The Tribune

ROADRUNNERS head coach Dexter Bodie said ever year they take the time out to recognise young people striving to be great in the sport of track and field, whether they were forced into it by overzealous parents or came on their own free will. He said they try to change the lives of every athlete they come across.

Bodie was speaking at the club’s 19th annual Awards and Presentation Banquet on Saturday night in the Crown Ballroom of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. This year’s event was held under the theme: “Defying the Odds, Fulfilling Our Dreams.”

The scripture text was taken from Genesis 45: 6-8 and the theme song was “When You Believe,” by Whitney Houston.

A number of dignitaries attended the event, including newly elected Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations president Drumeco Archer and his wife, long-time patron Harrison Petty and his wife, perennial sponsor William Delancy and his wife and Mr and Mrs David Higgins, in whose name bears the club’s highest award for academics, the Dominique Higgins Award.

The banquet, according to Bodie, served as an annual graduation service in which they reflect on the past and project a brighter future for the athletes in the club. “We award ourselves for excellence, laugh at past mistakes, shed failures and embrace the promise of the new year,” he stated.

Bodie revealed that 2018 was a trying year, but for every downfall, they strive for a win.

“For every hurdle, we strive to jump it higher than the one before,” he said.

“Each victory this year is now one which culminates in this annual celebration of what it means to persevere.

“This year’s theme, ‘Defying the Odds, Fulfilling Our Dreams’, is a testament to the way we are able to soldier on in the face of adversity.”

Bodie said they see faces come and go and whether by choice, chance, fate or destiny, the club grows stronger together from it all.

“I would like to extend thanks to the parents and coaches of the Roadrunners club who stand by me through it all,” he said. “To be here, you believe in the goals and vision that I have set forth for the athletes. Roadrunners fosters spiritual and academic growth along with athleticism in order to produce students and athletes well versed in all manner of life disciplines.”

As they now prepare for the 2019 season, Bodie said it brings its own set of challenges and they are more than prepared to meet this head-on, knowing that they have each other to lean on for unconditional support.

“These kids come from so many different backgrounds and as much of an influence we have on them as adults, role models, and coaches, they also have a profound influence on us coaches and executives,” he stated. “I would like to thank this group of youngsters for the effort they put in each day to ensure a bigger and better future for themselves.

“The athletes of Roadrunners club teach us daily how to have patience, how to laugh, how to be humble and how to be fearless. I have had the privilege to watch many of these athletes grow and mature from little kids to young adults preparing to face life on their own for the first time.”

For next season, Bodie said he intends to see a continuation of love, laughter, fun, creativity, positivity and determination from both parents and athletes.

“We coaches also promise to uphold the values of the club that was built on the strong foundation set by founder Dianna Lynn Thompson,” he said.

• The winners of the Athletes of the Year, awarded by Mr and Mrs Delancy, are as follows: