Knights make it five straight!

The C.R. Walker Knights won their fifth straight GSSSA track and field title yesterday afternoon at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. They finished 147.17 points ahead of the C.I Gibson Rattlers. Keith Saunders.

The C.R. Walker Knights held on to claim their fifth straight title at the 27th Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Senior Track and Field Championships held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium yesterday afternoon.

At the end of the three days of competition, the Knights were able to score 626.67 points to come out on top.

While, the Knights won comfortably, it was a battle for second place, as that position was determined by a half-point.

Claiming second place with 479.50 points was the C.I. Gibson Rattlers. After holding a 13-point lead over the Rattlers at the end of day two, the C.V. Bethel Stingrays slipped to third place to finish with 479 points.

Coming into the final day of competition, there was little to any doubt that the Knights would still lead the field after coming in with 340.67 points – 82.67 points more than the Stingrays, who lurked in second position.

Head coach of the Knights, Tia Rolle, said it was not very difficult winning a fifth straight title.

“It was not that difficult. We try to have our house sports early because that determines who make our final track and field team. We have a lot of children that are a part of clubs. The club coaches were very co-operative,” Rolle said.

According to Rolle, she was a little worried on the first day because the younger athletes did not know about the Knights’ winning culture. However, at the end of the day, they were only 29 points ahead of the Stingrays.

Sharing in the excitement was the Knights’ principal, T. Nicole McKay.

“I am on top of the world,” McKay said.

“I was really worried yesterday. My coach said to me: ‘Ms. McKay, there are three schools that are neck and neck. We are only separated by 20-plus points.’

“My heart was in my mouth. When I came out here today (Friday), I did not know what the score was but finally I heard persons saying that C.R. Walker had pulled ahead, so I am ecstatic.”

Rounding out the competition was the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins (394.33 points), R.M. Bailey Pacers (273.50), Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves (235.50), Government High Magic (149) and C.C. Sweeting (81.50).

The Knights came up huge in the 4×400 meters (m) relays, winning three out of the four relays – the under-17 boys, and both the under-20 girls and boys. They were third in the under-17 girls relay.

“Our strategy was to get as much points as we can get in the double – the relays. We had relay practice three times out of the week, so that everyone got familiar with who is winning with them,” Rolle added.

In the under-17 boys 4x400m relay, the Knights was able to win that race with a time of 3:37.78 – almost eight seconds faster than the silver medalists.

Winning the silver medal was the Mystic Marlins with a time of 3:44.42. The Pacers won the bronze medal after they clocked 3:47.30.

In the under-20 girls 4x400m relay, the Knights managed to outlast the Stingrays to win the gold medal. The Knights crossed the finish line in 3:28.04.

The Stingrays clocked 4:33.79 as they held on to win the silver medal. The Rattlers ran away with the bronze medal with a time of 4:39.97.

The final race of the day saw the Knights under-20 boys 4x400m relay team punctuating the Knights’ victory when they won the gold medal. Their time was 3:28.04.

Settling for the silver medal was the Pacers with a time of 3:34.97. Securing the final podium spot was the Stingrays with a time of 3.43.45.

The Knights won three of the four division at this year’s meet. They won the under-17 girls division with a score of 170.67 points. The Stingrays was second with 115 points and the Rattlers was third with 111 points.

The under-20 girls division saw the Knights winning with 166 points. The Rattlers scored 141 points to finish second and the Stingrays scored 106 points to finish third.

The final division that the Knights won was the under-20 boys after they amassed 180 points. The Stingrays was second with 146 points. The Pacers finished third with 115 points.

As for what’s next, McKay said that there will be a celebration.

“All of the children have been screaming for a motorcade,” McKay said. “I think we are going to do something different this time. We don’t only have sports to celebrate but we also did well in academics, so we have academics and athletics to celebrate. We are not looking for the motorcade – we are not saying what it is.”

Rolle said that looking ahead to next year, the Knights will be a strong contender in getting their sixth straight title.

“We won three of the divisions,” Rolle said. “Our under-17 boys division was a little bit weak. Hopefully, next year, we work on that. I am sure we are going to come strong again because we have two seniors leaving and most of our under-20 team is in grade 11. We still will be the strong contender.”

On Thursday, the C.H Reeves Raptors successfully repeated as the GSSSA junior track and field champions. Overall, they scored a total of 559 points. The A.F. Adderley Tigers finished with 380.50 points. The S.C. McPherson Sharks managed to finish in third place with 269 points.

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Destroyers, Rockettes pick up wins in NPWBA action

The Bees Trucking Destroyers and the Discount Distributors Rockettes picked up wins in the New Providence Women Basketball Association regular season action on Wednesday night at the D.W. Davis Gymnasium. Action continues tonight at 7 p.m.

The Bees Trucking Destroyers took advantage of the Arawaks to win 64-40 in the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association (NPWBA) action on Thursday night at the D.W. Davis Gymnasium.

In the other matchup of the night, the Discount Distributors Rockettes dominated the Bahamas Institute of Business and Technology (BIBT) Great Whites to win 64-32.

Action in the NPWBA continues tonight with a doubleheader. In the first game at 7 p.m., the Great Whites will play Teleos. Following that game at 8 p.m., the Arawaks will play the Prime Time Saints.

Destroyers 64, Arawaks 40

The Destroyers used a 17-4 second quarter to create a cushion to defeat the Arawaks.

Leading the way for the Destroyers was Lashonda Rahming, who finished the game with 23 points, four rebounds and three steals. She shot a blistering 76 percent from the field going 10-for-13.

Shaniqua Thompson and Britenique Harrison chipped in with 10 points each in the win.

As a team, the Destroyers shot 58 percent from the field as they went 28-for-48.

In the first quarter, Rahming gave her team a 10-5 lead after she sank two free throws with just over six minutes remaining in that quarter.

Kevinique Culmer made a layup with 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter, to give her Arawaks a 13-12 lead. Culmer finished with a game-high 26 points.

The score remained the same at the end of the first quarter.

After the Arawaks led 17-15, with just over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Destroyers decided to go in a game-changing run.

They held the Arawaks scoreless for the remainder of the second quarter, as they went on a 14-0 run to go up 29-17 at the half.

Culmer was able to cut into the lead in the third quarter when she connected on a layup with 6:17 remaining.

The Destroyers’ Roberta Quant connected on a jumper with 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter to send her team up 41-27 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Destroyers kept the game at a double-digit lead to coast to victory.

In the entire game, the Destroyers had 17 fastbreak points in the game, as they limited the Arawaks to just four.

 

Rockettes 64, Great Whites 32

This game started out with both teams trading baskets. After a 6-6 tie with 7:05 left in the first quarter, the Rockettes put their stamp on the game.

The Rockettes went on an 18-3 run to end the first quarter, as they held a 24-9 lead heading into the second quarter.

La-Tondra Brown and Marvia Dean led the way for the Rockettes with 12 points each. Shadell Williams chipped in with 10 points.

Dean also had seven rebounds in the win.

The Rockettes went into the half with a 22-point lead after Tanea Bowleg made a three-pointer with 22 seconds left in the second quarter. They led 38-16.

In the second half, the Rockettes kept a double-digit lead over the Great Whites.

With less than 57 seconds remaining, Leandre Armbrister made a layup that gave her team the biggest lead of the night, 32 points. They led 64-32 at that point, as the score remained the same at the end of the game.

Keishawna Mather and Brianna Stevens led the way for the Great Whites with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Rockettes shot 41 percent from the field as they went 26-for-63. The Great Whites shot 21 percent from the field as they went 13-for-60.

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Scholastic Chess Championship attracts budding players

Tadan Ferguson, left, winner Under-12 division, receives trophy from Dr. David Sands, 2nd Vice President of Tournaments.

The Scholastic Individual Chess Championship was held at the South Haven Christian Academy, Gladstone Road, on Saturday, February 15.

Several new players participated in the competition. The Scholastic has had a long history of being an introductory tournament for new players. This time, it also served as a qualifier for the CARIFTA Chess Games.

Trinity Pinder was the lone competitor in the under-18 division.

The under-16 division saw Candidate Master Nathan Smith winning that division. Aidan Mart was second and Trevor Bridgewater finished third.

Avian Pride won the under-14 division. Donte Dorelien and Deon Pinder finished second and third, respectively.

In the under-12 section, Tadan Ferguson was able to be declared the winner. Joanna Miller settled for second place. Kendrick Ferguson came away with third place.

Lheerin Hanchell won the under-10 category. Philip Kemp and Max White were second and third, respectively.

In the under-8 division, Lhale Hanchell came out on top. Jayson Taylor finished as the runner-up. Chase Martin had to settle for third place.

This year, the CARIFTA Chess Championships will take place in Georgetown, Guyana from April 9-14. Two players, one male and one female, will qualify to represent The Bahamas at CARIFTA in the under-12, 16 and 20 age categories.

The 2020 Scholastic Individual Chess Championship attracted 41 juniors from over 12 schools, both public and private, throughout New Providence. Participants competed in two sections, under-20 and under-12. The championship game used a blitz format, meaning, all the moves must be made in a fixed time of less than 15 minutes for each player.

“I am impressed with how all the kids progressed and improved as the tournament proceeded”, said Elton Joseph, president, Bahamas Chess Federation.

He explained: “Tournaments are proving grounds for kids; its where young and old compete and match wits for victory. It is also a social place where a civil handshake is made before rounds and usually after the game is over.”

Joseph also expressed his sincere gratitude to Kiddiatrix for sponsoring the championship.

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Mingoes drop to Shockers in NPBA action

University of The Bahamas Mingoes guard Kemsy Sylvestre (grey 23) tries to drive past JD’s Seafood Shocker guard Horris McKenzie (blue 24) in their game February 26, 2020 at the A.F. Adderley gym. The Shockers won 79-75. UB ATHLETICS

The University of The Bahamas Mingoes held the lead on the JD’s Seafood Shockers for most of the second half of their game Wednesday night at the A.F. Adderley gym in NPBA action.

In the last minute of the game, the Shockers were able to take the lead and shock the Mingoes 79-75.

The Mingoes got off to a slow start and trailed by as much as seven points in the game and never held the lead until the third quarter. Kemsy Sylvester hit a three-pointer to give the Mingoes the 51-50 lead with 3:09 to go in the third quarter.

The Mingoes led by as many as nine points but the Shockers started a comeback in the fourth quarter and took the lead to hold on for the win.

William Rigby posted a side-high 23 points for the Shockers to go along with six rebounds. Spurgeon Johnson contributed 18 in the win, along with 16 from Horris McKenzie. Shamir Rolle led the game with 14 rebounds to go along with his 10 points.

Sylvestre led the Mingoes with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Tim Grant had 13 points; and Romero Cornish and Rashad Sturrup each had 10 points in the loss as well.

Mingoes Head Coach Bacchus Rolle said it was a big win for the Shockers and a big loss for the Mingoes.

“What we did with this loss is we gave the Shockers the mental advantage in believing that they can beat us in the playoffs,” he said.

Rolle said the team squandered their opportunities and did not capitalize on free throws, which aided in the loss. As the Mingoes head into the playoffs, Rolle says the team has to work on its fitness level after being off for two weeks because of the Hugh Campbell Basketball Tournament.

The Mingoes head into the playoffs in the second spot behind the Discount Distributors in the Vince Ferguson division.

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Upping the ante

w Lionfish with grits and spinach at Cocoplum Bistro & Bar. SHAVAUGHN MOSS

French onion soup is rich and deeply savory. It’s incomparably delicious and heartwarming. And it’s this French national treasure of caramelized onion, stock, toasted bread topped with a generous helping of creamy, earthy, nutty-tasting Comte cheese that is one of a number of items that have made its way onto the menu at Cocoplum Bistro & Bar’s winter/spring menu to tantalize and amaze.

With French woman Cecile Cathelin at the helm, I was beginning to wonder when this beloved classic soup would be featured on her menu; the wait is now over.

I could not resist ordering the soup on my recent visit. It was chockful of rich, tender onions. I was amazed at just how much flavor the chef coaxes into it, and delighted in the ooey gooey cheesiness of it all.

Cathelin also features daily specials, so I opted for the whole lionfish with spinach and grits, simply because whenever you order lionfish, you expect a dramatic presentation, and this fish did not disappoint in its dramatic presentation. It was fried whole and served alongside a grits cake like you’ve probably never had before with a slightly sweet taste owing to the variety of vegetables she cooked the grits with, and a heaping mound of spinach, for a delicious entrée.

But the onion soup was also just one among a number of changes to the menu that Cathelin has made just weeks into the new year.

She also features an escargots (snails) cassolette with garlic butter, parsley and baguette, and she doesn’t skimp on the parsley for a strong parsley taste coming through. Of course, escargot is one of those dishes that I must have. And in this day and age, I would hope that escargot isn’t one of those items that people still shy away from.

She also encouraged me to try her salmon coco surprise of salmon gravlax. The surprise was a soft-boiled egg nestled beneath salmon slices atop a bed of spicy arugula with creamy guacamole, pine nuts and beets. Topped with pickled onions to cut through the unctuous fattiness of the dish and earthy lentils rounding out all the flavors, this was indeed a surprising item.

I was most happy to see that Cathelin has added the mahi mahi meuniere, a simple yet flavorful dish of lemon butter, parsley, fennel, and steamed potatoes to the menu, which she offered as a special last year, but I fully endorsed as a meal that should be added to the regular menu.

To be quite honest, I waffled between the mahi mahi and the lionfish, as I recalled how tasty, fresh and light the mahi mahi dish had been before opting for the lionfish special. With the mahi mahi on the regular menu, I can have it anytime I want before the menu changes again.

A rich and deeply savory bowl of French onion soup.

