The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas' goal in this weekend's Carifta Swimming Championships is to improve on last year's haul of 39 medals and third place finish overall in points. "We're getting excited about getting started," said head coach Andy Knowles. "We've been going through this training programme as a team for about a month.

"And right now, as of Saturday, we've just been making sure that we are ready to swim in the morning and the evenings. The kids are just eager to start swimming."

In the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre, the Bahamas will be competing against 22 other countries during the championships slated to begin Thursday and wrap up on Sunday. The majority of the teams are already in town and settled in the Games Village at the Wyndham resort.

Looking at what he has seen coming in, Knowles said he is confident that Team Bahamas will fear very well at home, especially in the relays where the points double up.

"It seems as if we have fuller squads for the relays than the other countries so that is something that we hope to capitalize on," Knowles said. "We still have some of the top seeds but we are hoping that all of our relay teams will be able to move up and win medals. That would be a major achievement for us."

Five of the members of Team Bahamas have indicated that they are ready to carry the Bahamian flag before their home crowd.

Miller Albury, one of the competitors in the boys 11-12 division (Clement Bowe, Nicholas Rahming, Joshua Roberts and Alec Joshua Sands are his team-mates), is slated to compete in the 50 back, 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM and the relays.

"It's been very hard," said Albury about his preparation for the championships. "I've had to wake up very early in the mornings to do some extensive practices but I think it's going to really pay off."

Albury admitted that he's already feeling the pressure of competing at home but he knows that he has to go out and represent the country first and foremost.

Keitra Lloyd turned 13 last month but is still eligible to compete in the 11-12 division with Celia Campbell, Jasmine Gibson, Margaret Higgs, Zoe McCarroll and Megan Reid.

Entered in the 50 fly and 200 fly, 50 and 100 back, 200 back and 50 free, Lloyd said she has been training very hard because she knows that the competition will be stiff.

"I guess I have a lot of motivation from my friends and family who will be in the stands," she said. "So hopefully, I can go out there and compete well. But it's a lot of pressure because it's home and you don't want to swim badly."

For Tremaine Allen, who is entered in the girls 13-14 division with Leslie Campbell, Joanna Evans, Doran Reed, Simone Sturrup and Andreas Simone Weech, she will have her work cut out for her in the 50, 100 and 200 breast, 200 and 400 IM and 400 and 800 free.

Events

"The majority of my events are distance events so I have to make sure I keep a cool head and visualize the race and put everything in God's hands," she said. "But there is a lot of pressure because you have to swim against your family and friends and the whole country behind you. So you have a lot of great expectations but, at the same time, you have your own standards to maintain."

Meshach Roberts, who will be competing in the boys 13-14 division with Drew Bastian, Dionisio Carey, Farion Cooper, Gershwin Greene and Zach Moses, said he has been training very well and now it's time for him to get ready for competition. "I think the team is going to do very well and if everybody swims their best, we will do very well," said Roberts, who has the 100 and 200 back, 400 IM, 400 free and 1,500 free.

Bria Deveaux, who will compete in the 15-17 girls division with Alaena Carey, Abigail Lowe, Je'Nae Saunders and Taryn Smith (in the absence of hospitalized Laura Morley), said there's always pressure to perform wherever you compete.

"There is a lot of pressure at home because I want to swim well for our country," said Deveaux, who will compete in the 50 free, butterfly and backstroke as well as the 100 freestyle and backstroke.

As for the team, Deveaux said "everyone looks very good."

"I just came home from school on Friday and everybody looks positive and happy. The more positive and happy you are, the more fun you will have."

Rival

Deveaux, who attends Baylor School in Tennessee, came down with her close friend and rival Kimberley John-Williams of Trinidad & Tobago.

"We swim together on the same team at school but when we compete on Thursday it will be very different. But at the same time, it's a close relationship between us," she said.

"You can't win everything, so it's good to have her here and to show everybody that it's good to be friends with the competition."

John-Williams, who arrived ahead of her team-mates, said it's good to have a friend and team-mate like Deveaux.

"I think we have a very strong team this year and we are going to put our best foot forward and see what happens," said John-Williams, who has been one of the top swimmers at the championships for the past seven years.

The 17-year-old said she's just enjoying as much as she can of the Bahamas. "It is just so beautiful here and I love it. The facilities have a 50 metre pool and a smaller warm up pool, so everything is good here."