game throughout St. Michael and beyond with some of the parishes with better back roads getting on board. The game took the Orleans area by storm with unofficial sponsorship of players leading to many of the top contenders being backed financially by those persons who saw the dollar value in wagering on their "man". Unlike other road courts, only

the brave asked those players in Orleans to move the board net rather that finding an alternative road to traverse the area. The establishment of the courts in Deacons, Tweedside Road and then the Deighton "Pa" Roach Centre in Bush Hall became the first venues where road tennis could be played without interruption since they were exclusive courts. The latest addition of Belfield would lead to many of the top players moving around to the various courts to accept challenges while earning some money for themselves and their backers. Roach was part of that golden era when a national champion lasted just one tournament as the likes of Curtis "Socks" Bailey, Jerry "Punching Marine" Bailey, Edward "Dabo" Carrington, Anthony "Limp" Richardson, Jeffrey "Barah" Best, Charles "McEnroe" Griffith, Anthony "Tiny" Jordan, Sylvan "Llama" Barnett, Andy "Black Dog" Richards, Philip "Foff" Garner and many others proved to be

181 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R O A D

T E N N I S

Marson Johnson

Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith

Darius Gaskin

Kim Holder

182 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R O A D

T E N N I S

ROAD TENNIS White & Griffith battling it out

terrors on the court. During that era the Barbados Road Tennis Association was formed with Trevor Waithe becoming its first president. The women's game took flight with captain Sandra Bailey soaring above everyone else including many males who could not match her skills. Pauline Ifill, Marie Gill and Patsy Rouse were some of the first females who challenged but could not conquer Bailey. With the arrival of Julian "Michael Jackson" White in the eighties and talented West St. Joseph smasher Antonio "Lil Man" Daniel, to be followed by the development of the World Road Tennis Federation, attempts were made by the likes of McArthur Barrow and Erskine King of the National Sports Council to export road tennis to the world. That proved to be a period where tennis competitions began to get daily coverage in the voice and print media and tournaments like the Banks Island Wide and Vietnam created tremendous interest if not much financial rewards. The Industrial Games provided a lifeline for the sport to grow nationally as many companies fielded teams in those games and road tennis became a popular after work activity around the island. Explorative trips to China, Venezuela and the United Kingdom did not generate the interest hoped for and tennis took a dive before the visionary Dale Clarke started the Racquets of Fire which saw White dominating that competition and St. Lucy Schoolgirl Abigail Haynes doing the unthinkable of stopping the seemingly invincible Kim Holder. Clarke would score a tremendous coup of taking Barnett to London to play international tennis star Andy Murray that proved to be a great hit for the sport.

Sadly, Clarke took a break from staging tournaments and road tennis suffered. It was only the tremendous efforts of Garner who held the post of interim president of the BRTA for over seven years which kept some competitions running. However, a renaissance of road tennis is taking place with the help of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth the Honorable Stephen Lashley, using Garner as his coordinator, to launch an island wide competition which then spawned the highly popular Silver Hill tournament. The island wide saw the best from every parish vying to prove their mettle against a dominant St. Michael and Christ Church and road tennis came of age with live television coverage of the two days of finals. Silver Hill proved even bigger in terms of spectatorship and with new finds like Victor "Earth" Ward and newly minted star Mark "Venom" Griffith, road tennis has began to orbit. Recognising the new interest in the sport and untapped potential, Clarke staged a series of lucrative tournaments with prizes over $10 000, glitzy launches and provided outfits for the players which gave a new dimension to the sport. The return of Daniel to competition added to the excitement as Griffith survived numerous challenges to dominate the sport at home and in New York where Clarke staged one of his finals. The organisational skills of Clarke and his Professional Road Tennis Association canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be matched as he utilised computer specialist Stig Meritt to chart and record the fixtures, results and rankings of players to which the media and the general public has easy access. Clarke has gone even further to develop the PRTA's branded ball. However, the PRTA achieved one of

