Laser Sailor Thad Lettsome’s Pan Am Games debut delayed

August 4, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

(L-R) BVI Sailing Federation Federation official, Tamsin Rand, Laser Sailor Thad Lettsome, BVI Olympic Committee President Ephraim Penn and Sailing Coach Alec Anderson in Paracas , Lima after the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games’ opening day races were called off for lack of wind PHOTO Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

PARACAS, Peru – Laser Sailor Thad Lettsome’s planned debut yesterday in the opening day of sailing in the 18th Pan Am Games sailing in Paracas, Peru was delayed because there was no wind.

With a noon start, two races were scheduled on opening day but by 3:45 p.m. when things hadn’t improved, officials called it a day.

“It was to be a 12 o’clock start. It’s a little delayed but it happens a lot,” said Lettsome who faced the same scenario during the ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland, July 13-20. “There’s breeze now but just waiting for it to be steady. Everyone is trying not to get anxious, don’t waste any energy and stay relaxed.”

Lettsome said he’s a ‘pretty relaxed person’ when asked how he deals with these types of situations. “I don’t even call it situations,” he said. “I’m just cooling. I’m chilling out. It’s just another thing you need patience for, no big deal.”

Lettsome said he came to sail and Monday’s scheduled reserve day, which will now become a race day, is normal for him and a lot of his colleagues.

“It’s not like anything else planned so it’s not really an issue,” he stated. “It would be nice if we have a full day off but if we have to sail, it’s no problem, just get ready for it the night before – do the same as you do every day. If it’s very windy the day after the rest day and the day of the rest day, that might change a little bit for you. I recover the day of the rest day, but it doesn’t really change anything much. “

He said he would have liked 9-10 knots of breeze to start the competition, relatively flat, and steady-ish breeze with some shifts. “No big breeze or anything for the first day,” he said.

As sailors, Coach Alec Anderson said, you can’t let the situation get to you. “This is the sport we play and you have to wait for the wind sometimes,” he said. “Keep cool, keep calm, stay in the shade, eat plenty of food, drink plenty of water and be ready to rumble when it happens. This is just part of the game.”

BVI Olympic Committee President Ephraim Penn and Secretary General Lloyd Black, took the three-hour trek from Lima to Paracas. “Well, it looks like the wind was not cooperating, but, it’s all good,” Penn said. “We got to see the guys and got to see the preparations, got to see the whole operation, how much it takes to get prepared and ready to go out there, so it’s an experience for me.”

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Sailing Tagged With: , , ,

Ashley Kelly’s season finally coming together ahead of Pan Am Games

August 2, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

British Virgin Islands’ Ashley Kelly competes in the athletics women’s 400m heats during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast on April 9, 2018. Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images

LIMA Peru – As late as the end of June, Ashley Kelly was the first to admit that she’d been having a rough frustrating season. But she kept at it and even came home to decompress.

Then, in the Adam Sanford NYC invitational on July 13, she ran a 400m season’s best of 53.55 seconds to finish third. The news got even better as shortly after she was notified that she had been invited to Lima, Peru to compete in the 18th Pan Am Games.

Kelly who arrived in Lima on August 1, will face the starter’s gun on August 6 in her specialty.

“To run 53.55, was definitely the breakthrough for my season,” Kelly said. “But, running 53 for me and having that as a breakthrough, then you definitely know the trials I’ve been going through this season. It was definitely a light at the beginning of the tunnel – I say beginning, because I know I have a long way to go, to get to my normal form running 51s and being consistent.”

Kelly said the minor tweaks she made in practice will show her true form in moving forward.

“Having that happen then a few days later hearing that I’m going to the Pan Am Games was definitely like God showing his true self and showing that everything I manifested is still working in my favor, so I have to continue to keep the faith, keep grinding and keep believing in what I’m ordained to do,” Kelly, who’s making her second Pan Am Games explained. “So I’m excited about going to Pan Ams. I’ve had some season’s bests when I was in Europe. I’m continuing to stay focused, keep grinding, keep working on the things on the things my body responds to and expecting a really good showing at Pan Ams.”

The BVI’s 400m record holder said it’s not what has happened in the early part of the season, she just needs that one great performance that can turn around her entire season, something she’s looking forward to.

