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THE FREEPORT NEWS

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

SPORTS
http://freeport.nassauguardian.net

GB Flag Football League has

high hopes for the season
SHAYNE STUBBS
FN Sports Reporter
shayne@nasguard.com
At the end of the 2015 Grand
Bahama Flag Football (GBFF)
season, the final image was the
Chances Alliance and the
Freeport Container Port Piranhas
celebrating as the men and ladies
division champions, respectively.
Now it is time for teams to do it
all over again and the GBFF
League is gearing up for the
2016 season.
With teams now preparing
themselves for another run to sit
atop of the local league, the executive board of the GBFFL cannot wait for the season to get
under way. The season is set to
kick off Sunday, April 17 at the
Grand Bahama Sports Complex.
Preseason games will take place
this year on April 3 and April 10.
Members of the board met with
The Freeport News and president of the GBFFL, Craig Smith,
informed this daily that the season is shaping up to be bigger
than last year.
With new teams joining in this
season, the league is also getting
a big lift in terms of sponsorship.
This year were going to make
this league much bigger. Some
more female teams were added
in and maybe, one new male
team added so far. We also got a
lot of big sponsors coming on
board this year. ASure Win out
of Nassau; theyre going to be
the title sponsor for the league
this season. We also had Coors
Light come on, this season, as
another major sponsor, Smith
noted.
He added that they are in talks

REadY FOR KicK OFF The Grand Bahama Flag Football league is geared up for the 2016 season. Pictured left to right, david Bell
(coach of chances alliance); vice president Warren martinborough; president craig smith; assistant commissioner Garvin ash and
public relations officer Vincent marshall.
(PHOTO: JENNEVA RUSSELL)

with other potential sponsors that

could not be identified at the
time.
The fan participation is one of
the most crucial areas that the
league is attempting to work on.
The GBFFL president voiced
that the league is working on getting bleachers installed closer to
the field. The league is also currently working on adding lighting to the field.
Public Relations officer, Vincent Marshall, highlighted that
every season has been bigger
than the previous and the

GBFFL wants to continue that

trend.
Along with creating a better experience for the fans, Marshall
added that they want to add a
better atmosphere for the players.
We just want to do what we do
best; play some flag football, be
competitive and just give Grand
Bahama the best flag football
product that we could.
With the preseason set two
weeks before the regular season,
Marshall announced that the
league would use the first two

weeks of the preseason as a

means to give back to the community.
In the past we would have had
food drives and clothing drives.
This season were going to bring
it back for the first two weeks;
our preseason weeks were going

to allow persons to get in free

provided they bring a canned
food donation or if they bring a
clothing donation.
Its just us doing our part
through our Grand Bahama Flag
Football Cares Program to give
back to our local communities.

So, at the end of our two-week

period everything we would
have collected, we will then go
down to the Red Cross Society
of Grand Bahama to make the
donation, Marshall explained.
The league also has some new
additions to the executive board.
Garvin Ash has come on as assistant commissioner to commissioner William Percentie. Warren
Martinborough also joins the
board as assistant president.
Ash is responsible for the referees and the rules and regulations of the game. Ash voiced
that its a privilege being on the
board and his goals are simple,
As Ive watched this league,
Ive watched it from birth to
where it is now and so far its
been a great job done by these
guys. Id do anything to help
them make it even better.
As for the newly added vice
president, Martinborough, he is
seeking to help the organization
build on what its doing so far.
Based upon what weve seen
in the past two years its a lot
more we can do in getting more
corporate sponsors and everything, and just push the flag football league to the next level.
Coach of the defending mens
champions, Chances Alliance,
David Bell was also present and
noted that as defending champions its simply going to take the
team to do what they have done
all along; play hard, prepare
themselves and just have fun.

BOC administrators come of age

SPORTS
SCOPE
Ruby Golf Course Pro-Am

expected competitive
SHAYNE STUBBS
FN Sports Reporter
shayne@nasguard.com
The Ruby Golf Course will be
back in full swing this coming
Saturday as they get ready to
host their first event for the year.
On February 6, the Ruby Golf
Course Pro-Am is expected to
attract the top pros and top amateurs in The Bahamas.
Tournament director, Emalcus
Hield, noted that the tournament
would be a shotgun style
(golfers tee off simultaneously
from different holes) and golfers
will play the full 18-holes.
In all our events, we want to
create competition but we also
want to create fun. So, were
calling it the 2016 Ruby Golf
Course Jamboree. So, you come
and you play, you compete.
After, and even during the event
you socialize. Thats basically
the main idea; for everyone to
come together, have fun and
compete, Hield voiced.
The upcoming event hinged
off the success of the previously
held Ruby Golf Course championship held in December. Participants left that tournament
hopeful that another tournament
would be held at the longstanding golf course, according to
Hield.
With the tournament just a few
days away, the tournament director noted that this event
would be used as a springboard leading into other events
at the course.
This is it. This is a springboard for this year, but we plan
on having a lot more events
coming up. This is just the first
event for 2016. Were very excited about it. Were getting a lot

