The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

 bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN just about six years, Perry Newton has been elevated from public relations to president of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association and now to president of Confederation of Tennis of Central American and The Caribbean (COTECC) Subregion 3 Countries.

At the COTECC annual general meeting in Cancun, Mexico at the end of August, Newton was elected to serve in his new capacity for the next two years. He will be responsible for The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Cuba as he assists in the development of tennis in Central America and the Caribbean.

Newton becomes the first Bahamian to serve on the COTECC board, a feat he deemed an honour, not just for himself, but the Bahamas as he’s been elected to such a pivotal and instrumental position, influencing and overseeing tennis on a regional level.

“I’m really excited. I think it’s a big plus for the Bahamas and tennis in the country and in the region,” Newton said. “I’m eager to continue to push and to sell the Bahamas and the region. I think this is a good opportunity for our coaches and our players to get involved, not just here in the Bahamas, but on the international level as well.”

As the president of the BLTA, a position he will hold through next year, Newton said the personnel in the region are quite aware of the improvements that the Bahamas is making and they wanted to reward him for his efforts in leading the charge.

“At the COTECC AGM in Cancun, there was a need for the Bahamas to be represented and the region to be more balanced,” Newton pointed out. “This region is well represented because the president of COTECC, Persio Maldonado, is from the Dominican Republic and there is also someone from Puerto Rico on the board of COTECC.

“But it’s good to have an English-speaking person on board and as a smaller nation, we represent the needs of so many other nations like ours and so it’s different from the bigger countries, who tend to dominate those international bodies.”

Dubbing it as a “learning experience,” Newton said he will now get to impact so many more people and he’s looking forward to gleaning from the experience of the more seasoned executives who are and have served on the board.

“It’s a plus for us because even though we have held COTECC events here in the past, this opens the doors for potentially hosting some more regional events in the country in the future, once we can get the financial assistance.”

Newton was congratulated by the BLTA and the entire tennis community for ascending to his new post. While he said he’s honoured and privileged to represent this great group of nations, he expressed his gratitude to his team in The Bahamas for their continued support.

When he got involved in tennis in 2014, he was elected to the board of the National Tennis Centre.He then moved into the public relations of the BLTA before he became the treasurer, serving under the leadership of immediate past president Darnett Weir.

In 2020, he was elected as the new president.

“It’s just work. I think you just have to be dedicated to everything that you do,” Newton pointed out about his rise up the ladder so quickly. “You also have to put your best foot forward and people will recognise the efforts that you put in.

“They always say that your gifts will make room for you, so I think that was what happened to me. I just believe that whatever you do, you need to do it properly and that’s my approach to whatever I do. It has rewarded me so far.”

Newton will serve as the BLTA president through 2022 when the elections take place. He’s not indicated yet if he intends to seek another two-year term in office. But from all indications, he could be leaning in that direction.

The 40-year-old businessman, who recently completed his MBA from Edinburgh Napier University, is married to Esther Newton, who serves on the public relations board for the BLTA.