“If it happens at Pan Ams, then I’ll be grateful,” she said. “But I know that I have a long season to go. Pan Ams is just the icing on the cake and I’m looking forward to representing the BVI once again.”

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: Athletics, Lima 2019, PanAM Games Tagged With: , ,

BVI 400m Hurdler Kyron McMaster out of Pan Am Games

July 31, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

400m hurdler, Kyron McMaster clearing the first hurdle during the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto PHOTO: Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

LIMA, Peru – Ahead of the August 6 start of the track and field competitions at the 18th Pan Am Games now in progress in Lima, Peru, one of the BVI’s medal prospects – 400m hurdler Kyron McMaster – is out of the competition in which he would have made his games debut on opening day.

Confirmation came from both the BVI Athletics Association and BVI Olympic Committee Presidents, Steve Augustine and Ephraim Penn, in a joint statement after McMaster’s visited a specialist on Tuesday.

“It is well known that Kyron McMaster experienced some difficulties in his last Diamond League outing. Since then, he’s been seen by some of the best Sports Medicine Doctors,” Augustine said in a statement. “Currently receiving treatment, he’s already taking on light workouts and remains in good spirits about his health. With continued rest and treatment, he’s expected to compete in Doha. This of course means missing out on Pan Am.”

Augustine’s statement added: “Although the BVI will showcase one less athlete at the games, we are confident that our possibilities remain unchanged. Leading into the IAAF World Championships, we will continue to update the public on Kyron’s competition schedule.”

Meanwhile, the BVIOC who has direct responsibility for entering McMaster in the games, also confirmed that that he will not compete

“As from the BVIOC, we can confirm that he has an injury and will not be competing in the Pan Am Games,” Penn said in a statement. “Further, he is presently undergoing extensive treatment and we will advise the public accordingly.”

McMaster, who last faced the starter’s gun in his pet event during the London Anniversary Games on July 20 but did not complete the race, stopping after the first hurdle, said he had wanted to compete in the Pan Am Games.

“Due to circumstances it can’t be done, but we have no choice to be ready for Worlds in a short period of time,” McMaster said of the IAAF World Championships scheduled for Doha, Qatar, September 27 – October 6. “This will be the season to test my true athleticism.”

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games Tagged With: , , , ,

Chantel Malone eyeing improved Pan Am Games finish

July 31, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

Long Jumper Chantel Malone sails through the air during the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto PHOTO: Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

LIMA Peru – With a fourth place showing in the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Chantel Malone equaled the 1987 Softball team that narrowly lost to Cuba 4-3 in the bronze medal game, as the territory’s best placings in its history. She’s hoping to improve on that in Lima when she competes in the long jump final on August 6th.

Since Toronto, Chantel has gone on to become the territory’s first IAAF World Championships outdoor finalist, when she placed seventh in the long jump in London in 2017 followed by a 2018 Central American Caribbean (CAC) Games silver medal.

Her 2019 campaign got off to a slow start, leading to a point of frustration, before the breakthrough that put her on top the world at the time, when she cut the sand a 6.90m in the long jump at the 3rd annual Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens, Georgia in April. The mark is currently No 5 on the 2019 IAAF list after being No 1 for several weeks.

“My first meet was not all that but I wasn’t too worried about it because my coach was saying I was still in the fall base training and I wasn’t doing speed and once I got my feet under me, I’ll be fine, so I trusted him,” Malone explained. “The next two meets were awesome. The one before my personal best was a season’s best, I felt like I was getting the rhythm back on the runway. When I jumped the 6.90m, I didn’t have to think about anything. It was flowing naturally. I got a little injury after that and that kinda set me back a bit. But, I’m pretty confident that I can go out there at the Pan Am Games and come home with a medal.”

Malone was in third place at Toronto 2015 until the final round where her mark was passed and she had to settle for fourth place. The plan around this time she said, is to “knock ‘em out early.”

“I have a tendency to hit my bigger jumps later down in my series and I’m trying to visualize hitting it on the first one so I don’t have to be worrying too much and no one can sneak up on me,” she pointed out. “That’s my main goal going in – just to execute, remember to have fun, stay relaxed and not to let the pressure of being a games or a major competition get to me.”