The new menu items also showcase a grilled eggplant with miso tzatziki; roasted cauliflower with chimichurri sauce; light and bright shrimp with olive oil, lemon, crispy sage, garlic and espelette pepper; piri piri chicken with garlic, zucchini, red onions, peppers and French fries; trofie pasta pesto with basil, pine nuts, and parmigiano to which you can add your choice of chicken or shrimp, if you would like protein with your meal.

Of course, I can never darken the doors of Cocoplum Bistro & Bar without ordering my favorite staple – the olive bar (olives, olive tapenade, parmesan chunks and bread). This is one of those shareable items that if Cathelin tried to remove from the menu, would cause a revolt from her patrons.

With the new additions, are menu staples that her loyal customers refuse to allow her to switch out, hence, her daily specials to bring even more variety on a daily basis and to challenge herself, so that she and her team don’t get bored in the kitchen cooking the same menu items every day.

The thing with Cocoplum Bistro and Bar is that Cathelin is not afraid to season her food, and a meal is sheer decadence from beginning to end.

Rack of lamb with sautéed potatoes, eggplant, herbs demi-glace and mint.

The one thing that makes this chef happy is when her clients are able to “taste the love” she puts in her cooking. And she delights in serving up meals with stories behind them from her past. Her joy is when her patrons leave with the feeling that her cooking is personal.

Cocoplum Bistro & Bar is where French and Mediterranean cuisine with an island twist intermingle with Cathelin taking advantage of local fresh products.

With the advent of the new menu, Cathelin has debuted a Sunday brunch featuring what she calls egg mania, a savory corner, island treats and a sugar corner.

Eggs mania, like the name suggests, showcases all things eggs from traditional eggs benedict to omelettes; the savory corner is where you can indulge in items like steak and eggs, croque madame (toasted ham and cheese sandwich topped with bechamel and a fried egg), croque monsieur (the French version of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich), and avocado tartine. The island treats is where the local intermingling comes into play with boiled fish, chicken souse and grits with tuna, and corned beef, which can be southernized with shrimp, if you’re so inclined. And nobody can resist the sugar corner, which showcases things sugar or Nutella crêpes, pancakes, croissant, pain au chocolat (which literally means chocolate bread), madeleines (small rich shell-shaped cake), French toast. Brunch is served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And then there’s the ambiance. No matter when you visit Cocoplub Bistro & Bar, the restaurant’s décor is always a delight to take in, as it changes to reflect the occasion and season, so there’s always a surprise as you walk through the doors of the restaurant located in the Harbour Green Shopping Plaza, West Bay Street.

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Marv Cunningham wins Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge

Bahamian bartender Marv Cunningham, right, accepts his winner’s check of $10,000 from Terrence Bharath, Angostura’s chairman, after he was named the winner of the 10th Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge in Port of Spain, Trinidad last weekend. CARIBBEAN HOTEL AND TOURISM ASSOCIATION

The competition was fierce, but Bahamian Marv Cunningham emerged victorious as the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge (AGCC) Champion and is now their new global brand ambassador for a two-year period, showcasing Angostura bitters and rum products to international audiences.

Cunningham eclipsed eight competitors from around the region for the title and a $10,000 check as well as a two-year contract as the brand’s new global brand ambassador.

The judging panel at last weekend’s 10th AGCC in Port of Spain, Trinidad, was led by head judge Maxwell Britten, business partner at The Django NYC and co-founder of The Liquor Cabinet.

Cunningham, a Taste of the Caribbean Hall of Fame inductee, said what is truly meaningful to him is that his win is not only inspiring to the country, but the region – to let everyone know that the dream is not too small and to never let anyone deter you.

“This was something I dreamed of six years ago while preparing for Taste of the Caribbean,” said Cunningham.

The bartender who shies away from the term mixologist in reference to himself, wowed the judges with his “Mas-Curried” rum cocktail and an Amaro cocktail titled “Amaro Bank Burst”.

In addition to winning the overall title, Cunningham also won the award for best rum cocktail.

His “Mas-Curried” rum cocktail that featured Angostura 7-year with curry shrub, a savory cauliflower mash, Angostura Orange Bitters and lime juice.

The “Amaro Bank Burst” featured Amaro Di Angosutra, Angostura 1919 Rum, tamarind pulp, lemongrass and goat pepper syrup, coconut water, Angostura Bitters and Angostura Orange Bitters.

The inspiration behind his cocktails, he said, was all in his research.

“When I researched, I looked at Angostura’s home base in Trinidad. I wanted to use something out of the box. I wanted to wow the judges, [the] world to be honest.”

He decided to take a staple Trinidad ingredient, curry, and make it a dominant flavor in his offering to satisfy the fact that they were looking for a new cocktail. He added cocktail into the mix, which he said doesn’t add flavor, but gives a beautiful texture and stabilized the drink the way a pineapple and egg white would.

“I stuck to my gut feeling and it worked. It was beautiful,” said Cunningham.

In conceptualizing the cocktails, he said he was thinking like a chef, and attributes his recent win to his lessons learnt from members of the 2015 Taste of the Caribbean National Team that captured the country’s lone title at that level to date and at which Cunningham also earned individual honor as Bartender of the Year.

“Those guys played a role,” he said. “When I created ‘Essence of the Sea’, the conch cocktail, I was thinking along those lines, and I wanted something that would outdo that. Cauliflower, it will spark a conversation, so mission accomplished [and] it won best rum drink. I was satisfied that all of my hard work paid off, taking over my wife Kenya’s kitchen,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham is a two-time winner of CHTA’s Taste of the Caribbean Best Caribbean Bartender award, having won in 2015 and 2016, before returning to judge the competition in 2017.

The new Angostura global brand ambassador is mixing it up in the world of cocktails, and has never even had any formal training in his two decades bartending. He’s entirely self-taught.

Cunningham chalks up his interest in honing his craft, to getting him to where he is today. As he sought to improve over the years, he purchased books, tools, ingredients and produce; he scoured YouTube, and says he literally spent eight hours a day working on this craft, even after working an eight-hour day.

“I just kept at it,” said Cunningham.

He says he’s always wanted to not be the stereotypical bartender making staples like rum punch, party drinks and batch cocktails. And while he says there’s nothing wrong with drinks like Bahama Mamas and Goombay Smashes, he always looks to elevate the industry.

“My first time at Taste, there was a Jamaican competitor who, when I introduced myself to everybody, looked me from head to toe and said, ‘What are you going to make? Bahama Mama?’ He didn’t say it to be insulting, he said it because that’s what Bahamians are known for; those style of cocktails – with rum and juice, instead of spirit-based or technical cocktails where you have to go and get ingredients, make shrubs and infusions. We were not at that level, so, I took the initiative to be a trendsetter in the industry by honing this craft and grabbing the bull by the horns and practicing literally non-stop. To see how I’ve grown from a bartender to a gifted bartender. And as good as I am, I have not even scratched the surface of what I am able to do,” he said.

As Angostura’s brand ambassador, Cunningham, who is funny, charismatic and outgoing, said he has been afforded the opportunity to go into different countries to take in the cultures and absorb what they do and inspire newer cocktails.

