Ground broken for refurbished Pinewood sports park

Through the coordination of baseball enthusiasts here in the country, and with the assistance of an international entity, a major construction and development project is underway to facilitate hundreds, if not thousands, of inner city kids.

Bahamian Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the Miami Marlins Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. served as the host as ground was broken for a refurbished Pinewood Sports Complex in Pinewood Gardens in southern New Providence yesterday. The senior field will be refurbished, a Little League field is expected to be constructed and a girls softball field is also being planned.

Magical Builders, out of Newport Beach, California, is the lead contractor, and the project has received the full support of the Government of The Bahamas through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, and the Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA).

Chisholm, who is back in The Bahamas for the first time in about two years, said it feels amazing to be home with family and friends and to take part in all of the baseball activities this week. As a part of baseball week, ending with the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby on Saturday, Chisholm and other professional baseball players engaged in a celebrity softball game on Wednesday night, facilitated the Don’t Blink Kids Clinic on Thursday morning, took part in the ground breaking of the Pinewood park yesterday, and will take their best swings in the Don’t Blink Golf Tournament on Friday.

The fourth edition of the home run derby, canceled last year because to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, will climax the week of activities on Saturday on the property of the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

Chisholm said the refurbishment of the Pinewood Sports Complex, which will include a softball park for girls, is just the beginning of things to come for inner city communities in The Bahamas.

“We’re going to touch all the fields – this is just the starting point. With the help of Magical Builders, Roc Nation, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, and the Bahamas Baseball Association, we’re going to get it done so that we could provide an avenue for Bahamian kids in the sport of baseball. There are a lot of kids with talent in The Bahamas and we want to open doors for them like it was done for me and the other Bahamian professional players.

“I’ve been full of emotions all day – from the kids’ camp this morning to this ceremony right now, because this is where it all started for me. I’m just thankful for everyone who came out and who are supporting me and supporting this effort. If it wasn’t for local coaches and local fields, I wouldn’t be where I’m at. Thank you all.”

Chisholm mentioned his grandmother who has always been there for him, and other family members, local coaches Geron Sands and Albert Cartwright who are the lead instructors at the International Elite (I-Elite) Sports Academy, Roc Nation Sports who he signed with three years ago, and the other Bahamian professional baseball players who he calls his brothers, particularly the ones who signed with him in 2015.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said the Government of The Bahamas is pleased to be on board.

“It’s a pleasure for me to be here and share the government’s support for what Magical Builders is doing for this area and other areas in The Bahamas, especially in the inner city,” said the minister. “This is especially important to me as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture because it is my desire to see the creation of better facilities throughout the country, particularly in the inner city, not only in baseball but in all sporting disciplines. It is the government’s intention to find those diamonds in the rough and develop them into future stars like Jazz and other professional baseball players from The Bahamas. They say, ‘if you build it, they will come’, and once the facilities are here, kids will want to come out of their homes and onto the fields to throw balls and learn the game of baseball. Thank you to Magical Builders and everyone else who is involved in this effort. We look forward to a wonderful working relationship.”

BBA Secretary General Theodore “Teddy” Sweeting said this is a great day for baseball in The Bahamas.

“I congratulate the ministry, the BBA, and all of the individuals who are coming forward to make sure we have opportunities for our young men to excel in the sport of baseball,” said Sweeting. “We’re excited and we’re looking forward to this. To see where we’re headed in the sport of baseball, that is an exciting thing. The young men who you see excelling in baseball for The Bahamas are the catalysts and there are many more coming up behind them. I thank you for being here. Let’s continue to move forward in the sport of baseball.”

According to reports, Magical Builders will move on to fields at the Freedom Farm Baseball Complex and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) once construction is completed in Pinewood. 

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/ground-broken-for-refurbished-pinewood-sports-park/