The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER taking the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association through what she described as a productive two years, incumbent president Varel Davis said she’s hoping that she can be given the mandate to continue with another term in office.

Davis, a physical education teacher at CH Reeves Junior High School, will be seeking re-election for another two years when the association goes to the polls later this month.

“Over the last two years, we were able to move out of the negative and into the positive as far as our finances are concerned,” she said. “We were able to give the kids their awards at the end of every sport.

“We also paid off everybody that we owed for the work they did for the association. But the two years have gone by so quickly. If I return for another two years, I have some more plans for the upcoming year in sports.”

Davis is unsure if she will be challenged this year. In the last election, she beat out Penial Bain to secure the top post. There are some rumours that Trevor Grant of CR Walker Secondary High may run for president.

While she anticipates the majority of the officers who served with her over the last two years, Davis said there will be election for both the first and second vice presidents as Kenny Moxey has been elevated to senior master at DW Davis and Dereck Cummings from CC Sweeting has indicated that he won’t be running this year.

Keisha Pratt-Miller is the secretary, assisted by Shekera Farrington from Anatol Rodgers.

Tia Rolle from CR Walker is the treasurer. Terrance King of HO Nash has not indicated if he will be seeking another term as assistant treasurer.

If re-elected, Davis said she would like to replace the trophies presented to the winners in all of their sporting disciplines and award them with championship rings.

“I would also like to bring the cheerleading back and have an awards presentation for the top athletes and the top schools at the end of the year,” she said.

“I would also like to bring cross country back because we need it to help the kids with their offseason training.

“We also want to increase the participation in bowling and we would also like to add sports like table tennis because scholarships are awarded in these sports as well.”

As usual, Davis said the GSSSA will have another banner year that will get started with volleyball during the first week in October. That will be followed by cross country, basketball, track and field, soccer and softball for girls and baseball for boys.

Davis said they are still working with the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) to rekindle the showdown they had between their schools in the past, but it will have to start with the two bodies agreeing to play the same sports at the same time.

“We are on the same page with the Grand Bahama schools,” she said. “But to get the BAISS on our programme is a little more difficult. We are still working on that. We play some games on the national tournaments, which we have heard will be continued this year in just about all of the sports, but it would be good to play the same sports at the same time with the BAISS.”

When the new sporting calendar gets underway later this month, Davis revealed that there will also be a few changes in the coaching personnel.

Melinda Bastian has moved from LW Young Junior School to AF Adderley and has been replaced by Patrice Curry, who moved out of the classroom as a teacher at Doris Johnson Secondary High.

Two long-time coaches, Marilyn Toote at DW Davis Junior High and Steven Culmer at AF Adderley, have been retired from coaching.

The GSSSA is scheduled to hold its first general meeting on Tuesday, September 12 and the election of officers is tentatively set for Friday, September 15.