To get to the regional final, Cunningham had to make a three-minute video on what he found trending, why he would use Angostura products, and what it would mean to him to be the Angostura global brand ambassador. He also had to pen a 200-word essay and answer why he would use Angostura rums, Angostura Amaro and their bitters, as well as speak to his favorite bars, and why he liked them.

From the submissions, finalists were selected to compete in Barbados, with Cunningham emerging to compete for the top title in Trinidad.

Vanessa Ledesma, Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association chief operations officer, said the victory helped to propel the Caribbean food and beverage industry.

“Marv is the epitome of Caribbean passion and excellence, and we are thrilled that the region emerged victorious in this global competition,” she said.

Cunningham said winning the challenge meant a lot for the Caribbean.

“It goes to show that we have the talent here, we have gifted bartenders here, not just bartenders but a gifted people in general and we belong,” he said.

He credited the Taste of the Caribbean regional competition and educational experience and the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s national competition for helping him reach this pinnacle in his career. “Being able to provide a platform for bartenders in the region to compete against each other to help develop themselves, to help further [develop] their skills, it is a great feeling and I’m very [grateful] to CHTA and Taste of the Caribbean for what they have done because they are more about teaching. Getting a medal is okay, but at the end of the day, this is what counts – that development aids in things like this.”

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Transforming Spaces; “The Red Room” Exhibition Opening

Jodi Minnis, Resort Bae, 2020, 44 x 46”, oil on canvas.

For this year’s Transforming Spaces, The Current Gallery & Art Center is pleased to announce the opening of “The Red Room”, an exhibition of new works by Jodi Minnis. This body of work showcases an installation of bedroom scenes, landscapes and self-portraits, exploring both the intimacies and vastness of public and private spaces. They offer insight into often unpublished places, where there is an opportunity for contemplation and self-reflection. There is a kind of duality within the work, where light from outside a window meets a dark bedroom, where both suffering and healing are evident, and where a sense of both quiet and chaos meet.

Minnis references the balance between the exposed and the isolated through her completion of a three-month residency at The Current, a space that is accessible to thousands of hotel guests and other visitors of Baha Mar. By taking her practice out of isolation and into a heavily populated space, Minnis explores the theme of her work through the process of making. Through this practice, her studio space becomes somewhat of a “window display”, visible to hundreds of onlookers.

“The Red Room” will include a performance by Minnis that aims to expose the unseen spaces behind each closed hotel room door. According to Minnis, “I often contemplate the multiple ways I can exist in this space, as an artist, an employee, a guest or a visitor, and I believe that this contemplation manifests in the work.”

“The Red Room” will be on display until April 2, 2020.

The Current will also be hosting the closing party for Transforming Spaces on Sunday, March 29, from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Join us in celebrating TS with great music by DJ Ampero, an open-bar and great company! This event is free and open to the public.

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Home is a feeling

Installation view of Sue Katz’s solo exhibition “Home” at the NAGB.

Since our “rebranding” of the nation from West Indies purgatory to edenic paradise in the late 1700s to mid 1800s, The Bahamas has seen visitors flocking to our spattering of islands in the Atlantic for quite some time now. Sometimes, those visitors repeat their journey. Sometimes, those visitors never leave and make this place their home.

Sue Katz has been living and working in The Bahamas for 28 years. Her roots may have originated in the U.S., but they now find themselves firmly planted here in The Bahamas. This duality of holding onto migrant and diaspora identities is, to many, part and parcel of living here. Her practice of collaging, layering and reworking images from advertising and family archives speaks to the experience of living and carving out a sense of self when displaced and re-rooted (and indeed re-routed) elsewhere. We currently see this particularly personal sense of placement in her Project Space (PS) exhibition entitled “Home”.

“Home” examines Katz’s Jewish heritage, her American background, and the peculiar feeling of existing with one foot in this past, and the other in her present and very Bahamian contemporary. How do we renegotiate ourselves in the current moment, in a different country, and still retain a sense of who we were and where we came from? Are these things at odds with each other, or do they merge and mesh? The nostalgia in the retro imagery she utilizes compounds our idea of the fleeting and fickle nature of memory: the edge of a photo peels away, a layer of paint goes atop an image from the past. And it is in this sedimentation that memory gets its narrative function in our lives, as we weave together and layer different moments, feelings and flickering images to make sense of this ever-changing set of experiences we call life. 

The way we cling to our past as an anchor for identity is exemplified in her assemblages — an exercise in physical collage in some ways. We collect bits and pieces of the fabric of our material lives — coins, photographs, key rings, necklaces, ticket stubs — and in their collective presence, they are steeped in the magic of remembering, giving us an image of a place and a feeling, emotive of the sense of home she invites us into.

Much of Katz’s work functions in this act of layering and placement — some may argue that even her paintings and drawings are collage. Her method of working material is perhaps indicative of her method of working what her identity means as an immigrant to The Bahamas, who is very much transplanted into the soil of this place as a new home. The house we grow up in will always be home, but so, too, are the spaces we return to every day at the end of a long day to find sanctuary. Home is not just places, but it is a feeling stirred by food, photographs and chats with those who remember as we do. 

Katz’s exhibition has been extended for viewing until March 8, 2020.

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Women found dead on Long Isl.

Police on Long Island said yesterday that they found the bodies of two women buried in shallow graves near a beach in Salt Pond. The photo at top shows police moving the body of who they suspect is Jane Harding. PHOTOS: RACHEL KNOWLES

SALT POND, Long Island — Two days after Melissa Hui, 34, and her mother Jane Harding, 62, were reported missing, police discovered their bodies in shallow graves on a beach in Salt Pond, Long Island.

Police said last night that they have a man in custody who is assisting them with the investigation.

Locals, who were assisting police in the search for the women, discovered Harding’s body at 10:30 a.m., buried in sand north of a large bluff in the area known locally as Bamboo Bay.

Superintendent Hurvin Curtis, who arrived on the island with a police team from the capital yesterday morning, said that Harding’s body was partially nude when found.

“While we are in our early stage of the investigation,” Curtis said at the scene.

“We have SWAT officers along with K9 and detectives combing to try and locate the other female.”

Hours later, around 4:20 p.m., police found a body they suspect is Hui’s, buried in the sand, near a dune just south of the same bluff.

Assistant Superintendent Warren Rogers, who is based on Long Island, yesterday thanked the community for its assistance and gave his condolences to the family of the victims.

“I just want to, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police Mr. Anthony Ferguson, thank the general public at large,” he said.

“I could say that from day one when the police received information, we had boots on the ground 24/7. And the community, at large, assisted in a large part in recovering these two bodies today.

“And so, we also want to give the family members of these two missing persons our deepest sympathy.

“The investigation at this time is ongoing.”

Police have classified both deaths as murders.

Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said yesterday he was deeply saddened by the incident.

“To have their lives abruptly taken for reasons we will never understand has truly shaken our community to the core,” he said in a statement.

“In such a time as this, I remind Long Islanders of the importance of family and the community values which have shaped our island.

