The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Olympic Committee and the Bahamas Commonwealth Games Association have combined to stage its first Summer Youth Camp.

In preparation  for the hosting of the sixth Commonwealth Youth Games July 19-23, 2017, Miller said they want to use the camp as a means of providing an avenue for more Bahamians to get involved in some of the sports that will be offered at the CYG.

“We believe that in this day and time, not being able to socialise enough has gotten our country in the state that it is today,” Miller said. “Sports is one of the greatest weapons to combat this increase in the non-socialising of our people.

“We in the Bahamas Olympic Committee and the Bahamas Commonwealth Games Association saw it fit to unite on this type of camp. We want to promote men and women to get involved in sports.”

Miller admitted that they realise that not everybody will be good on the field of play, but they are always looking for good administrators and coaches to take over from those persons who are on their way out.

“So we are asking for all of our local associations and federations to come out and look at the talent that will be in the camp,” he said. “Who knows, they might just find that next superstar who can be a part of their programme.”

The camp, which will be headed by D’Arch Rahming Sr, will begin with registration starting today at the Holy Family Church on Robinson Road, opposite RM Bailey Secondary High.

However, the camp will not officially run from 9am to 1pm on July 25 when youngsters will participate learning the art of judo, fencing, archery and boxing.

Also in attendance was Romel Knowles, the secretary general of the BOC and a member of the Bahamas CGA.

Drumeco Archer, another member of the Bahamas CGA, said their aim is to showcase the athletes from the 71 countries that will participate in the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.

“We are very excited because this is the first opportunity that we will have to see what the Bahamas has to offer moving into 2017,” Archer said. “I’m excited to see the large amount of competitors who showed up for judo.

“I think this is just the impetus for us as to what the Commonwealth Youth Games mean, not just to the Bahamas, but to the event itself. So we are looking forward to seeing even more young children come out and participate in this summer camp.”

While the registration will be ongoing all week long, Rahming said they are eagerly looking forward to the start of the four-week camp that is free of charge and will provide hot breakfast each morning for all participants.

“We are looking to have a great time,” he said. “We will have a number of Olympic disciplines that the campers can participate in like fencing, boxing, judo and archery.

“Some of these sports like boxing and judo are a part of the Commonwealth Youth Games and we are in discussions with other sporting bodies to use this as a recruiting ground. That’s our main purpose because we have access to a lot of kids in the community.”

From 3-5 pm, the Bahamas Judo Federation will continue with its national team practice in preparation for the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Next week, 32 of the campers involved in judo will be travelling to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to compete in the US Open at the International Training Camp where the federation will make its first cut for the Commonwealth Youth Games. A total of 11 instructors will accompany the athletes.

A number of countries are expected to participate in the event, but Rahming said he’s looking forward to the Bahamas doing quite well because they have been hard at work for the past several months.

“Judo is a complex sport. You can’t just get by on talent, you have to be trained,” he said. “So we have been working very hard on this for several months. This will be our first test at the US Open.”