The Tribune

LYFORD Cay International School (LCIS) swimmers and sailors finished an eventful and exciting school year on a high note, performing admirably in a number of sporting events, including the National Swim Tournament and the Junior Olympic Regatta.

LCIS’s swim club put on an outsized performance in the national swim meet held at the Betty Kelly Kenning stadium in June. The club won 12 medals, scoring 267 points and finishing in 7th place out of 13 clubs. Lyford Cay Club swimmers won nine individual and three relay medals.

The team was led in the medal count by Delaney Mizell. Coming off her first CARIFTA performance in May, Mizell won medals in four events in the 13-14 year-old girls’ division: gold in the 50m freestyle, silver in the 200m individual medley, and bronze in the 200m breaststroke and 100m freestyle. She also won the Bahamas Aquatics Federation award for best swim in her division for her time of 27.84 seconds in a preliminary round of the 50m freestyle. Mizell also represented The Bahamas in the CCCAN swim meet in Aruba June 30 to July 4, helping the team achieve a 4th place overall finish in the tournament.

Kendall Hennessy was the other Lyford Cay swimmer to come first in an individual event, taking gold in the girls’ 8-and-under 50m backstroke. Madison Haines took home bronze medals in the 100m butterfly, the 200m breaststroke 12 and over 800m freestyle. Micah Albert won bronze in the girls aged 9-10 50m backstroke.

LCIS swimmers also won a number of medals in the relays. The team of Melissa Beukes, Issa Bournas, Alexia Zatarain and Hennessy won silver in the girls’ 8-and-under 200m medley relay. Mizell, Haines, Caterina Leam and Sascha Proffitt took the bronze in the girls aged 13-14 200m freestyle relay. Bournas, Zatarain, and Hennessy along with Sofia Rousseau-Cox, won bronze in the girls’ 8-and-under 200m freestyle relay.

Coach Mancer Roberts is impressed with the progress LCIS swimmers have made in recent years. ‘In the past two years we have seen so much growth in our team. We grew from being just another small programme to understanding what it takes to become a truly competitive swim team. The structure of the programme was adjusted to foster a competitive environment. These changes have allowed us to see our first participant in the 2018 CARIFTA championships, Delaney Mizell, which made our swimmers realise that they can compete amongst the top swimmers in this country and region.”

LCIS students’ athletic prowess was also on full display at the Bahamas Youth Olympic Regatta, held the weekend of June 16. LCIS sailors swept the Green Fleet division with Patrick Tomlinson, Mary Jac Nash and Felix Sachs coming first, second and third.

David Huber also won in the Silver Fleet while Lukas Kiesselbach came third. LCIS also entered the Regatta’s youngest sailors, seven–year–olds Felipe Souza and Mara McCartney.

LCIS sailors also made their mark on the world stage. Anton Gottberg, one of Lyford Cay’s more decorated sailors, a mere year removed from his international debut, represented The Bahamas in the North American Optimist Championships in Mexico June to July 1.

Liza Bethel, parent of a first-year sailor, discussed her daughter’s rapid progress. “Until this year, my eight-year-old daughter had not ever been on a sailboat. After a couple of months, she was competing in regattas locally. In the spring, she travelled to Freeport to compete in the Bahamas Youth Nationals. It has been a rewarding experience for her, and she has gained so much confidence and independence both on and off of the water.”

Founded in 1962, LCIS is a fully accredited international day school located in western New Providence offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum to students aged 18 months to 18 years.

LCIS students move on to top colleges and universities around the world, with over 95 per cent of students accepted to their first-choice school. Visit: www.lcis.bs for more information or to apply.

Photos: Lyford Cay International School