TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2025
Bahamas silver in World Fishing
By BRENT STUBBS
After a 12-year drought, The Bahamas finally got back on the podium with a silver medal at the Offshore World Fishing Championships in Costa Rica. The foursome “Rake and Scrape” team of Jeff Waugh, Nicolas Mosko, James Chu and Michael Sands finished with 5,400 points after catching a total of 28 sailfish over the three days of competition in the billfish “catch and release” tournament.
Of the two boats from the United States of America team that came from the Fish for Holly Sailfish Tournament won the title with 6,100. They won by three sailfishes over The Bahamas. The Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club Classic from Australia was third with 5,300.
A total of 35 teams, representing countries around
the world, participated in the tournament.
The Bermuda Big Game Classic and the Tropic Star Billfish Tournament from Panama had the same number of points for fourth and fifth respectively.
Mosko, speaking on behalf of his team-mates, said they were overwhelmed by their performances, improving on a sixth-place finish from another team from The Bahamas last year.
The Bahamas won the title in 2012 with a boat that featured Paul King.
This year, after qualifying at the Lyford Cay Invitational in April when they finished in the top three, Mosko said they were hoping to duplicate the 12-year-old feat.
But they fell short.
“We were all really excited about. We did very well. It’s unfortunate, it held on for second place, but we should have won it,” he said. “We were tied
Water polo teams bring home the hardware
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
COACH Laszlo “Lotty” Borbely said he was extremely pleased with the performance of the Bahamas Mantas Water Polo Club at the Rise Up Water Polo Tournament over the weekend in Florida. The Bahamas Mantas’ under-14 girls’ team captured the title, while Owen McKenzie and Asher Bastian teamed up with the Next Level Water Polo Club out of Clearwater,
Florida, as they also celebrated with the gold medal in the boys’ under12 division. The Bahamas Mantas’ under-14 coed team, however, finished in fifth place. Making up the Bahamas Mantas team were Jaylen Rahming, Caylen Brown, Landon Sumner, Dalane Phillips, Jacob Johnon, Kaedan Hackett, Jahmahl Wilson, Kristna Rolle, Cameren Carroll, Asher Brown, Owen McKenzie, Joyelle Brown, Indiya Jones, Paityn Burrows and Meghan Smith.
Borbely, assisted by Wandalee Burrows and chaperone Doyle Rolle, said with some of the competitors getting too old to compete in the under-14 division, they have to find some replacements for them as they move forward. “We have a lot of time until November when we go to CARIFTA to get some swimmers to replace them,” Borbely said. “So we just have to work a little harder to put the under-14 team together.”
Borbely said while they didn’t have a full team
for the under-14 girls’ team, Bahamas Mantas had seven members and they added six girls from another team and they came out with the gold.
“I am very happy, very happy with their performances,” he said. “I love it. I love it to continue. We also have to find more girls to play so that we can say we won it on our own. But the girls did very well.”
As for McKenzie and Bastian, who played on the under-14 team, Borbely
‘WE
By BRENT STUBBS Chief
WITH just about all of the 36-members in place, Team Bahamas is looking forward to making the trip to Trinidad & Tobago on a quest for their seventh straight CARIFTA Swimming Championship title.
The 14 swimmers from Grand Bahama joined up with the swimmers from New Providence as they went through a vigorous training session yesterday at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. The remaining swimmers who are off to school in the United States are expected home for the final two practices today and Wednesday before the team leaves at 2pm Wednesday. They are scheduled to return home at 6pm on Wednesday, April 23.
Team manager Celestial Darville said they may have changed some faces in the
By LEDEDRA MARCHE
on Sunday that they are already stars. The 2025 CARIFTA Aquatics and Athletics Championships are being held in Trinidad and Tobago
TEAM Bahamas’ James Chu, Jeff Waugh, Nicolas Mosko and Michael Sands celebrating with their runners-up hardware.
Bahamas brings home the silver in the Offshore World Fishing Championships
FROM PAGE E1
for first place with seven hours to go, but we just had a dry spell with no fish.
