The Tribune

By Brent Stubbs

Senior Sports reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FORMER female high hurdles national record holder Ivanique Kemp, already a talented track and field athlete who made the switch to rugby, will be joining Carly Johnson on a trip to Washington DC to try out for the Furies women’s rugby team.

Their coach Kevin Salabie, congratulating the two players, said it wasn’t an easy selection because of the large number of women who participate in the game.

“They will be travelling in June for a week to practice with the Washington DC Furies women’s rugby team. This practice will be their first heading to the USA Club Nationals,” Salabie said.

“They will then come back to me to prepare for the Olympic qualifier in Grand Cayman July 6-7 and back to DC on July 10 for 5 weeks of training before the USA Nationals in August.”

Salabie revealed that it all started with a conversation on Facebook between himself and Matthew Williams from England. According to Salabie, Williams had heard about how amazing the Bahamas was and our athletes and he was interested. “As the conversation continued, he asked for two females to join his team in DC,” Salabie said. “Before the conversation was over, he said I am coming to the Bahamas. I thought he was joking until the next day I received his itinerary.”

Williams met both Kemp and Johnson and now they’re headed to Washington DC.

“I feel great that I’m not going by myself this time,” said Johnson, who, in 2018, was the only player from the Bahamas to travel to Dubai for their sevens tournament as a winger. 

The year before, Johnson traveled on the national team, coached by Salabie, to Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, and Barbados. 

“A fantastic athlete that hs the genetics and aggression to become a very talented rugby player,” Salabie wrote about Johnson. “Carly has a wonderful and smiley personality. The challenge is there are some areas that need to be improved within her decision making and basic skills. Carly has the power, pace, and aggression that if guided could really give us a point of difference.”

With just one year in the sport under her belt, Kemp joined rugby after competing as a 100-metre hurdles specialist from 2008 to 2017, representing the Bahamas at the Carifta Gamers, Junior and Senior Central American and Caribbean Games, the Pan American Games and the World Junior Championships.

In 2012, she qualified for the London Summer Olympic Games where she finished as a semifinalist in the 100m hurdles.

Additionally, Kemp competed in the South Eastern Conference as a Lady Razorback at the University of Arkansas. She earned the USTFCCCA All-American honors (2010-2013). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Operations Management. In the fall of 2018, she transitioned from Athletics to Women’s Rugby where she currently holds the position as a wing/prop.

Kemp, who has posted a personal best time of 11.69 seconds in the 100m, previously held the Bahamas national record in the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.10.

According to Salabie, Kemp has the repertoire to be a great rugby player. 

“Very new to rugby, but as we are all aware of Pace/Speed kills in this format of the game, her attitude is spot on and being an Olympian proves she is mentally strong and understands that to get somewhere you have to push and work hard,” he wrote.

“Ivy is a wonderful person and the environment is just a great place for her to learn and improve and develop as a rugby player.”

Johnson said she’s delighted that Kemp will be making the trip with her. She also had some advice to give her, although they have never played together in the sport, their paths crossed in athletics. 

“I just want her to put the things she was taught in practice into the game,” Johnson said of Kemp. “I think it will be a good experience for both of us.”

Even though she was an athlete competing from the first grade at the age of five, Johnson said she was able to grow and develop her skills at the Hugh Campbell School in Grand Bahama.

At the age of 15, she made her first national team for the Carifta Games, winning gold in 2010. After graduating from high school, she went on to Taylor University where she earned All-American status.

On her return home after graduating, Johnson was introduced to flag football a year later and she immediately fell in love with the sport.

“I feel great and I feel more comfortable because at first, I was just using my talent and the feet,” she said. “By now that my coach has broken down things for me, they showed me how to throw the ball and break down tackles.

“So I feel very confident going over there and implementing the new things that they have taught me so that I can excel this time around.”

Having pioneered the way for Bahamian women in flag football, Johnson said she wasn’t pleased with her initial trip because she didn’t get to show what she is really capable of doing.

“Now I have a second opportunity and I’m willing to take advantage of this opportunity to represent the country to the best of my abilities,” she said. “I’m just excited to have Ivanique going with me.

“I know that we will both go out there and represent the country very well because we are very competitive. I am really excited because I know that we are going to compete well for the Bahamas.”

Kemp is just is doubly excited about her transition to the sport and the opportunity to take the next step in her brief career.

“I feel good about it. The transition is a huge one because I came from running hurdles and now I am carrying the ball,” she stated. “It’d a team sport, which is good because I was in an individual sport.

“It’s pretty good so I’m excited about it because I’m getting more opportunities, meeting new team-mates and coaches and a whole new environment. I’ve only been playing for a little over a year and I’ve made some tremendous strides.”

When she was informed that she was selected to travel, Kem said she was overwhelmed because there were a lot of players whom she felt were equaling deserving of the opportunity.

“I’m actually privileged that the coach saw something in me and he wanted to give me the opportunity to try out for the team,” she said. 

After making just about all of the national teams in athletics, including the Olympics, Kemp said she wanted to take on a new direction in her life.

“I’ve been competing nationally since 2017, but I’m now 27 and I think I need to take on a new direction in my life,” she said. “I really wanted a change and scenery.

“I didn’t expect it to be rugby, but I like it and I enjoy the sport just as much as I did in track and field. So I got attached to it.”

Through the dedication and discipline that she acquired in athletics, Kemp said she was able to take that over to rugby and now she’s looking forward to making the trek to Washington, especially with Johnson.

“I’m actually excited because she’s been off before, so I have someone that I can look up too,” she pointed out. “I have somebody who I can look up too, so that is going to be awesome.

“Sometimes it’s difficult adjusting to a new environment, so I’ really looking forward to it. I just want to see some of the new team-mates and pushing myself to the max. It’s a lot of things that I can look forward too.”

Kemp thanked all of the Bahamians, including her family, friends, coaches, and team-mates, for encouraging her in her new journey. She advised fellow Bahamian females, who are interested in playing the sport, to come out and try it.