The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE light showers of rain made the course at the Bahamas Golf Federation's Driving Range a little more intriguing for the competitors in the Silver Lightning Track Club's second annual William 'Knucklehead' Johnson Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Rather than just having to deal with the terrain on the course, close to 700 competitors had to traverse through the muck and the mud as they contested the boys and girls age group categories of 8-and-under, 10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under, which did one lap; 16-and-under and 18-and-under boys and girls and under-20 girls, who all did one and-a-half laps and 20-and-under, who had to complete two laps.

The event, sponsored jointly by Harrison Petty and the Colony Club, Craig Flowers, who created the driving range and businessman Paul Moss, was held in honour of Johnson, one of the country's premier distance runners, who still holds the Bahamas national record in the men's 1,500 metres in three minutes and 45.72 seconds that he established on May 17, 1983 in Texas.

"It was a great event. It seems like every year it's getting better and better," said Rupert Gardiner, the head coach of Silver Lightning and the architect of the event. "We had close to 700 athletes compete, which is good. So the schools and the clubs are catching on to the cross country running because they know the importance of it in their off season training."

While he gave it a grade eight, even though patron William Johnson was unavailable to attend as he had an emergency overseas to deal with his mother, Gardiner said they hope that by the time the third annual event rolls along in 2019, the rating will soar to a perfect 10.

Flowers said while the Driving Range is still a work in progress, he was delighted to once again be in a position to allow the athletes to compete on it.

"It's been a long journey for me from several governments and I'm still here struggling trying to complete it," Flowers said. "I'm just happy that so many of the young children were able to come out and participate. I'm really impressed with the turnout and from what I've seen in their participation."

Some of the competitors, weighing in on their performances, were quite thrilled to compete in the conditions that they encountered on the course.

"I felt great about my performance. I felt I prepared well for it," said Davia Wright, the under-18 girls' winner. "Despite the challenge with the mud, I never gave up. I kept pushing until the end."

Wright, a 16-year-old 12th grader at Queen's College, said she hopes to compete in other events like this to develop her stamina on the track.

Polindo Boyer, a 14-year-old ninth grader at St John's College, said the competition was stiff, but he was glad that he prevailed as the victor in the boys' under-16 division.

"The obstacles out there made it a good race," Boyer said. "I was actually upset when I was running because it was raining and the mud made it difficult. I had no faith in myself in winning, but I stuck to my plan and I kept running at my pace and I ran with a good strategy."

As expected, the boys' under-20 turned out to be a real battle to the end with Joel Forbes pulling off the win.

"The race was good. The past couple months, my coach gave me a lot of extra miles to do in practice so it felt like another practice, but I had to push a little harder because I didn't expect to go out there and run through the mud," Forbes said. "Even in the course, I got dropped in the race, but I was able to come back."

Forbes, 19, got a real push from Jason Symonette, a 17-year-old 12th grader at RM Bailey Secondary High. "It was intense because it's a challenging course," he said. "I was expecting to come first even when I was in first. But I dropped back after I slid down in the mud. But I did good. I should have pushed a little harder and then I know I could have come first, but the guy who won it, he deserved it."

Lovena Camille, the under-20 girls' winner, said it was hard and long.

"On the last lap, something just kicked under me and I started running," said the 16-year-old 12th grader at CI Gibson. "After all that I went through out there, I didn't want to lose."

Lauren Henfield, the winner of the boys' under-18 race, said he gave it his best shot for CV Bethel High. "It was great. I have never done a cross country before, but it was good to run against all type of people," said the 17-year-old 12th grader. "This felt longer than running in a 800 or 1,500m."

For Breyteisha Kemp, the under-10 girls' winner, the race was hard. "I knew I could have run it. I ran my hardest and it was good," said Kemp, a fourth grader in home schooling. "I did my best."

Tavon Sanilouis, an eight-year-old third grader at Palmdale Primary School, said it was a good race. "It feels so good to come in first place," he said.

Joshua Demeritte of Claridge Primary won the boys' under-8 title. "It was good. I almost slipped down in the race and hurt my ankle," he said.

"One boy passed me, but when we came close to the finish line, I sped up and came first."

And Aniyah Burrows, a seven-year-old student of Thelma Gibson Primary School, was elated with her performance. "It felt good, even though I went into the swamp," she said. "I'm glad I won it."

• Here's a look at the top three finishers in each category:

Girls under-8 - Aniyah Burrows, Alicia Strachan and Antoniscia McKenzie.

Girls under-10 - Breyteisha Kemp, Breynice Kemp and Anna Butler.

Girls under -12 - D'Andra Sears, Stacyann Stuart and Shenell Stewart.

Girls under-14 - Breyanna Kemp, Melvinique Gibson and Vanessa Cox.

Girls under-16 - Ostavia Tynes, Brenisha Brennen and Ashanti Strachan.

Girls under-18 - Davia Wright, Jade Trelamolef and Brynae Bastian.

Girls under-20 - Lovena Camille, Clemika Gibson and Caryl Gardiner.

Boys under-8 - Joshua Demeritte, Adrian Woodside and Jayden Knowles.

Boys under-10 - Tavon Sanilouis, Teyano Murry and Denzel Clarke.

Boys under-12 - Christopher Minnis, Boyhan Rolle and Breck Kemp.

Boys under-14 - Felix Kevinson, Rayheem Robinson and Raymond Winder.

Boys under-16 - Paulindo Boyer, Nathan Duncan and Kevin Barr.

Boys under-18 - Lauren Henfield, Denzil Sawyer and Kevin Neymour.

Boys under-20 - Joel Johnson, Jason Symonette and Devonti Newbold.