“But we were fortunate enough at 3pm to catch a couple of extra sailfish to boost us up in second place
to solidify the runner-up position. We’re extremely excited to do what we did, beating the defending champions from Brazil and one of the America boats.”
After the awards banquet, Mosko said they had a four-hour drive to the
airport to catch a 5am flight and they slept maybe 30 minutes in the van before they returned home on Friday.
“We had a lot of drinks, a lot of good laughs,” he said.
“It was a great tournament. The people there treated us
very nicely. All of the competitors on the other boats loved us. They want us to come back. It was a big experience for us.”
“The ‘Rake & Scrape’ boat has already qualified for a return to Costa Rica for next year’s event.
There is another qualifying tournament in two weeks in Lyford Cay where other boats can attempt to qualify.
“You can have at least three boats from your country if they qualify and they want to go,” Mosko said.
“But the maximum number of boats they will take is 35, so if you do get in, you have to register right away because they cap it.” Boats from Saudi, USA, Brazil, Italy and Costa Rica rounded off the top 10 in order from sixth place.
Interested athletes can contact coach Rupert Gardiner at 821-2836 for more information. BASEBALL/ SOFTBALL RELOADED INVITATIONAL THE Reloaded baseball and softball programme for boys and girls is scheduled to hold its fourth invitational tournament April 18-21 at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.
The event, organised by Stephen “Bishop” Beneby, is being sanctioned by the Bahamas Baseball Assocation, headed by Clarence “CJ’ McKenzie and will be sponsored by Pro Youth Foundation.
It will feature baseball teams for boys and softball teams for girls from Grand Bahama and New Providence. It’s also anticipated that some teams from the Family Islands will also be in New Providence to participate.
PEACE ON DA STREET FAMILY NIGHT PLANS are underway for the staging of the Peace on Da Streets’ Basketball
Classics’ Road to 30 years of existence. The event, being organised by the Hope Center under the theme “Shooting hoops instead of guns,” will be held from July 14-19 at the Michael ‘Scooter’ Reid Basketball Center.
The highlight of the event will be the Family Night, scheduled for Sunday, July 20 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium when the finals in all of the divisions will take place, starting at 3pm.
There will also be the Mr Ship It Three-point shootout and the Joe’s Slam Dunk Contest. The night will conclude with the exciting Clergy versus Politicians match-up.
Lots of prizes, including round trip tickets, will be up for grabs.
FAST TRACK ATHLETICS SPRING FLING
INVITATIONAL
THE Fast Track Athletics Club is scheduled to hold its 4th annual Spring Fling at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex May 16-17.
The event is open to competitors from throughout The Bahamas. The action is slated to begin at 5pm on Friday, May 16 and at 10am on Saturday, May
16. It promises to provide fast competition, perfect prep for championship season and an unmatched island atmosphere in Grand Bahama.
For more information on the meet, persons can email fasttrackmanagement00@gmail.com
RESURRECTION
10K RUN/5K WALK
“Arise and Shine” is the theme for the Resurrection 10K run, 5K walk, bike and breakfast fellowship as they encourage persons to “push your limits, cross the finish for change.”
The event, powered by Unity Initiative, is scheduled for Easter Monday, April 21, starting at 5:45am from the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The categories include 12-and-under, 13-17, 18-39, 40-59 and 60-and-over for male and females.
Trophies and medals will be presented to the top finishers in all categories. “Come one, come all as we celebrate” is the call for all physically challenged, families, churches and all civic groups.
For more information, persons can contact Votebcp242@gmail.com, telephone 242-524-1798 or log onto www.bcppaerty. org
TEAM Bahamas members Jeff Waugh, James Chu, Nicolas Mosko and Michael Sands are pictured above in front of the national flags.
TEAM Bahamas’ James Chu, Michael Sands, Nicolas Mosko and Jeff Waugh displaying their awards with the national flag.
Freshman Dentry Mortimer Jr holding court
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
FRESHMAN Dentry
Mortimer Jr, following in the footsteps of his father, feels he’s progressing very well as a member of the Coppin State University Spartans varsity team.
Although the Spartans are riding a 1-16 win-loss record, including a threestraight losing streak, Mortimer Jr has been enjoying himself playing whenever the opportunity presents itself as number four or five in singles and No.3 in doubles.
“It’s not been the best nor the worse. I’m just glad that I’m getting the experience,” Mortimer said.
“It was my life goal to play college tennis at the highest level and now I’m getting to see what I need to do to play at this level.”
At age 19, Mortimer said he gets to play against players who are much older and more experienced and that has helped him to get through his dream.
“I feel next year will be a much better year for me,” Mortimer projected. “Now I know the things that I’ve experienced, I can improve on them to help me.”
They are coming off a 5-0 loss to Villanova yesterday. He didn’t play in the
match-up, but he’s hoping to get on the court in one of their three remaining games this week.
The Spartans will close out their season on Saturday when they take on the Howard University Bison and fellow Bahamian Michael Major Jr. It was the second matchup against a Bahamian after they played Donte Armbrister and Hampton University in a 5-2 loss on April 3.
“I didn’t play in that match, but we won the doubles against Hampton and Donte won his singles, which was good,” Mortimer Jr said.
“So it was good to see him play. We all know the amount of work that each of us put in to get here. So it’s just good to be here to show off the talent that The Bahamas possesses.”
Having played against Major Jr more than Armbrister as they were growing up, Mortimer Jr said they know each other’s game very well and it would be quite an interesting showdown if they get to represent their respective schools.
“He’s been having a great season, I got to watch him play a few times,” Mortimer Jr said. “I’m just happy for him. I know there are a lot of good things ahead of him.”
The season will come to a close over the weekend of April 24-26 at the MidEast Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament that will be played in Cary, North Carolina.
“After this season, I will be working on being more aggressive and being more focused throughout the match,” Mortimer Jr said.
“I just need to be able to go for the best shot and not the prettiest shot. “Right now, I’m just excited to be here and playing tennis. I hope to make the more of this opportunity in the future.”
He thanked his parents, Feliciana Barry and Dentry Mortimer Sr, the Island Tennis Community and Atlantis resort for helping him to get to where he is right now and to God for providing him with the skills to play the game of tennis.
In addition to tennis, Mortimer Jr has also been running cross country during his last semester, while balancing his education as he pursues his major in accounting with his sights set on a master’s degree. “I doubled up playing tennis and running
cross country last year, but I don’t think I will be doing cross country again next year,” Mortimer said.
“I did what I had to do. I performed well in both of them.”
As a former distance runner for the Big Red Machine at St Augustine’s College, Mortimer Jr said he produced the second fastest freshman time in CSU’s history in the fivekilometre race and the third fastest freshman time in the 8K.
Mortimer Jr has been placed in the top 20 in both events.
UNITED STATES AND JAPAN QUALIFY FOR BILLIE JEAN KING CUP FINALS
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Hailey Baptiste and Bernarda Pera had straight-set wins Sunday to give the United States a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with a 2-1 victory over host Slovakia.
Baptiste beat Renata Jamrichova 6-3, 6-4 and Pera overcame Slovakian No. 1 Rebecca Sramkova 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the Group C match.
“Honestly, I’m so overwhelmed by the emotions, so happy,” Pera said.
“I had so much fun with the team, the girls are amazing, I got so much support from all of them and I’m super happy.”
The U.S., which beat Denmark 3-0 on Saturday, topped Group C.
Japan advances Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama defeated Canadians Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino 6-3, 5-7 6-2 in the decisive doubles match in Group A to secure Japan a spot in the finals.
Canada had taken a 1-0 lead when Victoria Mboko defeated Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8), 7-5.
Japan evened the tie with Moyuka Uchijima beating Marina Stakusic 6-3, 6-3 in the second singles.
“I’m really happy that I got the doubles done today,” Shibahara said.
The BJK Cup Finals will be played in Shenzhen in September, when Japan will be making its second consecutive finals appearance and will try to match its best-ever performance. It reached the semifinals in 1996.
CARLOS ALCARAZ BEATS INJURED MUSETTI TO WIN IN MONTE CARLO FOR HIS 6TH MASTERS 1000 TITLE
MONACO (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz defeated an injury-striken Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 to win the Monte Carlo final on Sunday and secure his sixth Masters 1000 career title.
Alcaraz cruised to his first Monte Carlo trophy and his 18th tour-level victory.
The 21-year-old Spaniard will reach No. 2 in the world rankings following the triumph in Monaco.
Musetti started showing signs of a right-leg injury in the third set and received treatment at 0-3.
Playing in his first Masters 1000 final, the 23-year-old Italian had trouble moving and keeping up with Alcaraz toward the end of the match.
“This is not the way I want to win a match, I really feel sorry for him,” Alcaraz said. “Just really happy to have won the Monte Carlo for the first time. It’s been a really difficult week, with a lot of difficult situations, I’m really proud of myself how I dealt with everything.”
Alcaraz has struggled at times this year and was coming off an openinground loss to David Goffin in Miami.
It was Alcaraz’s third consecutive clay-court final after winning the French Open and finishing with a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last year.
Alcaraz was playing in his 23rd tour-level final. He had needed six match points to put away Spanish compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6
(2), 6-4 in the semifinal on Saturday.
Musetti, whose only two tour-level titles came in 2022, broke Alcaraz’s serve twice to win the first set, but
Alcaraz came back strong with two breaks of his own in the second to even the match. Musetti was never much in contention in the decider.
Musetti, ranked 13th and a bronze-medallist in Paris last year, defeated Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in their semifinal. The Italian had ousted defending
champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals. The final was moved forward by three hours because heavy rain was forecast for the evening.
FRESHMAN Dentry Mortimer Jr feels he’s progressing very well as a member of the Coppin State University Spartans varsity teams.
CARLOS Alcaraz in action at the French Open in 2024. (AP)
Play-in time: Magic-Hawks and Warriors-Grizzlies today, Bulls-Heat and Kings-Mavericks Wednesday
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
STEVE Kerr, the basketball fan, raves about the play-in tournament and the drama that it creates down the stretch of the NBA’s regular season and leading into the official start of the playoffs.
Kerr, the basketball coach, doesn’t like it so much.
“I haven’t loved it because we’ve been on the wrong end of it,” said Kerr, the Golden State Warriors’ coach.
“We’re 0-3 in these play-in games. And so, you finish in the top eight, you feel like you should be in the playoffs. On the other hand, it’s been great for the league. If you’re eighth and-or seventh, well, you had 82 games to do better — and you didn’t do better.”
This is where the Warriors — and seven other teams — now find themselves. They’re in the postseason. They’re not in the playoffs. And six games this week all will have either a playoff berth, season elimination, or both on the line.
The fifth full season of the NBA’s play-in tournament starts tonight: No. 7 Orlando hosts No. 8 Atlanta in the Eastern Conference, and No. 7 Golden State hosts No. 8 Memphis in the Western Conference. The winners of those games make the playoffs, with the Magic-Hawks winner earning the chance to play Boston and the Warriors-Grizzlies winner off to play Houston.
For Tuesday’s losers, all is not lost. The Magic-Hawks loser will play host to either
No. 9 Chicago or No. 10 Miami on Friday in an elimination game to see who faces No. 1 Cleveland in the East, while the WarriorsGrizzlies loser plays host to either No. 9 Sacramento or No. 10 Dallas to see who’ll take on No. 1 Oklahoma City in the West.
The Chicago-Miami and Sacramento-Dallas games are Wednesday. The losers of those games are eliminated.
“You want to be mindful that you don’t over-clutter the mind,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re
at our best when we have great clarity. And we know what our game is at this point. We know what their game is. We’ve played them three times in the last two months. So, we will do a little bit more prep than a normal regular season game ... but I don’t want over-saturation of information to slow us down.”
The play-in tournament started in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020, a way to even out an uneven schedule that year. The only game was PortlandMemphis to decide the final
playoff spot in the West; Portland won to grab the No. 8 position. The full tournament started a year later. Home teams are 17-7 in those games, which is a good sign for Golden State, Sacramento, Orlando and Chicago.
