The Tribune

Atlantis Toastmasters. - The Great Persuaders of Atlantis Toastmasters Club 8720 has the honour of representing The Bahamas and Atlantis, Paradise Island at the upcoming District 47 competitions set for April 25-27 in Miami, Florida.

Toastmasters’ Davario Rahming and Anastarcia Huyler celebrated a great victory recently when the pair beat out six other contestants from around The Bahamas to capture champion titles in the Division F Toastmasters International Speech and Table Topics competitions.

Toastmaster Rahming and Toastmaster Huyler had won two previous rounds of competitions in order to make it into the Division round. The first round was held within Atlantis’ own Toastmasters Club 8720. The second round was held within “Area 63”. An “area” in Toastmasters refers to a cluster of clubs. Their wins at each level led to their victories on March 27. If Toastmaster Rahming wins The International Speech Competition in Florida on the 26th, he’ll represent the entire district in Malaysia at the World Speaking Championship.

The International Speech competition allows the speaker to speak on any topic for 5-7 minutes. The winner most often leaves an impact on the audience that motivates, encourages or calls them to action. The Table Topics competition gives contestants the opportunity to “speak off the cuff”. The contestant is given a question the moment his/her number is called to which he or she must answer with a fully developed speech in less than two minutes.

Area Governor and Atlantis casino shift manager Antoinette Lotmore was particularly impressed by the wins, noting that “it was a reminder of the greatness within our halls. Club 8720, now in its seventhyear has had some challenges recently but this new group of toastmasters has built on our original legacy and I am so proud to see them move on to Florida”.

Her sentiments were echoed by Club 8720 President Sheral Barr, a casino supervisor at Atlantis, who is credited with reviving the club. “Toastmasters International stands for excellence so it was no surprise to any of us when these two toastmasters won at this level. They are more than capable and by being a part of 8720, those capabilities were turned into excellence. We look forward to seeing how much further they will go,” she said.

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skillsthrough a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organisation has more than 292,000 memberships in more than 14,350 clubs in 122 countries. In The Bahamas, Toastmasters is split into two Divisions with clubs in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros and Eleuthera. The programme has been attributed to the development of leaders worldwide, including Atlantis’ own George Markontonis, an honourary member of Club 8720 who originally joined the programme in South Africa many years ago, and credits it with some of his own leadership abilities.

Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled. - The Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled will be holding a Walk-a-Thon on Saturday, April 26. Walkers will leave from the Fort Charlotte driving school parking lot area at 10am and the route will take them along West Bay Street to Rawson Square via Prince George Warf then back to Fort Charlotte.

Barabbas and the Tribe Junkanoo group will be walking with the group and playing music.

The walk starts at 10am. They will be meeting in the parking lot at Fort Charlotte at 9:30am.

Bahamas Cycling Club. - Upcoming Events:

Saturday – Grand Bahama-Pollo Tropical, fifth annual ‘Ride for Charity’. Additional information/any questions, contact Cleopatra Russell at 351-6320 or email rideforcharityfpo@gmail.com.

June 6 - Salt Pond, Long Island - Long Island Sheep Runner’s Bike, Run and Walk, start at regatta site at 6:30am sharp. BIKE: 30 miles; RUN: six miles; WALK: four miles. Entry fee: adults $20, school children $5. Contact Carol Fox at cfox289@gmail.com for more info.

June 7 - Pineapple Man Triathlon in Eleuthera.

June 28 - 8th Grand Bahama Road Cycling Championships. This event will have three categories, from 37 miles in Cat 3 to 100 miles in Cat 1. Contact: gb-cyclist@hotmail.com.

July 6 - Independence Road Race, Nassau. Contact Barron Musgrove, call or text 425-1057 or email npcyclingassociation2013@gmail.com.

September 13 - Give a Child a Ride bike ride & race in Nassau, email: info@giveachildaride.com.

September 20 - The Potcakeman Tri http://www.baarkbahamas.com/potcakeman-2014-triathlon.

October 2014 – UWC Tri, Nassau (TBC).

November 1 - Conchman Tri - Taino Beach, Grand Bahama.

November 23 - Bahamas Half Marathon & 10K, Arawak Cay, Nassau, http://www.bahamashalf.com.

Afternoon rides west - Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving 5:30pm sharp, parking lot next to Lyford Cay Gas Station. 18 or 24 miles depending if you do second loop. This is an advanced cyclist’s ride. The pace will range from 20+mph

Morning ride east - Wednesdays, leaving 5:30am sharp, Harbour Bay Shopping Centre, 26-mile ride route: East to east end, west on Prince Charles to Marathon Mall to East/West Highway, to Milo Butler Hwy, north to six-leg roundabout to JFK to Baha Mar roundabout to Baha Mar, head east on West Bay St. to Harbour Bay. One-hour duration, advanced level cyclists. The pace will range from 20+mph (advanced cyclists are invited to join in anywhere along the route).

Afternoon rides east - Thursday, leaving 6pm & 6:30pm sharp, Super Value, Winton: 1-1.5 hour duration (until nearly dark). All-level cyclists welcome. Please have lights attached to your bike.

Hope you can join us! Like us on Facebook @ Enjoy! Cycling Club Bahamas.