The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS the College of the Bahamas continues to position itself as a viable option to attract student athletes, the athletic programme reached another milestone, however its development remains hindered by issues regarding access to facilities.

The Athletics department announced the commencement of its 2014 international track and field season yesterday at the campus’ Wellness Centre when the issues of facilities was addressed.

Athletic director Kimberley Rolle said the college has produced great athletes with limited facilities, but continues to seek access to facilities surrounding the institution, such as the Thomas A Robinson Stadium and the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

“While we do not have the facilities I think we tend to overlook access. Having access to our facilities is equally as important to me. We have formalised a request to the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority for COB to have access to these facilities as a national institution,” she said.

The team was outfitted with uniforms and equipment courtesy of a donation made by the The Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas.

Mark Humes, president of UTEB and athletics coach at the College of the Bahamas, said he hopes that the contribution by UTEB, coupled with the success of the athletes, will lead to increased interest and contributions by the general public.

“We have used what we have to create champions. We would hope that recognising the hard work that has been put in to create these championship level individuals, that the wider community would step up. As a national institution, we have been seeking access to the national sporting facilities and today we have not received a ‘go’ on that and that hinders our progress in becoming an athletic powerhouse.

“We should not have to make due as a national institution with a makeshift track when we have two track and field stadiums and a basketball gymnasium nearby in our backyard,” he said. “All of these things will help the programme to create visibility, not only in the local community but internationally with attractive facilities that can attract the calibre of athletic competition that we would need. We understand that in the Bahamas people do not buy in until something is successful, we just have to continue to create success, until such times that others recognise and invest in us.”

Humes said the success of the athletes will be the greatest draw the programme can have as it continues its recruitment drive.

“On the track side our numbers have grown. What some may have not considered top-tier athletes, we saw as diamonds in the rough. Right now, that investment in the athletes is starting to pay off. You see it in their performances over the past few weeks. They are going to be the best ambassadors for recruitment,” he said. “I think when others recognise and acknowledge their success, they will want to follow that success once they recognise that COB will also provide them with an opportunity to compete against international teams, they will want to follow that. Most athletes just want to go someplace where they can be successful. If they recognise that success can be produced here at home, and they can get a quality education as well, COB will continue to grow. We are putting all of the pieces together to make this a recognised sporting power in the region.”

COB will travel to the Embry Riddle University Indoor/Outdoor Challenge in Daytona Beach, Florida, this weekend outfitted with their new uniforms, much to the delight of head coach Bradley Cooper.

“The programme has made tremendous strides over the last seven years since its inception. When we started we would finish at eighth or ninth in local meets, but in our latest outing we came in third. We are coming along well. We are dominating the seniors category. In the field events, we have done traditionally well. Every year we have at least one athlete qualify for the national team. We are attracting more and more marquee athletes. People are now looking at COB and they want to be a part of this team.

“We are more visible on campus and we have a lot of support, now everybody wants to be a part of what we are doing,” he said. “We look like a team, we should perform like a team and after this weekend, we should be the team to beat at Embry Riddle this weekend.”

Cooper said that as the programme continues to grow, he sees competition against the region’s best athletes as one of the major issues when students look to continue their careers at the athletic level.

“Facilities are an issue, but what we need to attract more talent to the College of the Bahamas is to field competitive teams so we can create an atmosphere where our athletes can compete against the best athletes locally or in the United States. That is the ultimate goal. We have about three or four meets we will travel to this season. Years ago we began selling parents on the idea that they can save money that they would spend every semester by having their child accept an athletic scholarship to COB and they would still be able to travel to high level meets in the US,” he said.