The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SOME countries have the luxury of picking and choosing where to take their national team to train and compete. Not so Tongo, who defied the odds to get their three-member team here for the sixth Commonwealth Youth Games.

Vila Day, the head coach of the team from the South Pacific, and north of New Zealand, said it took about two days to complete the journey to The Bahamas for the games last week.

But it was worth the trip.

“Tongo still does not have a swimming pool, so most of our training is done in the ocean and one of our swimmers swims on an island where his family works,” Day said.

“One of the local hotels allows us to use their pool about twice a week, but it’s only 25 metres and we only get to use it from 6-7am twice a week. At least we get to use it, even though it’s dark and there’s no lane or starting blocks.”

Despite their inefficiencies, Day said she felt the team performed very well, lowering their personal best times that they would have posted at a regional competition in Fiji to prepare for the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Out of the 14 events they competed in, Day said they had 12 personal best times, which was a remarkable achievement.

Noelani Day, 14, lowered her personal best times in four of the five events she competed in, while Finau Ohuafi, 16, improved his times in all of his five events and Leonaitasi Tuitavake, 15, surpassed his PB in three of his four events.

Vila Day summed up their trip here as a fantastic one for their swimmers, and solitary boxer.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, wonderful for the kids,” she lamented. “This is the first time for the kids to be on the international stage, first time at this level of competition.

“I think we are very humble for them. We are a very humble people. So for them to be here performing was a very humbling experience.”

As soon as they return home, Day said they will prepare for another regional competition in September. But she said coming from the islands, they felt right at home.

“The facilities and the treatment has been top notch,” she stated. “We have been very spoiled, so it’s going to be very hard to go back to reality, but we all have to.

“It’s been amazing and, for the kids, I think this is something that they will cherish for al lifetime. So thank you to The Bahamas and the organizers for putting on a first class event. We truly enjoyed it.”

Day said what was so encouraging was the fact that they got to assist the Sierra Leone team when they were training on the first day - and the Fiji team as well as The Bahamas assisted them in providing them with swimsuits to compete in.

Noelani Day, speaking on behalf of her teammates, said this was the biggest competition she competed in and she wanted to soak up everything she could to help her in the future.

“Back home, we don’t have a pool and we don’t have this type of competition, so it was good to get this experience and to learn from the other swimmers.

“As one of the youngest competitors, I wanted to look at how they train and compete.

“Very little things I processed and I took in. It was a good learning experience for me.”

Day, 14, said she expected to do a little better, but there were a lot of factors that she encountered. However, she said she has some good memories to take back with her.

“The Bahamas is so wonderful, I don’t want to leave,” she insisted.

“But at the same time, we have to go back home and share our experiences with the younger kids.”