184 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Clarke's greatest dreams of moving road tennis from the road with gutter water flowing on either sides when the competition was held at The Villages at Coverly with thousands of new faces turning out to enjoy the indigenous sport which had come of age. Not to be outdone, Juliet Worrell formed a committee which created the Touch of Class Women's competition which after two years has unearthed many new talents to challenge the likes of Holder, Haynes, Sheldene Walrond and Rachel Smith. The big bucks generated by the PRTA and the high standard of organisation they exhibited forced the other bodies to try to keep pace with prize monies as well as structure and many companies and individuals have been emerging to stage a plethora of road tennis competitions. The latest addition has seen six courts being laid down at the Barrack Building in Warrens while the Island Wide exceeded even the 60 foot tent which covered the court at Dover three years ago with the laying of a court in the Wildey Gymnasium for the edition which concluded in January. The PRTA also had a tournament to celebrate the island's 50th anniversary with a car on offer as the top prize. However, while the National Sports Council has struggled with one coach in an attempt to explode the sport of road tennis in schools, a private entity has organised a highly successful competition for primary schools two years in a row which has exposed a lot of young talent. Such talent has brought the indigenous sport of road tennis from the back streets of the island to be on the cusp of international recognition and acceptance.

Darian King 186 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

T E N N I S

Tennis through the years in Barbados Tennis has witnessed many changes over the last 50 years not just throughout the vast international tennis world but within Barbados too

Courts, Clothing and Racquets!

Martin Blackman

Originally formed in the 1940s when tennis everywhere was played on grass, the Barbados Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) held tournaments on the three courts located at the Garrison until the 1960s. Players attired in the popular Fred Perry whites with Green Flash sneakers deftly served and volleyed with Maxply wooden racquets strung with gut to avoid too many bad bounces on the grass! In the mid 1960s the BLTA moved its headquarters to the Harbour Road where play changed to the baseline with longer rallies on the more reliable bouncing concrete courts. New style racquets made from aluminium with synthetic strings got larger, and topspin and two handed backhands began to dominate the game. Tennis kit became more colorful with shortlength, tighter shorts for the gents and more fashionable outfits available for the ladies. In 1992 the Association made its official and current home in the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on the hard courts of the National Tennis Centre. In the late 1990s racquet frames again changed to the more powerful and sophisticated granite and titanium, which produced explosive exchanges from both the baseline and net; yellow replaced the white balls and slower red, orange and green balls and mini courts were introduced for beginners and under 10s.

Designer-made multi colored tenniswear and shoes endorsed by sponsors are now the order of the day. In 2006 the BLTA finally dropped the Lawn from its name and rebranded itself as the Barbados Tennis Association to move into the thoroughly modern era of professional tennis.

Opportunities through tennis

In the 1960s Barbados was part of the West Indies Federation through its membership in the Commonwealth Caribbean Lawn Tennis Association (CCLTA) with its best players competing in a team competition within the English speaking region. The CCLTA also entered teams from the West Indies in the Davis Cup to compete against the Americas. Top West Indian juniors played only in tournaments in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados. During the 1990s the International Tennis Federation (ITF) reorganized tennis development and Barbados became a member of COTECC the umbrella body responsible for tennis in the Caribbean and Central America. Joining COTECC gave Barbadians an opportunity to compete on a bigger stage and as a result many young players have attained tennis scholarships to study abroad through their successes on the junior circuit.

187 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

T E N N I S

Noted players – visitors and our own!

Over the years Barbados has hosted some of the world’s top players for fundraisers and exhibition events. Tennis personalities Ilie Nastasi, Bjorn Borg and Roger Taylor visited in the 1970s, and current stars Serena and Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Gael Monfils and John Isner have played in Barbados during the 2010s. However, some of our own players have also managed to make it to a higher level. Martin Blackman represented Barbados in Davis Cup during the mid1990s and reached a career high #158 in 1994. He also worked with the USTA and later went on to run his own successful tennis academy in Florida. In 2015 he became the General Manager, USTA Player Development, responsible for the big job

of identifying and developing the next generation of world-class American tennis players. Richard Ashby also played professionally in the 1990s and played Davis Cup for five years for Barbados with Martin Blackman before joining the USTA National Coaching staff in 2003 and serving as a personal coach to then top US player Jennifer Capriati. He is currently USTA National Coach for the under 14 girls team. Current Davis Cup team members Darian King and Haydn Lewis have also played on the professional circuits with King recently achieving a career high of #161. Aged only 24 and having still not reaching his peak performance he is very likely to eclipse Blackman’s record #158 in the near future. Maybe it's Barbados’ turn to give the world a major star?