Play-in past performances
Of the eight teams in this year’s play-in tournament, six have been there before.
Atlanta is 3-1 in past play-in games, Memphis is 2-1, Chicago and Miami are both 2-2, Sacramento is 1-1 and Golden State is 0-3. “We haven’t fared well in these play-in games,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “Got to get locked in and get ready to go.”
Dallas and Orlando are there for the first time.
“The beauty of it and the blessing of it is being at home, in front of our fans,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.
Atlanta at Orlando, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (TNT) Season series: Tied, 2-2.
BetMGM Sportbook: Orlando by 5.5.
At stake: The winner is the No. 7 seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2
Boston. The loser will host the Chicago-Miami winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.
Outlook: It’s the third meeting in an eight-day span for these clubs, though Sunday’s regular season finale saw both teams holding out a ton of players because this matchup was already set. In the three other HawksMagic games this season, the final margins were six, six and seven points. This format seems to work for Hawks guard Trae Young; he’s 3-1 in play-in games. The good news for the Magic: Teams that enter the play-in as the No. 7 seed have made the playoffs every time. Memphis at Golden State, Tuesday, 10 p.m. (TNT) Season series: Warriors, 3-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 6.5. At stake: The winner is the No. 7 seed and opens the playoffs Sunday at No. 2 Houston. The loser will host the Sacramento-Dallas winner in an elimination game on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed.
Outlook: The Warriors looked at this week — Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Clippers, then this game, then potentially Friday — as having three home chances to win one game to get to the playoffs. It’s a healthy way to think.
The question is, how healthy are the Warriors? Stephen Curry’s thumb was taped Sunday and Jimmy Butler was hobbling when it was over.
The Grizzlies love playing road games; Ja Morant says he feeds off the negative energy.
Miami at Chicago, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Season series: Bulls, 3-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Bulls by 1.5.
At stake: The winner plays at either Orlando or Atlanta on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the East. The loser is eliminated.
Outlook: It’s the second meeting between the teams in a week, after the Bulls rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Heat in Chicago on Wednesday and essentially lock up No. 9. This will be a pace game. If it’s at Chicago’s faster pace, advantage Bulls. If it’s at Miami’s slower pace, advantage Heat. Miami is seeking a sixth consecutive playoff appearance while Chicago is trying to get to Round 1 for what would be just the second time in the last eight years.
Dallas at Sacramento, Wednesday, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Season series: Kings, 3-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Kings by 4.5.
At stake: The winner plays at either Golden State or Memphis on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed in the West. The loser is eliminated.
Outlook: It’s the first postseason meeting between the clubs in more than two decades; they played in
DALLAS Mavericks forward Kai Jones (23) dunks in the second half of an
basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies
Photo/Brandon Dill
Jazz session: Chisholm Jr has bragging rights over Judge in ‘home runs plus stolen bases’
By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. was
league home run lead and was going to assert some bragging rights. “I’ve got to go talk to him right now,” Chisholm said last night after sparking a comeback with the first of four solo home runs off
All-Star Seth Lugo in a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.
“I think I’m beating him right now, right? Stolen bases,” Chisholm Jr said. “You’ve got to add both. You know how they say
OPS is, what, on-base plus slug? Home runs plus stolen bases.”
Chisholm Jr and Judge have six home runs each along with the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tommy
Edman, Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and the Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom.
Chisholm Jr has four stolen bases while Judge has two. Chisholm Jr has joked about trying to keep up with Judge, who set an American League record with 62 homers in 2022, then hit 58 last year as the Yankees won their first AL pennant since 2009.
Chisholm Jr even borrowed a bat from Judge last year and homered off Philadelphia’s Garrett Stubbs, a catcher pitching a mop-up inning. “I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year,” Judge said playfully after swiping a base two weeks ago.
WHILE Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, right, looks on, New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates his solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York.