What would winning a medal mean to Malone?
“It would pretty much solidify all the hard work I’ve put in. I’ve been to these championships and I’ve always fallen short – whether it’s been an injury or someone passes me on the last jump – it’s always been something like almost there but not really grasping it,” she explained. “If I do what I’m supposed to do and execute the way I know I can execute, then there’s no doubt that I should come out with a medal.”

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Panam Sports Tagged With: , ,

Eldred Henry’s stock rises ahead of Pan Am Games action

July 30, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

Eldred Henry – British Virgin Islands

LIMA Peru – Eldred Henry arrived in Lima on July 29th to begin final preparations for his second Pan Am Games, in which he’ll see action on August 7.

Former BVI Olympic Committee and BVI Athletics Association President, Rey O’Neal, traces the rising stock of Henry, who’s currently ranked No 13 on the IAAF 2019 list.

In the British Virgin Islands’ long history of participation at the Carifta Games beginning in 1976, the territory’s athletes have returned home with 57 total medals, 50 of them being won by individual athletes. What may be surprising to many is the fact that so many of these medals have been won by competitors in the jumps and the throws. All of our gold medals have come from field event competitors – first by Keita Cline who won three consecutive titles in the Long jump and added another in the Triple Jump, followed by Eric Matthias in the Discus Throw and Chantel Malone in the Triple Jump.

The throws have been particularly productive in the present decade. None of our runners has won more than one individual medal in a single Games and Cline, Matthias and Malone, were the only double medalists prior to that.

However, since the emergence of Eldred Henry, who won bronze medals in the Shot Put and Discus Throw in 2013, the BVI always won at least two medals in every Games until 2018. Six of these came from the Gumbs family, with twin sisters Trevia and Tynelle and younger brother Djimon each adding two to the family collection.

Henry parlayed his 2013 successes in Nassau to a scholarship to Central Arizona College, following the well-worn path previously trodden by, among others, National Jr. College champions, Steve Augustine and Omar Jones, who later became Henry’s domestic coach. Henry won two JUCO titles himself in the Shot Put and another in the Discus Throw during his stay there, where he benefited from the coaching of Ton Dougherty. Just as importantly he set new records in the throws with marks in excess of 20m (6 ft) and 60m (200ft) in the Shot and Discus respectively.

Internationally, Henry also continued to make an impression. In 2014, he placed fourth in the Discus Throw and fifth in the Shot Put at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in Kamloops, Canada. Two years later at the same meet, this time held in El Salvador, he improved his placing to third in each throwing event. In between those events he placed fifth in the Shot and sixth in the Discus Throw at the NACAC Open Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In 2017, with his Jr. College eligibility behind him, he had an abbreviated season but won the Shot at the OECS Championships in Grenada.

In 2018, Eldred Henry emerged as an international caliber thrower. At the Commonwealth Games in Australia to start his outdoor season, he had a modest although promising performance, given his long absence from high level competition.

He decided to give the Discus Throw a pass for the year with a view towards improving his marks in the Shot Put. At the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, he came good with a throw of 20.18m, good enough for bronze behind Jamaicans, O’Dayne Richards and Ashinia Miller. A few short weeks later he unleashed a big throw of 20.63m to place fifth at the NACAC Open Championships in Toronto, Canada, establishing a new OECS record. The throwers who beat him were an American, a Canadian and the two Jamaicans who had bested him in Colombia.

Henry’s performance qualified him for the 2019 Pan American Games and for this year’s World Championships in Doha Qatar, Sept 27 – Oct 6. He stands in 6th place all-time among Shot Putters from the CAC region behind Jamaicans Richards, Dorian Scott and Miller, and the Cuban pair of Alexis Paumier and Carlos Veliz, both of whom like Scott, are no longer active.

Henry, now competing for the University of Findlay in Ohio, tossed the iron ball an impressive 20.61m in a home meet for a national and O.E.C.S. indoor record, a mark bettered only by the Jamaicans Richards and Scott among CAC throwers. He won the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, adding to those he had won indoors for Central Arizona at the Junior College level.

In May, Henry unleashed a mammoth 21.47m throw to shatter the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships record, a mark that has him at No 13 on the IAAF list.