TENNIS

188 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

A Sport for all ages With the many changes since the post-independence era, tennis in Barbados is a wonderful lifestyle choice. It is a sport that can be enjoyed by all regardless of age, ability, gender or social background. Tennis is now accessible to more individuals through the Junior Tennis Initiative Development programmes and adult coaching programmes held at the National Tennis Centre in Wildey, St. Michael. Crowds and overseas competitors are drawn from around the region for junior and adult tournaments and tennis continues to grow with most hotels islandwide having tennis courts for visitors. For more information, contact the Barbados Tennis Association at tel 4275300 or via email tennisbarbados@caribsurf.com

190 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U N N I N G

COME FOR THE RUN STAY FOR THE FUN by Kristina Evelyn

191 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U N N I N G

RUNNING

“Come for the Run, Stay for the Fun” is the official tag line of Run Barbados Marathon Weekend (RBMW). Alan Brookes of Canada Running Series, was Race Director in Barbados for a few years and created this suitable slogan. This unique event, conceptualized by Sir Austin Sealy and Carl Bayley back in 1983 offers historic and scenic routes, start and finish lines by the sea and a festive atmosphere. The Series started in the eighties with only the Bridgetown 10K and the Marathon. Many years later the Half Marathon, Fun Mile and 5K were added to the program. In the old days, the marathon started at the Grantley Adams International Airport, continued through the old town of Oistins, along the south and west coasts through Holetown, to its finish just north of Speightstown. The 10K has always started and finished at the beautiful Bay Street Esplanade. Nowadays the starts and finishes of the “out and back” mostly flat routes are all at the picturesque Bay Street Esplanade on the south coast of the island, overlooking the magnificent Carlisle Bay. The 5K/10K and marathon courses wind their way along the streets of the capital city of Bridgetown, a historic seaport with the distinctive honour of being part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The running tours of the City showcase historic landmarks such as the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson (c.1813), the Chamberlain

192 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Bridge (c.1865) and the Parliament Buildings (c. 1873). From Bridgetown the Half-Marathon and Marathon routes continue north along the West Coast of the island to the turn around point near the world-famous Sandy Lane Hotel and then return to Bay Street for the finish. Spectacular vistas of the Caribbean Sea, the sounds of steel pan, the local “tuk bands” and highly appreciative local spectators offer encouragement along the way. The first ever Barbados Marathon was won by Bruce Lauckner (Trinidad) in 1983 and the first Ladies Marathon was claimed by an American runner in 1985 (Folsom). Laura Konantz (CAN) holds the course record (2:44:40) for the Ladies Marathon while Britain’s Hugh Jones currently holds the Men’s record (2:22:33). The destination running series while geared towards recreational runners from around the world has hosted its share of elite runners: World Champion Kenyan, Catherine Ndereba, Olympic medalist John Treacy (Ireland), Britain’s Hugh Jones (six-time winner at RBMW), Australian Rob de Castella, Canada’s Dylan Wykes, UK’s Jill Hunter and Jessica Draskau of Denmark to name a few. Canadian marathoner Dylan Wykes, racing in Barbados in December 2008, noted:” You have to ask yourself: Where else in the world would you rather be at this time of year?”

193 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U N N I N G

194 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

195 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

R U N N I N G

John Treacy, a four-time Olympian (Silver in Marathon 1984), set the Men’s course record for the 10K back in 1985 (29.11) and this record was unbroken until Joseph Kariuki of Kenya won in a time of 28.40 in 2002. The Ladies’ 10K record is held by Olympian Jill Hunter of the UK (32:44) who won the race in 1991. Several Caribbean runners have excelled in the RBMW Marathon. St. Lucian, Victor Ledger, won the marathon five times while Vincentian, Pamenos Ballantyne, was a three-time winner. Barbados can proudly boast of producing the winner on two occasions, 1988 and 1989, when the races were won by Reuben McCollin and Adelbert Browne respectively. The Ladies’ Marathon has never been won by a Caribbean National but Tonya Nero of Trinidad was successful in the Ladies Half Marathon with a brilliant win in 2014. In recent years, the AIMS-IAAF certified RBMW has been revitalized and rebranded. The marathon was re-launched in 2015 and real growth was noted in entries to all races. Amy Chalk of the UK, a four-time winner in Barbados, was thrilled at the return of the Marathon race after a