“Indeed, we are a resilient people.

“I thank the concerned and selfless Long Islanders who conducted and assisted with the searches and who embodied the essence of Coretta Scott King’s sentiments that the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.

“To the family, my heartfelt condolences are extended to you. The people of Long Island stand with you.”

The saga that shook up the typically quiet island began on Wednesday morning, when Hui didn’t show up for work at Long Island Petroleum, a gas station just a few hundred feet from the home she shared with Harding.

Hui’s concerned employers asked a relative who lived nearby to check on her. He found the house she shared with her mother empty, with nothing missing except the two women.

Their car was still parked outside. Harding’s walking stick was still in the home, and a cup of tea was untouched.

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Police report uptick in marriage fraud rings

Matthew Edgecombe.

Police have identified major fraudulent marriage rings in The Bahamas, Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit Director Superintendent Matthew Edgecombe said as he reported an uptick in Haitian men marrying Bahamian women to gain status.

“Recently, we have seen an increase in the offense fraudulent marriages here in The Bahamas,” Edgecombe told The Nassau Guardian.

“In our investigations, we have found that there are rings,” he continued. “In fact, we find that persons are out there recruiting young ladies for marriages. So, there is a ring and it goes deeper.”

Edgecombe said while people from multiple nationalities have been complicit in this type of fraud, the vast majority of accused offenders have been Jamaicans and Haitians.

“But, recently, we’ve seen a great amount of Haitian men getting married to Bahamian ladies,” he said.

“[F]rom our interviews with the young females involved, they were telling us that they were paid up to $2,500 and promised additional funds.

“But, what they learn is once the marriage has taken place, they don’t get no monies from that.”

According to statistics, in 2018 and 2019, there were 13 marriage fraud matters investigated by police that resulted in 15 people being charged, including two justices of the peace.

Seven of those matters were placed before the courts and ended with convictions that resulted with fines or custodial sentences.

With the topic gaining more attention recently, Edgecombe says he hopes more victims come forward.

“They are hurting somebody,” Edgecombe said, referring to Bahamians who sell their birthright.

“They are hurting our country. When people [enter into] fake marriages, they are allowed to work here, they are allowed to do business in this country. They are allowed, sometimes, to get permanent residency.”

“It’s all a big sham. It’s really hurting the whole community. It is hurting the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I would ask them to please stop it.

“[W]hen you marry someone, that’s real. If you were to die, the person you marry could take everything you own.”

Edgecombe said police are also investigating a greater number of stolen identity claims.

“Just yesterday, a lady came into my office and said that she had a young baby and she went to register the child,” he said.

“She was informed that she could not register the child because she is married to a foreign national.

“She was shocked because she never got married in her life. And the marriage was performed by a justice of the peace. Now she is reporting the marriage to us. And we need to find the persons responsible.”

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Police officer challenges suspension

From left are Aaliyah Bain, Dejah Laing and Samuel Humes. FILE

The Supreme Court will hear a police officer’s challenge to his suspension on April 21.

Inspector Christian Leary was suspended and placed on half-pay on August 27, 2019, after he was charged before the Police Disciplinary Tribunal with using unnecessary force against Deja Laing and Aaliyah Laing during a road block in Exuma.

Leary has asked the court to compensate him for his lost earnings and that he immediately be assigned to police duties in order to receive full pay.

Justice Loren Klein held a case management hearing in the matter yesterday.

The women allege that Leary punched them in the face and beat them about the body during a traffic stop on August 5, 2019.

Photos of blood streaming down the eye of one of the women went viral on social media following the alleged incident.

Leary, 38, in an affidavit supporting his constitutional motion against suspension, alleges that Acting Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle acted outside of the Police Act when he interdicted him.

Leary said that he was never “brought or taken under the disciplinary procedure set out by the Police Service Commission”.

Leary said, “I am innocent of all the offenses herein and I will defend against them and I am confident that I will be exonerated of the offenses for which I am charged.”

Leary said the reduction in salary has resulted in “undue hardship and economic loss, including the inability to make payments on my outstanding loan at Bahamas Law Enforcement Credit Union”.

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Dorian death toll now 74

Police on Abaco and Grand Bahama recovered an additional four dead bodies in the last month, bringing the death toll from Hurricane Dorian up to 74, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday.

“The police on the Island of Abaco recovered the remains of three unidentified bodies – one in The Mudd and two on Powerline Road,” NEMA said in a press statement.

The fourth body was recovered on Grand Bahama.

NEMA said the bodies were found between January 20, 2020 and February 6, 2020.

These recent discoveries bring the total number of people who died in the storm on Abaco up to 63. Eleven bodies were recovered on Grand Bahama.

Dorian, a Category 5 storm, devastated parts of Abaco and Grand Bahama in September. At least 200 people remain missing.

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Rolle: NIB employee caught doing ‘unbecoming things’ fired

Brensil Rolle.

An employee at the National Insurance Board (NIB) was fired after he was found to be complicit in fraudulent activity at the government agency, Minister of the Public Service and National Insurance Brensil Rolle confirmed yesterday.

Initially, it was reported that the employee was producing and selling fraudulent NIB cards.

“My report is that instead of cards, they were fake C10s,” Rolle told reporters.

“C10s are basically forms that were filled out when working with companies, and it is my understanding that there was an activity involving a staff member receiving tips and doing some other unbecoming things with cards from these companies.

“As a result of that, he was separated from the company.”

It is unclear whether the matter was referred to the police or whether the individual will be charged.

Meantime, Rolle said NIB has already improved its security protocols as a result of the fraudulent activity.

“We have in place now some strict protocols,” he said. “[T]hat’s why we’re able to pick it up quickly.

“We just introduced a business portal where companies can directly go online and have their information go directly to NIB.

“So, that eliminates the possibility of fraudulent cards as well as any unscrupulous activities.”

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Alleged child abductor to stand trial in Supreme Court

A woman accused of trying to snatch a seven-year-old boy on December 9, 2019, was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court yesterday.

De’Edra Gibson, 30, was already on bail for four counts of child stealing, when prosecutors say she attempted to grab her most recent victim.

Gibson, who is on remand at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, received the prosecution’s case against her when she received a voluntary bill of indictment.

She will be arraigned on a charge of attempted child stealing on March 27.

Gibson is expected to be tried on four counts of child stealing this summer.

Prosecutors say Gibson carried out the spree of kidnappings from February 16 to March 29, 2019.

The boys were lured into a car by a woman, who later dropped them off on the side of the street.

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Breaking | Woman’s decomposing body found in shallow grave on Long Island

A police car blocks a path in Salt Pond, Long Island where the body of a woman was found buried in a shallow grave. RACHEL KNOWLES

The partially decomposed body of a female was found buried in a shallow grave near a beach on the north side of Salt Pond, Long Island, police confirmed today.

It was found in the area known as Bamboo Bay.

The discovery was made by locals who were two days into a community search for two missing women from the area – 34 year old Melissa Hui and her mother, 62-year-old Jane Harding.

Hui’s employers became concerned early Wednesday morning when she didn’t show up for work at Long Island Petroleum, a gas station just a few hundred feet from their home.

A relative who lives nearby checked on the home and found it empty with nothing missing except the two women. The car was still parked outside. Harding’s walking stick was still in the home.

Police said they are continuing their search and that it is too soon to confirm the identity of the woman found.

The post Breaking | Woman’s decomposing body found in shallow grave on Long Island appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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Four added to JITG line up

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the folks at Jazz In The Gardens (JITG) have upped the ante with the addition of Nelly, Keyshia Cole, Uncle Luke, Mark Felton and Mike Phillips to the acts for the 15th annual music festival rockin’ off in 16 days.

Nelly, Keyshia Cole and saxophonist Mark Allen Felton have been added to the Saturday, March 14 lineup with Mary J. Blige, Charlie Wilson and Stokley from Mint Condition.

Uncle Luke has been added to the Sunday, March 15 lineup with The Roots & Bilal along with Mike Phillips who will bring the jazz to JITG this year in a lineup that features Jill Scott, H.E.R., Kirk Franklin and SWV for the Live Nation Urban and Live Nation Miami-produced festival in Miami Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium.

And Lynette Williams will be taking it all in courtesy of The Nassau Guardian and Star 106 Hits for free. One of the first winners from The Nassau Guardian and Star 106 Hits, Williams yesterday won a package for two inclusive of Bahamasair tickets, hotel accommodations at Comfort Suites Sawgrass, a car rental with Dollar Thrifty Hertz and concert tickets from a Star 106 Hits drawing yesterday.

Williams, who will be attending JITG for the first time, said she’s always wanted to go to the music festival.

“I’ve always wanted to go hang out and have a good time,” said the excited Williams.

While she knew most of this year’s lineup, she’s most excited to see Mary J. Blige.

Williams will make a girls’ weekend of it with her cousin, Jenaette Richardson.

“She (Richardson) was the one who encouraged me to enter, so it’s only fair I take her,” said Williams.

Readers of The Nassau Guardian still have until the morning of Thursday, March 5 to clip their entries from the newspaper, fill it in and drop it off at The Nassau Guardian’s office on Carter Street, Oakes Field. The deadline for entry is 10 a.m.

The Nassau Guardian winner will win a complete package as well. Hopefuls can enter as many times as they want with original entries clipped from the newspaper.

Off the concert stage, Let’s Talk Film, Music, Art & Culture (FMAC) at JITG, which provides professional development and networking opportunities for those passionate about art and culture, will once again feature prominently among the music festival’s events.

FMAC will feature singer, songwriter and author Anthony Hamilton (book discussion – message behind the music); Melissa Mitchell of Abeille Creations, actress; Tanisha Cidel, actress and screenwriter, OWN’s “David Makes Man”, “Moonlight”; Kelsey Scott, actress/screenwriter; Anthony “Lump” Lumpkin, artist; Lucien Adderley, actor/writer, OWN’s “David Makes Man”; Richard Byrd Wilson, writer, OWN’s David Makes Man; and Jordan Bolger, OWN’s “David Makes Man”, Netflix’s “The 100 Peaky Blinders” and Netflix’s “IBoy” on March 5 at Florida Memorial University’s Smith Conference Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Back by popular demand will be the Women’s Impact, an inspirational experience designed to inspire women to live centered, active, fulfilled and balanced lives. It’s an event to which men are welcomed and celebrated as well. Attendees are entertained and engaged by guest speakers who deliver powerful expertise on how to create a happy, healthy, spiritual and centered existence. The luncheon takes place Friday, March 13 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hard Rock Stadium, Club Level.

JITG) Music Festival is a vibe that’s like nothing else you will ever experience. It allows you to go to the festival alone, or with a friend. If you attend alone, rest assured there are people that will dance and sing with you, and if you attend with a friend you will leave with more friends, because it’s not just a concert, it’s a complete experience, as promised by Oliver Gilbert III, City of Miami Gardens mayor.

They promised something special in this 15th year, and they delivered with their stellar lineup headlined by Blige, the most requested artist in JITG history; Scott, one of the most talented artists in the world who is again gracing the stage; as well as everyone’s favorite uncle, Charlie Wilson, who, after multiple appearances at the festival, never disappoints; and H.E.R.

Comedian Rickey Smiley will once again return as host of the event.

JITG according to the mayor is the City of Miami Gardens’ special way of saying hello to the world. And Bahamians are among the thousands flocking to JITG in droves to take in the city’s signature event that the experience says “hello” to.

For the 11th year, The Nassau Guardian and Star 106 Hits have partnered with Bahamasair, Comfort Suites Sawgrass and Dollar Thrifty Hertz to give Bahamians the opportunity to take in this amazing experience that Tony Williams, Star programming director describes as “fantastic”.

“This is going to be a fantastic show,” said Williams. “I want to see Uncle Charlie. I enjoy him every time I see him. And Mary J. Blige – I just love her…you get so much emotion from her because she puts herself into the performance because she tells her life story. Jill Scott is great. And Kirk Franklin is going to be a really upbeat performance. They will definitely name some locals and from past experiences the local acts have been really good and to be looked forward to.”

JITG is a show that Williams said he definitely looks forward to annually, but he said he’s most excited to partner with Jazz In The Gardens to give The Nassau Guardian readers and Star 106 Hits listeners the opportunity to enjoy a great show and experience.

“Very seldom do you get the opportunity to see this many artists together – and so for me to be able to do this for our readers and listeners is a real treat. Through our partnership with Jazz In The Gardens we can give them an opportunity to see the best show in town in the City of Miami Gardens.”

Woodrow “Woody” Wilson, Bahamasair senior consultant, sales and marketing, said at the national airline they look forward to partnering with The Nassau Guardian and Star 106 Hits every year for JITG.

“This is one of our major events because we know it’s an event the Bahamian public looks forward to, and we look forward to providing the public with the best rates out there to take them to Jazz In The Gardens. We’ve been a partner from day one, and as long as The Nassau Guardian and Star are promoting Jazz In The Gardens, we will be there with them.”

He said Bahamasair will offer a rate starting at $242 inclusive of all taxes.

As usual, Wilson and Bahamasair have partnered with hotels in Florida to provide special rates for Bahamians flying in for the popular music festival and have negotiated special rates at Comfort Suites Sawgrass at $109 plus tax per night, and at the Holiday Inn on 103rd Street at $129 plus tax.

Wilson, a huge fan of JITG, says he’s looking forward to seeing Charlie Wilson perform again.

“I look forward to seeing Uncle Charlie every year, he’s my favorite. I don’t care how many times I see him he puts on such a show. They don’t make music like that anymore,” he said.

This year’s lineup came later than usual, but the wait was worth it when the roster was finally revealed.

JAZZ IN THE GARDENS

When: March 14-15

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida

Tickets: $99-$602 online via ticketmaster at https://ift.tt/zAI1qH

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Much to be learnt from Trinidad Carnival

It will likely take months before we recover from missing Trinidad Carnival – two-and-a-half months to be exact.