Chisholm tied the score in the fourth, an inning after Bobby Witt Jr.’s home run against Carlos Carrasco on the 10th pitch of his at-bat put Kansas City ahead.
Trent Grisham, Ben Rice and Austin Wells each hit a solo home run in the fifth off Lugo, who allowed four homers in a game for the second time in his big league career. All four Yankees homers were by left-handed hitters: on a changeup, cutter and a pair of fastballs. Lugo mixed nine different pitches, also throwing curveballs, slow curves, sinkers, sliders, slurves, splitters and one sweeper.
“I thought I threw the ball all right. I thought I changed speeds pretty well,” Lugo said. “I made a couple mistakes and they didn’t miss them.”
said they were young enough to play on the U12 boys’ team that also won the title.
“They were guest players for another team from Tampa and they won the gold medal too,” he said. “So I am very proud for them. They played very well. They are happy. They are just 12 years old and they won medals.”
Borbely said the tournament was a very competitive one with teams competing from around Florida and it was good for Bahamas Mantas to gauge their level of competition as they prepare for the rest of the season.
Next up for Bahamas Mantas is their participation in Bahamas Aquatics’ National Swimming Championships over the weekend of June 20-24 at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.
“Even though we are water polo players, we hope to qualify a lot of swimmers for the nationals,” Borbely said. “It’s important that we
BAHAMAS Under-15 girls water polo team celebrate. LEFT INSET: Owen McKenzie and Arthud Bastian teamed up with American team
BAHAMAS Mantas Water Polo Team - boys and girls.
jazzed up: He tied New York Yankees teammate Aaron Judge for the major
NEW York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals yesterday in New York. (AP Photos/Seth Wenig)
‘We
want them to get their minds right and be ready to compete’
past seven years that The Bahamas has won the title, but they have another quality team to represent the country. “Right now, we are slowing down to get ready to taper,” Darville said. “We won’t be training as hard. We want them to get their minds right and be ready to compete.”
She noted that Team Bahamas’ schedule during the year has enabled the swimmers to co-mingle together as they come together as national team members.
“The kids already know each other. We’re already one unit and the kids are always working very hard to get on Team Bahamas so it makes it that easy for them when they get on the team because they understand the Bahamas.”
As the six-time champions of the top regional junior swimming meet, Darville said The Bahamas will have targets on their back, but she is confident that Team Bahamas will prevail.
Assistant coach Gibson said she’s excited sbout what the team has to do in Trinidad to get the sevenpeat and she too is eager to see them achieve it.
“This is a good team. We looked at the psych sheet and from what we’ve seen, a lot of them will be bringing home medals,” she said.
“So based on that, we know that we will win the title for the seventh time.
“The swimmers from Grand Bahama are all looking great and they are fitting right in with the swimmers from New Providence. So there’s no concern right now.”
When the streak started in 2017 at the Betty Kelly Kennig Swim Complex, Gibson was on the team in her final year as a swimmer. She was coached then by
Travano McPhee and now she’s travelling as his assistant coach. “I was a team captain that year, so it was very exciting,” she said.
“That year it was in The Bahamas, so the excitement from the crowd actually helped us to get the win. We were pumped up and we knew what we had to do.
“Now it’s truly an honour to be back on the team as the assistant coach to Travano. I’m eager to see what we do in Trinidad. With such a strong team, we will definitely keep the streak going. This isn’t going to end now.”
McPhee, who served as the head coach for each of the seven victories, said it is good to have Gibson back as an assistant coach after she made her contribution as a swimmer.
“It’s good to see our former swimmers, those who have been there and done it, like Allan Murray, who heads the open water swim team, take part of making history for The Bahamas and making swimming great in the county.”
Caden Wells, now in his fourth straight appearance on the team, starting in 2022 in Barbados, said he’s very confident with the team assembled.
“I am away in school in the (United) States and I’ve been back for three days now and coach Travano is training us just right,” said Wells, who attends McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“Everyone is disciplined, everyone is ready to show the hard work they have put in and I’m feeling excited. I know that we will do very well. I expect nothing but greatness from this team.”