three-year hiatus. Chalk commended the improved organization in recent years predicting: “on this current path the event could return to the popularity it enjoyed in its glory days”. While RBMW doesn’t offer the large pre-event expo or the generous loot bags associated with mega-marathons it’s the small-time charm, laid-back atmosphere and sheer beauty of the island that attracts repeat visitors such as Kim Goff and so many others. Goff, an American and eleven-time winner, completed her 20th RBMW marathon in 2015. Brit, Sarah McLoughlin is another example, she has been visiting Barbados from the UK for an incredible eighteen years to holiday and take part in the annual RBMW. The 2017 event (Dec 1-3) will offer the the Signia Fun Mile, the Cave Shepherd Card 5K, , Colombian Emeralds 10K, Fortress Half-Marathon, Ganzee 5K Walk, Cave Shepherd Marathon and the Marathon Relay.

196 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

198 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

T R I A T H A L O N

Triathlon gaining in popularity by Peter Gibbs

Barbados’ first triathlon was held on Sunday 28th August 1986. The event used a Relay format and, at least, one female was required on a team. The course consisted of a 1K swim around a triangularshaped course off Sunset Crest, St. James, followed by a 25K Bike ride from Sunset Crest towards Bridgetown, turning at approximately 10K and back to Sunset Crest, and finally, a 5K run from Sunset Crest towards Bridgetown, turning at 2.5K before returning to the Finish Line near the Holetown monument. Eighteen teams contested the event. Prior to 1986 however, a handful of individuals with backgrounds in the three disciplines of triathlon, were ‘testing the waters’ of this new sport and had ventured to nearby islands to compete namely Grenada, Curacao, Martinique, and Trinidad. Eventually these individuals got together and held a meeting in 1989 at the Casuarina Hotel and formed the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT). The first President was Ray Bayley with Geoffrey ‘Milo’ Evelyn as his VP and Peter Gibbs as Secretary.

The first Olympic triathlon soon took place on Sunday 22nd October 1989 off the Casuarina Hotel in Dover. The first Male & Female triathlon champions of Barbados were Wayne Edwards & Joan Williams respectively. This annual National Triathlon Championships continues to take place every year with the 2017 champions to be crowned on 2nd October. The sport quickly grew in numbers as males & females took on the challenge of finishing a triathlon which by now had built a reputation as a measure of endurance of an athlete. The famous Hawaii Ironman triathlon was seen on TV and probably kick-started many of these fantasies. By 1990, entries in races typically reached 50 competitors and a team from Barbados raced at the World Championships in Orlando, Florida, In 1991, BFIT mounted its only ‘ultra’distance triathlon to date --- the BRC Metal-Man which consisted of a 2K Swim, 60K Bike, & a 15K Run. This encouraged local triathletes to challenge the true Ironman distance triathlon (2.4miles/112 miles/26.2 miles) with Tony Hoyos becoming the first Bajan Ironman. To date,

199 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

T R I A T H A L O N

TRIATHALON nine BFIT triathletes have completed Ironman triathlons with three of them being females, the first being Jennifer Wosminity (nee Goddard). Throughout the 90â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the sport continued to progress and in addition to local races at Olympic distance (1.5K/40K/10K), Sprint races (Half the Olympic distance) and Duathlon races (Run/Ride/Run) became popular. In 2000, triathlon debuted at the Sydney Olympics. Locally, adult numbers had dropped slightly so the BFIT Committee decided to concentrate its efforts at the Kids level and aimed at getting a Bajan to the Olympics. The TriKids Series continue to take place every year with ten races each year. It has proved successful and reflected 200 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

in the fact that Jason Wilson, a product of the Tri-Kids Series, was the first Barbadian to compete in the Olympic triathlon held in Rio, Brazil. Another product of the series, Matthew Wright, together with Jason, has represented Barbados at World, Pan American, Central American, Caribbean, and Commonwealth levels. Their achievements continue to encourage a new generation into the sport and BFIT confidently looks forward to the future of the sport in Barbados. For such a small country to produce, so far, two world-class triathletes relative to larger countries with greater resources & population, is an amazing feat.

SWIM THE BAY! by Kristina Evelyn

202 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S W I M M I N G

203 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

S W I M M I N G

In 2016, Barbados enjoyed a golden year – celebrating 50 years of Independence – and the Barbados Open Water Festival (BOWF) enjoyed a milestone of its own as it hosted its fifth event.

SWIMMING In 2016, Barbados enjoyed a golden year – celebrating 50 years of Independence – and the Barbados Open Water Festival (BOWF) enjoyed a milestone of its own as it hosted its fifth event. Born out of casual conversation between local masters swimmers back in 2011 the BOWF has flourished, enjoying an expansion that has surpassed the expectations of husband and wife organizing team, Zary and Kristina Evelyn. The annual event now attracts more than 350 swimmers of all ages and abilities from as far away as Australia and Hong Kong. Originally, the Festival started as a one-day event but evolved into five days of swimming including three days of informal swims and two days of competitive swimming (1.5K, 5K, 10K). In its relatively short history the Festival has hosted an impressive list of well-known swimmers. Alex Meyer, elite open water swimmer, who attended for the past three years declared after his first race, “This is what open water swimming is all about!” Taylor Abbott, Junior World Champion, has been a winner at BOWF (2015) as has Eney Jones, former pro triathlete and famed American Masters swimmer. Masters Legend Jane Asher of the UK, British Masters Champion Stuart McLellan, American Masters Swimmer Darcy Le Fountain, Triple Crown holder Erica Moffat, Australian World Record

204 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Holder (85-89) Dorothy Dickey and Canadian Olympians Katie Brambley and Martha McCabe are just a few of the many talented swimmers that have visited to “Swim the Bay.” The visiting swimmers rave about the ideal open water swimming conditions in Carlisle Bay, a protected Marine Park. The spectacular Bay, once a bustling seaport, is steeped in history, its importance first recognized by George Washington when he visited back in 1751 and famous British Admirals such as Lord Nelson have docked in the Bay. Suitably, the Bay now lies in the heart of a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site: “Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison”, an honour bestowed in 2011. Swim conditions and beauty of the island aside, there is a wonderful camaraderie among the swimmers at this event with its laidback island-life setting and the highly popular pre-event practice/social sessions leading up to the swim races. It’s this mix of fun and competition in a fabulous location that has resulted in excellent reviews and many repeat swim visitors. The 2017 BOWF will offer 1.5K, 5K and 10K swims and is scheduled for November 1-5, 2017.

205 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

The visiting swimmers rave about the ideal open water swimming conditions in Carlisle Bay, a protected Marine Park.

206 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

207 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

208 / SPORTING BARBADOS 2016 / 20YEARS

Big Bang Ferrari King Gold Carbon. Manufactured UNICO movement. Column-wheel chronograph with a 72-hour power reserve. King Gold case, an exclusive red gold alloy developed by Hublot. Bezel made through a fusion of carbon ďŹ ber and 18K gold. Strap in brown leather stitched on rubber. Limited edition of 500 pieces.

Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, Holetown, St. JamesÂ Tel: 271-8230 Lower Broad Street, Bridgetown Tel: 430-2400 www.DiamondsInternational.com

hublot.com

84 ,(#*%+) 5-2

#*%+) #) ,*(%)* ( ) #*%+) #) ,*(%)* - ) (%-. % ) )/,. ) *)#)0%.)# ( ) ))1 %.) -0 ( % 2 %-. ,3)# 4,( *),() , (*2 5 (5 % 3%) ) *-2/ ( (- %0) 5 ( ) 6,% -. 6,.20, (2*) 6-+)6).( 7&" 6 ) (, % )# %. " ,*(%)* *),() )9 )3(%-., 4,( ) ( ,( -6 %.) #,*%./ #) %/. ,.# 4,( 6,1%./ ,+-%* 0,%*)

!" # $ % $ $ "!& " # $ % '