Heading into the Pan Am Games competition, he’s among the top 5 throwers in the Americas. Henry’s performances stamp him as second only to hurdler Kyron McMaster among BVI male athletes in terms of international ranking and it seems that there is much more to come.

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Sports History by Rey O'Neal Tagged With: , ,

Laser Sailor Thad Lettsome excited about Pan Am Games debut

July 29, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

Thad Lettsome at the 48th edition of the Youth Sailing World Championships, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA (14-21 July 2018). Photo: Jen Edney/World Sailing

LIMA, Peru – When he puts his boat in the waters in Paracas, Peru on Saturday, August 3, Thad Lettsome, 17, will make history as the British Virgin Islands’ first Laser Sailor in its Pan American Games history.

“I’m excited and pretty motivated and all these people around me help me being excited about the whole thing,” said Lettsome who carried the BVI’s flag during Friday’s opening ceremony. “I’m looking to get a good experience out of it, come back in the future and do well, but still do well this time.”

Lettsome enters the games after finishing 19th overall at 2019 ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland held July 14-20 and has several familiar faces from the Caribbean he’ll meet here as well as other South American counterparts.

“It makes it easier as there are people here I know, obviously, and also easier because I’m comfortable around them, I know how good they are and what they’re like,” he said. “So, it takes away some of the nerves and jitters from not knowing who you’ll be sailing against.

His event is a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Prior to the Worlds, Lettsome attended nine international events in the past year. Among his performances, he was 22nd of 55 competitors in the US Nationals in January and won the 88th Sailing World Cup Miami which also took place in January and attracted 101 participants.

He was 10th of 76 competitors in the US Laser Radial Nationals in 2018 and placed 14th of 58 in the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships and 4th out of 125 entries in the Cork International Regatta in Canada.

His recent sojourn to Worlds as a final tune up he said was beneficial for Pan Ams. “It definitely helped me with race management as I was definitely up with the top guys and it would simulate this event being with a smaller group of people,” he noted. “So my managing of the rest of the fleet, my competition in Poland would help me a lot with race management.”

Lettsome has been working with Canadian Coach, Chris Watters, who guided his development at the Royal BVI Yacht Club, but will be coached by Alec Anderson at the Pan Am Games.

“He has a good perspective because he’s almost in this situation himself and has done many events even recently, so he really knows what he’s talking about and has a good Dinghy feel and a good feel for the boat I’m sailing, because he’s recently just sailing himself,” Lettsome explained. “It’s a really good new perspective and I’m still in touch with Chris so it will be a good mix.”

Lettsome will be in action August 3-10.

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, PanAM Games, Sailing Tagged With: ,

BVI makes splash in Pan Am Games opening ceremony

July 28, 2019 by

Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
BVI Pan Am Games Media Contact

Thad Lettsome (L) parade guide and Lindel “Chef” Hodge, prepping to parade into the stadium Photo: Alec Anderson

LIMA Peru—Although among the smallest of the 41 delegations, the British Virgin Islands made its splash during the 18th Pan Am Games opening ceremony in Lima, Peru last night, during an entertaining and colorful show.

Laser Sailor and flag bearer Thad Lettsome, Coach Alec Anderson and Chef de Mission Lindel “Chef” Hodge, were the territory’s reps marching in the ceremony that featured Peruvian history and culture.

As they marched into the national stadium, an image of the Baths was projected on the large rock backdrop which featured each country and later in the program the flags of all 41 nations, the BVI’s among them. “From time we walked out our apartment, everybody was watching us,” noted Hodge. “Everybody was in their suits and bland sweat suits and we had our pretty shirts with Be VI, it was an eye catcher. I wished we had more bodies, but we did what we had to do. Our shirts caught lots of eyes and everybody wanted to trade for our BVI pins after that.”

Lettsome, coming off participating in the ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland, July 14-20, said he was surprised there was so much space and the teams weren’t jammed up. “It was a fun, a good experience I won’t forget,” said Lettsome who’s making his games competition debut on August 3 and Paracas. “I’m pretty lucky I think to be doing this so young obviously, then holding the flag, so I’m trying not to take it for granted because a lot of people can’t do this.”

