The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson officially launched Team Bahamas yesterday by introducing some of the bright young people in the country, including those in the realm of sports, junkanoo, drama, politics and art.

Among those present during a press conference at his office were men’s 400 metre hurdles national record holder Jeffery Gibson and quarter-miler Ramon Miller.

“Team Bahamas is conceptualised to capture the ethos of the Bahamian collective spirit in cementing and galvanising a national unity in the support of the country’s culture, people and institutions, intellectual and sports endeavours at home and abroad,” said Johnson, who showed a brief video to demonstrate his point.

“Through Team Bahamas, the entire country becomes a willing and enthusiastic supporter and participant in every venture undertaken by the Bahamians to showcase ourselves to the world and to further drive and propel the nation to the cohesiveness and strength of ‘March on together, your bright banners waving high.’”

Johnson encouraged every Bahamian to become a part of Team Bahamas as they do whatever they can to make the Bahamas a great nation.

Both Gibson and Miller, sharing a little of their humble beginnings, endorsed the programme after they participated at the second Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational on Saturday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

“When I came back from the World Championships in Beijing, I was on vacation and just travelling around Nassau like a local regular Bahamian, with so many people congratulating you and saying that they are praying for you, to come back home and competing in front of them was something completely different,” Gibson said.

“That meet just made me so excited about what is going to happen in the future for athletes in this country and sports tourism and also with youth in the country. A number of junior athletes who performed there are the up and coming athletes for the different games to come in the future.”

On Monday, the Grand Bahamian native said he got a chance to visit both St Anne’s School and St John’s College where he was able to leave some hope for the many students.

“They are just like me and I’m just like them,” he said. “I was an average student, but with hard work and determination and being focused and having a vision, making steps towards what you want to do, I was able to overcome great feats and become the world champion that I am.”

Gibson, who got third in his specialty in the 400m hurdles in a season opening 49.16 seconds (behind American Johnny Dutch, winner in 48.36 and runner up Javier Culson of Puerto Rico, who did 49.12), said he realised that it’s not how you start, but how you finish and what you do.

“So just going forward, I want to encourage the youth of this country,” he said.

Miller, still remembered for his come-from-behind victory on the anchor leg to push the Bahamas to the gold ahead of Angelo Taylor from the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, said he was self-motivated, but he got a lot of help along the way to get him to the next level.

“Growing up in Grants Town, we always did things as a team, go for water or whatever is necessary,” he said. “So I took that aspect as a child, even through high school and college, I didn’t have the necessities like everybody else. I came from a government school, but I knew about team work and hard work.

“Team Bahamas is something that I can be a part of, not just to encourage private schools, but government schools where I came from. I came from a government school and there was really nobody there to encourage me. I took it upon myself. I went out one day to a track and field sports meet and I ran the 1,500, my first race ever and I won it and I ran 100 and 200m and I won. I didn’t have nothing to do.”

But as he got further into the sport, Miller said he’s thankful for the support he has gotten from coaches Floyd Armbrister and Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming at CR Walker Secondary High and the moment at the Olympics is something that he’s trying to keep in his back pocket as he’s still competing.

During the CBBI, Miller also got third when he competed in the men’s B final of the men’s 400m in 21.63. The event was won by Steven Newbold, who made his return after a two-year hiatus, to win in 21.34. Mitchel Davis of the Dominican Republic came in second in 21.48.

“This year has been a slow yewar for me, but I have two months before the Olympics, so hopefully I will be there again,” said Miller, who is currently training at home. “As Minister Johnson said, we are at a team. I remember when we were at the airport and all the bags came, I said there’s no sense leaving them here, so I put them on a trolley and I pushed them out. I was a team player.”

Johnson said it’s these type of stories and others from the other sectors of society that Team Bahamas will benefit as it move forward.