Wells, 18, will be competing in six individual and three relay events in the boy 15-18 age group.
Ayrton Moncur, in his second CARIFTA, will be competing in six individual events as well as a couple of relays.
But the 18-year-old student of Woodberry Forest School in Virginia said he’s honoured to be on this talented team. “To actually see all of these swimmers
in the pool training and having your whole country on your back watching is a great feeling,” he said.
“I think the team is very capable to completing the seventh-peat.
“We have a lot of talented swimmers working hard in and out of the pool and coach Travano and the coaching staff have done a tremendous job to get us ready.”
Tiah Seymour, one of the latest additions to the team, said she’s excited to be representing The Bahamas in these swimming championships.
“This will be my second time competing,” said the 13-year-old 8th grader at Summit Academy who will be swimming in the 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke and possibly on a few relay teams.
“Hopefully I will medal in my events and we’ll bring home a seventh win.”
Not only was it all seriousness, but Seymour, like some of the other swimmers, got a chance to participate in a water
challenge. After being nominated and nominating someone to participate, Seymour said it was “super fun” getting dosed with the ice-cold bucket of water.
Also a part of Team Bahamas is the competitors in the open water swim. They won’t be in competition until the end of the swimming competition on Tuesday.
Madison Gilbert, one of the members of the team, is back for her second, but this time the 15-year-old 19th grader at Queen’s College will only be concentrating on the open water swim.
“I’m looking forward to swimming in Trinidad because all of the open water swims I’ve done have been right here in the Bahamas,” she said.
“It would be nice to do it in a different environment,” she said.
“It’s going to be different as well because the open water swim takes a lot of time, so you have to really sit down and think about what you are going to do unlike swimming in the
pool where you just get up and go.”
Madison Fox, a 14-yearold also competing in open water, said she’s honoured to be making her debut on the CARIFTA team and she’s excited about doing very well. “It’s been tough, but a lot more shocking to be on the team,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everybody race. I believe that everybody will do very well.”
At this stage, McPhee said it’s only a matter of instilling into the minds of the swimmers a collective effort to continue with the winning tradition.
“All of these swimmers have never lost CARIFTA. They have a winning attitude, a winning spirit and they have some of the greatest team captains we have ever selected and they are doing a great job.
“We’re getting closer to having a full team, so we’re building on that team chemistry. I’m very confident in this team and they know the task and they are going to get the job done.”
MINISTER GINGER MOXEY ENCOURAGES THE GRAND BAHAMA CONTINGENT OF
FROM PAGE E1
from April 19-22.
Minister Moxey reminded the outstanding athletes that it is because of their dedication, discipline and determination they have been chosen and that they symbolise the hope, strength and resilience that the residents of Grand Bahama are known for.
“You athletes are about to represent our beautiful island and proudly carry The Bahamas’ banner with pride at the CARIFTA Games in Trinidad.
“Today we unite to celebrate this achievement and
we want you to know that you are already champions in our eyes,” she said. Cognisant that their journey has not been easy, Minister Moxey said they stayed the course — rising early, training hard and making sacrifices. She pointed out that the athletes are now standing on the edge of greatness, carrying their dreams, hopes and pride in Grand Bahama Island with them.
Representatives from the City of Freeport Council were also in attendance. And chief councillor Kendal Culmer also gave a few remarks to the swimmers.
MEMBERS of Team Bahamas’ swim and open water contingent are shown above at practice.
MINISTER for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey encouraged the Grand Bahama contingent of Team Bahamas worshipping at New Destiny Kingdom Center on Sunday, April 13, 2025 before they left to compete in the 2025 CARIFTA Aquatics and Athletics Championships in Trinidad and Tobago set for April 19-22.
Photos: Andrew Miller/BIS
Governor General welcomes the Freedom Farm Baseball League
COURTESY CALL: Governor General Dame Cynthia “Mother” Pratt welcomed Franon Wilson and members of the Freedom Farm Baseball League during a courtesy call at Government House, Lower Grounds, on Saturday. The players and officials are shown here with the Governor General.
Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS