The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

NORTH American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) president Mike Sands said it was more beneficial for the student-athletes at CR Walker to hear from one of their alumni than they do from him.

Sands was invited to address the athletes of Butler House at CR Walker as they were feted to a reception for their achievements in track and field. But instead, Sands said McKinney was one of the many outstanding athletes who sat were they did.

He drew reference to at least three of them, Derrick Atkins, who went on to become the World Championships silver medalist in the men’s 100m in Osaka, Japan in 2007; Savatheda Fynes, who was the lead runner for the women’s 4 x 100m relay team, nicknamed the Golden Girls, after their triumph at both the World Championships in 1999 in Seville, Spain and the Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney, Australia and Ramon Miller, who anchored the Golden Knights men’s 4 x 400m relay team to victory in the Olympics.

But before he did, he advised the athletes to “use what they have to get what they want” in reference to securing an athletic scholarship to attend colleges and universities in the United States or Canada like the athletes mentioned above.

“Athletic scholarships, academic scholarships are full of opportunities in the United States, which is our closest destination,” said Sands. “A little peasy hair boy like me from Two Shop Corner got involved in sports at Bahamas Academy, but I went to high school in New York and was fortunate enough to a get a scholarship to Penn State.”

In presenting McKinney to the audience, Sands said CR Walker had great representation on the world staged and he hope that there will be others who will follow in their footsteps as they shine starting with the Carifta Games here during the Easter holiday weekend at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

McKinney, who graduated from CR Walker in 2000 as one of the top track and field athletes, went on to become a member of the men’s 4 x 400m relay teams at both the World Championships and the Olympics.

But the St Augustine’s College, Raleigh, North Carolina graduate who is now a Senior Sports Officer at the Ministry of Tourism said he was a little emotional, but he was glad to share in the success of Butler House, whom he also competed for.

“I’m glad to see that legacy continue to go forth,” he said.

But McKinney said of all the accomplishments he’s received and the accolades bestowed up him, he preferred not to mention them, but rather he always try to emphasis the point that if he as a barefoot boy from Woods Alley off Market Street, riding horse and carriage, could do it, they can do it as well.

“I got no self gratification from the Olympics of the World Championships,” he said. “But to make it from where I came from, is amazing. I now run an organization called ‘Dream Chasers,’ which help kids at risk. “I don’t think many of the kids I deal with know that I ran at the Olympics or the World Championships.

“I never share these stories. It’s not because I was hiding my talent, but when you tell people your present place, it kind of cripple their past. If I walk into this room and I said I was an Olympian, I would be exalted. But what I do I is I do the same with my kids. If they playing basketball in the rain, my Gucci shoes is going to get wet because I’m going to play with them.”

McKinney said track and field turned out to be an outlet for him to get an education, his fame in track and field, but his gratification is being able to help the next Bahamian young athlete to reach their full potential.

Before he left, McKinney showed an inspiring video presentation of his journey through track and field.