The Tribune

By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas’ four-year reign at the Goodwill Swimming Championships was celebrated last night as the country’s junior swimmers were honoured at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex following another dominant performance at the regional championships.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis was in attendance for the ceremony and addressed the young swimmers, congratulating them on their success while encouraging them to maintain the standard of excellence that has made The Bahamas the team to beat at Goodwill.

Davis also acknowledged the parents and coaches for the commitment and sacrifices that go into developing the young swimmers and preparing them to represent the country. Minister of Youth and Sports Mario Bowleg was also in attendance.

The Bahamas won five of the 10 age group divisions at the 30th Goodwill Swimming Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, securing its fourth consecutive overall championship.

Head coach Dwayne Davis says the latest title was the product of a complete team effort rather than the work of a few individual swimmers.

“We had a full domination from day one,” Davis said. “It was a full team effort.”

The head coach said the team arrived in Trinidad with a clear objective and remained focused throughout the competition despite the atmosphere surrounding the championships.

“We went down to Trinidad and it was very, very loud. It was very, very competitive,” Davis said. “The team stayed focused.”

Davis said the swimmers understood what was at stake and continued to build momentum as the competition progressed.

The Bahamas’ depth was reflected in the number of swimmers who produced high point performances across the age groups.

The high point trophy winners were Nia Ferguson in the girls’ 8-and-under division, Mason Sadowski in the boys’ 8-and-under division, Hannah Astwood in the girls’ 11-12 division, Fraser Menzies in the boys’ 11-12 division and Helsinki Mitchell in the girls’ 13-14 division.

Ferguson was among the biggest individual standouts for Team Bahamas. The eight-year-old won gold in eight of her nine events and established a new Goodwill meet record in the girls’ 8-and-under 100m individual medley.

Ferguson stopped the clock at 1:22.58, breaking the previous meet record of 1:24.28 by 1.70 seconds.

She also won the 100m freestyle in 1:07.22, 50m freestyle in 30.52 seconds and 50m butterfly in 32.34 seconds.

Ferguson contributed to relay victories in the mixed 8-and-under 200m freestyle relay in 2:07.21, the 200m medley relay in 2:34.89 and the 200m freestyle relay in 2:12.21.

She also won the girls’ 8-and-under 50m backstroke in 37.19 seconds, dropping 2.02 seconds from her entry time of 39.21.

Teammate Payton Botswick finished second in 37.83 seconds, giving The Bahamas a one-two finish.

Ferguson said the championship was particularly meaningful because it was her first time competing at Goodwill. “I felt very happy. I felt very proud because I’ve never went to Goodwill before,” Ferguson said.

She said making the team had been an important goal and she was pleased to finally get the opportunity to compete.

“I was trying to secure a spot at Goodwill, and I was happy that I made it,” she said.

Once she began collecting victories, Ferguson said she focused on enjoying the experience and competing alongside her teammates.

“I was just very happy and I just couldn’t wait to be done so I can hang out with my friends,” she said.

Ferguson also credited the work she put in before the championships, particularly with her underwater technique.

“They taught me to work on my underwater,” she said.

The youngster said the experience left her feeling “very, very proud.”

Sadowski also enjoyed an outstanding championship in the boys’ 8-and-under division.

He won the 50m backstroke in 38.99 seconds, with Sydney Nelson taking silver in 39.56 seconds.

Sadowski also captured gold in the 100m freestyle in 1:09.63, 100m individual medley in 1:22.25, 50m freestyle in 30.14 seconds and 50m butterfly in 34.14 seconds.

He was also part of the winning 200m freestyle relay team that clocked 2:07.21, the 200m medley relay team that finished in 2:39.62 and the 200m freestyle relay team that posted 2:16.22.

The Bahamas also completed a sweep of the girls’ and boys’ 13-14 50m backstroke events.

Helsinki Mitchell won the girls’ final in 32.15 seconds, while Da’Kari Cooper captured the boys’ event in 29.08 seconds.

Mitchell’s performance helped her secure the girls’ 13-14 high point trophy.

Fraser Menzies was another major contributor in the boys’ 11-12 division.

He won the 100m butterfly in 1:08.97, the 200m individual medley in 2:30.60 and the 100m backstroke in 1:10.05, earning the boys’ 11-12 high point trophy.

Hannah Astwood was one of the top female performers for The Bahamas, collecting five first place finishes in the girls’ 11-12 division.

Astwood won the 200m individual medley in 2:46.18, 50m freestyle in 28.61 seconds and 50m backstroke in 32.53 seconds.

She also helped The Bahamas win the 200m medley relay in 2:12.50 and 200m freestyle relay in 1:57.79.

Astwood was named the girls’ 11-12 high point trophy winner.

Davis, who has served as head coach of the Goodwill team for the past four years, said he was proud of the swimmers and grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the programme.

“It has been a pleasure serving as the head coach for the last four years,” Davis said.

With another championship secured, his focus has already shifted toward the future of Bahamian swimming.

Davis believes the success at Goodwill demonstrates the strength of the country’s junior programme, but he wants to see more young swimmers enter the sport and remain involved long enough to reach the highest levels.

“It shows that the junior level of swimming is in a good place,” Davis said. “But I guess I want to see more kids check it out, stick to the sport and go to the Olympic level, World Championship level.”

He said coaches at the junior level have an important responsibility in ensuring young swimmers develop a genuine love for the sport.

“I think it’s our job at this level to make sure the kids do love the sport,” Davis said.

Winning can play an important role in keeping young athletes motivated.

“I enjoy winning because they enjoy winning,” he said. “So when they see you win, they always want to swim.”

The four consecutive Goodwill championships have provided another indication of the depth within the Bahamian junior swimming programme, with swimmers from the youngest age groups through the 13-14 divisions contributing to the latest title.

Davis wants the swimmers who have experienced success at Goodwill to continue developing, while encouraging more young Bahamians to enter swimming and pursue the possibility of representing the country at the Olympic and World Championship levels.

The latest four-peat gives Team Bahamas another championship to celebrate, but Davis and his swimmers are already looking toward maintaining the standard that has made the country a dominant force at Goodwill.