That’s when we’ll get to participate in Bahamas Carnival, scheduled for the first weekend in May.

But with just six years under our belt, there is much that we can learn from Trinidad, which hosts the biggest Carnival celebration in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Karnivalista spoke to several Bahamians who recently returned from Trinidad about their experiences and what aspects of Trinidad Carnival they’d like to see implemented here. They all agreed on one thing: more fetes.

“I just loved how it wasn’t just about the parade,” said Bahamian artist Patrice Murrell, who spent more than one week in Trinidad.

Bahamian artist Patrice Murrell at Trinidad Carnival, where she performed with WeeMas International during Tuesday mas. PATRICE MURRELL

“The parade was great. Tuesday mas was great, but they also had Monday mas where you didn’t need a costume. There was J’ouvert, that was a whole other parade that was fun and you didn’t necessarily need a costume.

“It was just about having fun on the road and vibes and connecting and enjoying the energy and spirit of Carnival. Another thing that I appreciated as well is that there were so many concerts and fetes and parties leading up to, and even after Carnival. I’d like to see a lot more of those in The Bahamas. Those fetes focused on the artists – the Trinidadian artists and international artists. And so, you got to literally go to 10 or 20 different fetes in a week or two weeks.”

Jayme C. Pinder, a budding singer and songwriter herself, offered similar comments.

“But to be honest, Trinidad’s Carnival displays not only the parties and events that most carnivals around the world have, but everything has a Trinidadian twist,” said Pinder.

“Even the rest stops have locals playing steel pans so you get to experience not just the soca from all different countries and islands but their authentic music as well as food, etc.

“They are a whole lot more organized, which makes it a bit more fun and safer.

“And their parties or events are also concerts, so it allows a great platform for new and even existing artists to share their music for the Carnival season.”

Pinder, who has written songs for soca artists, said it would be great to see that replicated in The Bahamas with local artists.

Timmy Bain, who traveled to Trinidad with a group of friends and family, said he had hundreds of parties to choose from.

Timmy Bain, second left, and friends at Trinidad Carnival. TIMMY BAIN

“We just need more events,” he said. “Nassau only has…like seven events in total, whereas Trinidad has hundreds.

“We don’t need hundreds but we need more events and there shouldn’t be non-inclusive events.”

He said promoters can hold smaller fetes during the morning and afternoon hours to accommodate visitors.

Having traveled to Trinidad a few times for Carnival myself, I can attest to what Bain said.

There are so many events to choose from during the lead-up to Carnival that the road march is literally just the icing on the cake.

However, as Bahamas Carnival grows, I have no doubt that it will improve with time. Many have already heralded Bahamas Carnival as one of the fastest growing festivals. And let’s not forget that the “king” of soca himself, Machel Montano, said in 2018 that Bahamas Carnival could become the biggest in the Caribbean because of the country’s geography and beauty.

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A ‘warped’ experience

Nassau Music Society (NMS) is emerging from behind the walls at The Current at Baha Mar and St. Paul’s Church Hall, and taking the music to the people with a jitney ride for the ages that will feature the cross-genre chamber music sounds of the Warp Trio – a combination of Juilliard-trained members juxtaposed with members steeped in jazz and rock styles.

This one-of-a-kind trio that performs classical works in prestigious concert halls and has headlines standing room only shows will be performing today on a 12B jitney running between Sandyport and Downtown between 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon.

The musical jitney ride takes place before the trip heads back to the NMS regular schedule which will have them perform “Black Voices” at The Current on Saturday, February 29 with a 7 p.m. concert, and their “Warp Classics” on Sunday, March 1 at St. Paul’s Church Hall at 5 p.m.

“Black Voices” is a concert program that integrates classical, jazz, hip-hop and spoken word, presenting works by African-American artists. NMS and Warp Trip in celebration of Black History Month will present the program.

Originally created in conjunction with the award-winning emcee LiKWuiD, the program consists of poetry as well as original spoken word material, complemented by music by Duke Ellington, William Grant Still, Harry Burleigh and original compositions by Warp Trio.

Bahamian actor and educator Dion Johnson will perform the spoken word segments of this presentation of “Black Voices”.

The Warp Trip will present traditional chamber music concert featuring works grounded in the classical canon, with some modern surprises for good measure on Sunday at St. Paul’s Church Hall – Beethoven and Arensky, a Bossa Nova interlude and other surprises will be the order of the day for this concert which NMS members say will engage audiences of any age and lovers of all forms of music

Both concerts will run just over one hour with no intermission. The artists will host a meet and greet after the concerts.

Tickets are $35 NMS members, $40 members and $10 students. Tickets can be purchased at the NMS website, or Custom Computers locations at Cable Beach, Old Fort Bay Town Centre and Cotton Tree Plaza, or at the door on the evenings of the concerts.

 

Warp Trio weekend

Today: Musical jitney ride on 12B

Saturday, February 29: “Black Voices” at The Current

Sunday, March 1: “Warp Classics” at St. Paul’s Church Hall

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Raptors repeat!

The C.H. Reeves Raptors won their second straight GSSSA junior track and field title yesterday, defeating the second-place A.F. Adderley Tigers by 178.50 points. SIMBA FRENCH

After two days of intense action on the track and on the field, the C.H. Reeves Raptors have successfully defended their Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) junior track and field title.

Action wrapped up for the junior schools in the 27th annual championships yesterday afternoon at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

This is the second consecutive GSSSA junior track and field title for the Raptors after the A.F. Adderley Tigers stopped their string of 10 in a row in 2018. The Tigers have been second to the Raptors in each of the past two years.

Head coach for the Raptors Rashad McKenzie said to repeat is inexplicable.

“It is one of those indescribable moments. I cannot explain it. Just to come back and defend it with God’s grace I am just thankful,” McKenzie said.

Others who assisted McKenzie were Sydline Justilien, Varel Davis and Thurman Johnson.

The Raptors came into the final day with a score of 295 points and an 89-point lead over the Tigers. By the end of the day on Thursday, the Raptors had extended that lead to over 150 points.

Overall, they scored a total of 559 points. The Tigers finished with 380.50 points. The S.C. McPherson Junior High Sharks managed to finish in third place with 269 points.

“The program has a winning culture,” McKenzie said. “The kids believe that they can win. I always tell them that once you believe in yourself everything else will follow. With the winning culture around the school and the hard work that they put in along with the dedication, the results were proven on the track today.”

Rounding out the other positions were H.O. Nash Lions (241 points); Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves (215); L.W. Young Golden Eagles (168.50); T.A. Thompson Scorpions (158); and D.W. Davis Royals (126).

The Raptors swept both the under-14-and-16 divisions.

In the under-14 division, the Raptors scored 207 points. The Tigers registered 174.50 points to finish second and finishing third were the Sharks with 134 points.

The under-16 was the most dominant for the Raptors as they scored 352 points. Finishing second to them was again the Tigers, this time with a distant 206 points. The Timberwolves held off the Sharks to finish third in that division, scoring 139 points.