Alec Anderson captures Thad Lettsome as he prepares to enter the Peru National Stadium with the flag

Sailing Coach Alec Anderson said it was cool being able to represent the BVI in the opening ceremony. “I’ve always had a goal of going to the Olympics – though this is not quite the Olympics – it’s still a big opening ceremony with a lot of countries and a big crowd so it was pretty darn special to finally be able to walk through a tunnel, repping the BVI. So, I had a great time.”

While track and field officials will begin arriving in Lima tonight ahead of the athletes, Anderson and Lettsome will depart for Paracas on Monday morning to begin preparations for the Sailing competition that kicks off on Aug 8.

Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5th and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on Aug 12.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Panam Sports, Sailing Tagged With: , , ,

Sailors Lettsome and Allen represent the VI at prestigious World Championships

July 22, 2019 by
BVI’s Thad Lettsome at the Hempel World Cup Series 2019. Photo copyright: Sailing energy/World Sailing

Thad Lettsome and Samuel Allen represented the Virgin Islands overseas at prestigious World Championships this month.

Thad Lettsome
17 year old Thad Lettsome’s finished in 19th position at the 2019 Youth Sailing World Championships in Poland. Lettsome posted three top 10 finishes across the nine race series, remained composed and showed good tactical skills, sticking to and executing his plan for each race.

Day three was the best day for Lettsome when winds increased to range from 12-18 knots, much less variable and building through the day. Using sound tactics and boat on boat strategy, he finished 7th in the first race of the day. With stronger winds in the final race, Thad was able to overcome being on the wrong side of the first shift and pass 14 other boats on the final upwind leg to secure ninth to place him in the top five for the day.

“It has been a really difficult regatta for me, I am one of the larger sailors in the fleet and prefer to sail in the stronger breeze which we only saw on one day. I am happy with how I worked on my tactics and starts and I know I can battle the top sailors but I still have plenty to work on,” said Lettsome.

Competing in the Laser Radial, he faced 56 other sailors from around the world in this prestigious one-sailor per nation event. It was a very challenging regatta with the wind strength under 10 knots for 7 of the 9 races leading to mixed fortunes and a high scoring regatta for all competitors.

This was Lettsome’s third time at the Championships, where he finished in 33rd place in 2017 in China and 14th in 2019 in the USA.

The Youth Sailing World Championships is the pinnacle event for youth sailors. Held annually since 1971, it is the event that highlights sailing’s future Olympic, America’s Cup and professional superstars in the sport.

Lettsome was also a part of the World Sailing Emerging Nations Program which includes a training clinic just prior to the regatta. The Royal BVI Yacht Club thanks World Sailing for their continued and valuable support for up and coming athletes.

Pan Am Games
Next up, Lettsome will join the VI’s track and field senior athltes and travel to Peru as part of the VI team competing at the Pan American Games. Awarded a Universality Place, Lettsome will compete in the men’s one person dinghy event sailing a Laser against 21 sailors from across North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. He is the first VI sailor since the 1990s to compete at a Pan Am Games which is also a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“I am eager and excited to get back into the Laser,” said Lettsome. “It will be a very different regatta [to Poland] and I’ve got the opportunity to have a go at qualifying for one of the two remaining Olympic spots for North American sailors.”

Lettsome has the additional honour of being the territory’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony. Racing will start on August 3 through to August 10.

Follow the coverage from Peru with Dean ‘The Sportsman’ Greenaway’s daily reports and radio broadcasts on CBN 90.9FM.

Samuel Allen
On 6 July, Team BVI youth sailor Samuel Allen travelled to Antigua to take part in the 2019 Optimist World Championships. 259 sailors from 65 nations took part in this prestigious event.

Allen was assigned to the Emerald fleet after the six race qualifying series. A further four races were completed after the final day’s racing was cancelled due to small craft weather warnings! Antigua certainly delivered up some Caribbean treats with conditions ranging from champagne sailing to wet, wild and windy. Unfortunately, Allen had to carry two letter scores from day two due to illness but remained committed to finish overall in 251st position.

The RBVIYC thanks team Trinidad and Tobago for their support throughout the regatta.

The Optimist class is the biggest international sailing class for youth sailors who may compete up to the age of 15. It is a notable marker that many of sailing’s greatest stars began their sailing journey in the Optimist.

Filed Under: Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Sailing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hive of activity at 2nd annual Olympic Day Sports Festival

June 25, 2019 by

International Olympic Day was marked on Saturday, June 22nd with the 2nd annual Sports Festival at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds. The morning of interactive events to promote the Olympic Day pillars to move, learn and discover was hosted by the BVI Olympic Committee in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture.

National Federations set up stations around the grounds where they staged demo sessions and invited attendees of the Sports Festival to join in. There was full and enthusiastic uptake in the sports as presented by archery, athletics, basketball, cycling, football, rugby, softball/baseball, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball with children and adults alike trying their hand at something new.

Sailing and squash had information stands featuring the equipment of their sport with each of the coaches respectively encouraging hands-on engagement with the sailing optimist on display and with the rackets and balls. Information on anti-doping and the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation was also available from Doping Control Officers.

“The response from the National Federations this year was exceptional and we could not have hosted such a successful event without their full participation,” said Ephraim Penn, President of the BVIOC. “The International Olympic Committee had encouraged NOCs to ramp up activities this year to extend beyond the traditional Olympic Day walk/run and to promote the concept of getting active as a way of life regardless of age and ability. I am pleased that the BVIOC was ahead of the curve with this idea as we have been promoting interactive engagement since Olympic Day 2012 when we hosted the event at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. The festival also provides the perfect platform for supporting our Long Term Athlete Development Programme.”

Following welcome remarks by Mr. Roy Barry, 2nd Vice President of the BVIOC and the reading of the Olympic Day Message from the President of the IOC, Mr. Thomas Bach, Dr. the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley, Minister for Education and Culture recognized the major achievements for athletes and teams as provided by some of the National Federations. Certificates of acknowledgement were given for distribution to the named athletes in athletics, football, rugby, sailing, softball/baseball and volleyball.

The Honourable Minister encouraged all athletes to stay the course and to continue to achieve results that they can be proud of.

Olympic Day was also selected as the appropriate occasion to officially announce the four athletes who have qualified to compete at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games from July 26th through August 11th. Naming senior track and field athletes and one sailor, Honourable Neville Smith, 1st Vice President, BVIOC congratulated Chantel Malone (long jump), Kyron McMaster (400m hurdles) and Eldred Henry (shot put) on their outstanding achievements in qualifying meets as well as 17-year old, Thad Lettsome who was awarded a universality place in the men’s laser event. The two sports’ disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.

On the heels of the announcement, Honourable Wheatley stated that the Ministry of Education and Culture has awarded checks amounting to $24,000 for senior athlete, Kyron McMaster for his gold medal wins at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and the 2018 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC), Championships. Chantel Malone was also named as a recipient of a check for $9,000 for her silver medal win at the 2018 CAC Games.

“The Government has committed to paying our senior athletes for podium finishes at major international competitions,” said Honourable Wheatley. “This award is a ‘thank you’ as well as an incentive to stay committed to putting in the hard work and focus on winning a medal.” He went on to joke that the current roster of athletes was on track to bankrupting the government’s coffers.

At the invitation of Ms. Sabinah Clement, Athlete Representative, BVIOC, 3 athletes stepped forward to share their experiences. A volleyball player since the age of 12, Ms. Sharonda Pickering spoke of her route to becoming one of the best middle players in the sport in the NCAA conference, helping her school to conference and national championships.

Mr. Kenard Dawson who was home for the Summer, explained how he started his baseball career as a young boy playing softball with coach and VISBA President, Terrence Chinnery before going on to become catcher for the team at Georgia Premier Academy High School and earning a 4 Year Scholarship at Grambling State University, Statesboro, Georgia.

Ms. Beyonce Defreitas who just completed her freshman year at University of Central Florida, is a 100m and 200m sprinter and she closed out the opening remarks with a talk through of qualifying for the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Carifta Games and the IAAF World Under 20 Championships and competing at NCAA Division 1 events. Ms. Defreitas encouraged all the young aspiring athletes to follow their dreams and to be strong in their self-belief and confidence in their abilities.

Olympic Day was established in 1948 as an annual occasion where everyone everywhere can get together in their communities, whatever their age, ability or disability, to celebrate the Olympic values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship and also celebrate the Olympic Day pillars: Move. Learn. Discover.

The 2019 Olympic Day Sports Festival was sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dasani water, Powerade and Coca Cola products distributed by Road Town Wholesale Trading Ltd, and MB’s Ice

Click to view the Olympic Day Sports Festival album on FaceBook

Filed Under: Archery, Athletics, Basketball, BVI Olympic Committee, Caribbean RADO, Cycling, Football, Lima 2019, LTAD, Olympic Day, PanAM Games, Regional Anti-Doping Organization, Rugby, Sailing, Softball-Baseball, Squash, Taekwondo, Tennis, Tokyo 2020, Volleyball Tagged With: , , ,

Lima 2019 Pan Am Games athletes announced at Olympic Day Sports Festival

June 25, 2019 by
Lima 2019 athletes representing the Virgin Islands include Chantel Malone (long jump), Kyron McMaster (400m hurdles), Eldred Henry (shot put) and Thad Lettsome (men’s laser). Photos: track & field athletes – BVI Olympic Committee, Thad Lettsome – Royal BVI Yacht Club

Four athletes were officially confirmed as members of the team who will represent the Virgin Islands in track and field and sailing at the Lima 2019 Pan American (Pan Am) Games this Summer. The announcement was made at the 2nd annual Olympic Day Sports Festival held on Saturday, June 22 at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Ground when Honourable Neville Smith, 1st Vice President of the BVI Olympic Committee named the four as Chantel Malone (long jump), Kyron McMaster (400m hurdles), Eldred Henry (shot put) and Thad Lettsome (men’s laser).

Both athletics and sailing were among 20 other disciplines at Lima 2019 confirmed earlier this month as being qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Congratulating the athletes, Hon. Smith said, “Qualifying for these Games has become much tougher than previous years and, given the elevated standards and smaller team representing the VI this year, we are justifiably proud and excited to be sending a group of strong competitors who have the proven talent to make history and win our first ever medal – or medals!- in the Pan Am Games. We are also pleased that we have a young sailor who will bring us back into the Games after a long respite.”

The 3 senior athletes who will be competing in track and field events met their specific qualifying marks with outstanding achievements:

Kyron McMaster, who will compete in the 400m Hurdles semi-final on August 6th, qualified by winning gold at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. Eldred Henry, competing in the shot put finals on August 7th, qualified for the PanAms with his record setting performance during the indoor season. Chantel Malone, set to compete in the long jump finals on August 7th hit her qualifier when she claimed the then world #1 spot with a personal best leap of 6.9m at the at the 3rd Annual Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens, Georgia on April 26, 2019. The mark currently ranks Malone #2 in the world.

Joining the 3 track and field athletes is Thad Lettsome who, at 17 years of age, makes history for the VI as the first sailor since the 1990s to represent the VI at the Pan Am Games. Awarded a universality place by the organisers, Lettsome will start his competition in the Men’s Laser class on August 3rd.

Former national sprinter, Mr. Lindel ‘Chef’ Hodge is the Chef de Mission for Lima 2019.

“This is the VI’s 10th Pan Am Games. We have competed in each of the Games since the 9th edition and, in fact, our first appearance at the 1983 Pan Am Games was the starting point for the establishment of the BVI Olympic Committee. The closest we have come to a medal was in 1987 when our softball team finished 4th after a narrow 4-3 loss against Cuba in the bronze medal game but we are hopeful that 2019 will be the year we make the podium,” said Honourable Smith, a member of the historical 1987 softball team.

The 19th edition of the Pan Am Games will be held in Lima, Peru from July 26th to August 11. Approximately 6,700 participants from 41 countries in the Caribbean and Americas are expected to compete in 39 sports and 61 disciplines, 22 of which are qualifiers for Tokyo 2020. News on the Games and the athletes will be provided by Dean Greenaway’s daily reports to media and via radio broadcast on CBN 90.9FM at 5.00pm through August 5th and then at 9.00am, 2.00pm and 9.00pm from August 6 – 11.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Lima 2019, PanAM Games, Sailing Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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