Emalcus HiEld

of positive feedback and we

have a lot of people already
signed up to play in the event.
Its going to be a really good

event. Theres going to be some

really good competition, a lot of
good players in the field.
Hield also stressed the importance of this event as it pertains
to players at the junior level.
With the junior national golf
tournament set for March, the
golf pro noted that for aspiring
junior golfers, tournament is an
essential component in taking
their games to the next level.
To be a tournament player or
play competitive golf you actually have to play in tournaments.
Thats how you really test your
game; under pressure situations.
We have the junior nationals
coming up pretty soon so this
would be for some of the top
juniors that are playing in the
tournament, this would be a
good springboard for them to
see where theyre at in terms of
their game.

Grand Bahama Basketball Association

Monday, February 1
Division One
Memories Hotel - 86
Antonio Thompson - 30 pts
Christopher Turnquest - 14 pts
GB Shipyard Cruisers - 73
Leon Cooper - 14 pts
Franco Miller/ Jay Philippe -

13 pts
Division Two
Myo-Genesis Rockets - 58
Stephen Smith - 18 pts
Kortez Bartlett - 14 pts
EMR Stars - 48
Mario Mott - 14 pts

Derek Nesbitt/Obie Wilchcombe

High School Basketball League
Monday, February 1
Senior Boys Semifinals
(best of three series)
St. Georges Jaguars - 56
(Franklyn Petion 22 pts)
Jack Hayward Wildcats - 52
(Trea Smith 13 pts)
Jaguars lead series 1-0

Sunland Stingers - 54
(Kaleel Solomon 20 pts)
Tabernacle Falcons - 48
(Desmond Butler 15 pts)
Stingers lead series 1-0
Play-offs resume today at
4:30 p.m at St. Georges Gym

The Bahamas Olympic Committees administration under

the leadership of Wellington
Miller has come of age. The
BOC indeed has reached a
point whereby even Millers
staunchest critics cannot legitimately deny that he has crafted
a successful and well-respected
organization.
The sure-handed, particularly
conservative Miller has risen
above those who considered
him an inferior administrator. In
his unassuming and deliberate
manner, Miller, with his current
associates, has taken the BOC
to a height it never attained before. The Commonwealth
Games Federation has endorsed
The Bahamas, through the
BOC, as the host country for
the VI (sixth) Commonwealth
Youth Games to be staged July
19-23 in year 2017.
It is a historic breakthrough
for the Bahamian sports fraternity. For Miller, his Secretary
General Romell Knowles and
others within the BOC administration, securing the bid for the
youth competition was monumental. The accomplishment
fits right in with the expanding
Bahamian major sports hosting
brand.
Miller has had to withstand
adversaries who were quite bitter, to maintain the presidency
of the BOC. He was verbally
attacked by past executives and
on occasions was prepared to
opt out. He initially did not plan
to seek another term as president. The BOC at the time was
divided and Miller often felt
disrespected and discouraged.
He persevered though, bolstered by Knowles and a few
others. He solicited the support
of the majority of the member
organizations and sailed
through during the elections.
Now, the nation knows that this
quiet and methodical sporting
stalwart is beneficial to his
country in the top organizational sports position in the
land.
The youth games will be another magnificent opportunity
to heighten the sports hosting
reputation of The Bahamas.
Thousands of competitors, offi-

with Fred Sturrup

cials, administrators, support
groups and family members
will converge on The Bahamas
for the milestone event.
The youth games extravaganza is a truly fine dimension
that enlarges the Bahamian
sports tourism product. It will
represent an economic boost for
sure. It will broaden the sports
tourism horizon of The Bahamas. The list of sports disciplines favors Bahamian
athletes. Of the seven sports
scheduled, The Bahamas, if
proper preparation is done with
the youthful athletic talents
throughout the country, should
do well in swimming, athletics,
boxing, and tennis. There will
also be competition in judo, cycling and rugby sevens. The
BOC executives ought not get

caught up in the euphoria of

having won the bid. There is
the further challenge to make
an all-out effort to provide the
kind of readiness for our representatives that would produce
an appreciable haul of medals.
This is a huge task the BOC
administrators have before
them.
Hopefully, they will be able to
forge working relationships
with the federations that will be
directly involved in the competition so that the country can
put forth performers who will
be highly competitive.
Best wishes to Miller and
company!
To respond to this column,
kindly contact Fred Sturrup at
sturrup1504@gmail.com

WElliNGTON millER