Once again, the Raptors put their stamp on the relays as they went 3-for-4.

They won the under-14 and under-16 girls, and the under-16 boys 4×400 meters (m) relays.

The under-16 girls put themselves in the championship record books when they recorded a time of 4:21.48. That time lowered the old record of 4:26.92.

Making up that team was Melvinique Gibson, Marquell Newbold, Laquay Kemp and Aliyah Brown.

They led the way for the entire race, finishing almost 20 seconds ahead of the silver medalist.

Winning the silver were the Sharks who clocked 4:38.54. The Tigers came away with the bronze medal as they recorded a time of 4:52.42.

In the under-14 girls 4x400m relay, the Raptors recorded a time of 4:48.65 to win. They finished ahead of the Tigers who were second as they clocked 4:50.89. Finishing third were the Lions as they crossed the finish line in 4:52.71.

The third relay the Raptors won on the day was the under-16 boys 4x400m as they held off the Tigers who attempted to make a comeback on the last lap.

In the end, the Raptors hung on to win in 3:54.89. The Tigers dropped off in the final 200 meters as they finished the race in a time of 4:05.94 to secure the silver medal.

In third place were the Scorpions who recorded a time of 4:07.47.

In addition to these three relays, the Raptors also won three relays on Wednesday to finish 6-for-8 in the relay races.

McKenzie spoke about their dominance in the relays.

“It was not a surprise,” McKenzie said. “When you have about three to four strong runners on a team, you know that you are going to see the results. I was not unsure about what we would have done. When I saw them compete after the first one, I said it looked like we could break some records. They did what they had to do.”

Breaking the under-14 girls 800m championship record was the Golden Eagles’ A’Karee Roberts. She finished her two laps in 2:40.34. The old record was 2:43.10.

The Royals’ Kamia Smith was able to secure the silver medal as she clocked 2:47.40. Winning the bronze medal was the Raptors’ Bernechia Nelson. Her time was 2:52.83.

There was also a new championship record in the under-16 girls 75m hurdles as the Raptors’ Marquell Newbold was victorious in a time of 12.56 seconds. She lowered the old record of 13.52 seconds.

Newbold’s teammate Darvinette Hanna won the silver medal in 14.03 seconds. The Scorpions’ Phillipa McCartney was able to win the bronze medal as she clocked 14.19 seconds.

McKenzie said he will celebrate the victory while thinking about a three-peat.

“I want to bask in this moment and celebrate – show the kids that we really appreciate them. We also look forward to going for number three,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie said they hope to have a motorcade after not being able to have one last year.

Today is the final day of competition for the senior division as the C.R. Walker Knights look to repeat as champions. They are looking to win their fifth straight title.

After two days of competition, the Knights lead the way with 340.67 points. Lurking in second place are the C.V. Bethel Stingrays with a score of 258 points. Not far behind them are the C.I Gibson Rattlers with a score of 245 points.

Action starts at 9 a.m. this morning.

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Defenders, Lady Warhawks strike in NPVA playoffs

A player from the Tour Daddy Defenders delivers a kill off a block during game one of their NPVA best-of-three playoff series against the National Fence Intruders. The Defenders won, 25-12, 25-22, 17-25, 12-25 and 15-11, to take a one game to none lead in the series. RENBERT MORTIMER

The second-seeded Tour Daddy Defenders started their New Providence Volleyball Association (NPVA) men’s division title defense on the right note on Wednesday night, taking down the third-seeded National Fence Intruders three sets to two to take the opening game of their best-of-three playoff series at the D.W. Davis Gymnasium.

In the earlier game that night, in the women’s division, the second-seeded Lady Warhawks took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series against last year’s runners-up, the third-seeded Scottsdale Vixens.

In the other men’s series, played on Sunday, the pennant winners, the Warhawks, took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series against the fourth-seeded Technicians. That series will return to action tonight at 9 p.m.

On the ladies side, the pennant winners, the defending champions Central Gas Panthers leads the fourth-seeded Johnson’s Lady Truckers 1-0 in their best-of-three series that also got underway on Sunday. They will return to action tonight as well, starting at 7.30 p.m.

Defenders over the Intruders

The Defenders and the Intruders got together in a rematch of last year’s championship, and it was the Defenders who walked away as the victors of game one of their best-of-three playoff series.

Jamaal Ferguson led the way for the winners with 16 points, 12 of those points coming from spikes. Jesse Delancy chipped in with 12 points in the win. The Defenders prevailed in three sets, 25-12, 25-22, 17-25, 12-25 and 15-11.

The Defenders had a dominant performance early on, easily taking the first set. Defenders’ captain Jevaughn Saunders and Ferguson led the way with four points each in that opening set.

The second set was more competitive. After falling behind early, the Intruders battled back in the second set but still ended up losing, 25-22.

The Intruders roared back to tie the match at two sets apiece as they took the third and fourth sets, 25-17 and 25-12.

Prince Wilson was a man on a mission in those two sets for the Intruders. He scored 10 points in the third set then scored seven more points in the fourth set.

He ended the night with a game-high 22 points that included 15 points on spikes. Intruders’ captain Dellan Brown also scored in double digits as he finished the night with 11 points.

A fifth and final set was needed as both teams were trying to take a 1-0 cushion in the series.

In the fifth set, the game was close with the scored tied at 7-7. In the end, the Defenders got the best of the Intruders as they won that set 15-11 to win the match three sets to two.

The second match gets underway on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Lady Warhawks over the Vixens

It was a competitive four sets as these two teams battled with each trying to take a 1-0 advantage in the series. The Lady Warhawks were able to hold off the Vixens in the end.

Barbara Kiraly was the high scorer for her team as she finished with 20 points. She had 13 of those points on kills.

Kiraly had help from Sydline Justilien who scored all 12 of her points from kills.

In the first set, the Vixens showed a lot of toughness as they managed to keep the game close. At one point, the Lady Warhawks led 10-7. The Vixens went up 20-19, and held on to win that first set 25-23. However, the Lady Warhawks came back to win the next three sets to take the match, prevailing 23-25, 25-23, 25-19 and 25-22.

In the first set, the Vixens were led by Melinda Bastian with 10 points. She finished the night with a game-high 23 total points, scoring 20 from kills.

Bastian and the Vixens got assistance from Q’Jannis Wilson who finished with 12 points.

After losing a tough first set, the Lady Warhawks fought their way to a 25-23 win in the second set. In the third set, the Lady Warhawks led 23-17 before putting the Vixens away, 25-19. That six-point victory was the largest margin of victory in the four sets played.

The fourth set was also close with the Lady Warhawks prevailing, 25-22.

The Lady Warhawks will look to sweep the Vixens on Sunday as the second match is set to get underway at 3 p.m.

Should the Vixens lose game two or three, it would be the first time in 16 years that they failed to advance to the NPVA Championships. They saw their string of 14 championships in a row snapped by the Central Gas Panthers last year.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/02/28/defenders-lady-warhawks-strike-in-npva-playoffs/