As the Elections of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Association (BAAA) nears on Saturday, November 21st we decided to provide the public and voters once again, with the names of the team members as well as the platform they are running on.
As the Elections of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Association (BAAA) nears on Saturday, November 21st we decided to provide the public and voters once again, with the names of the team members as well as the platform they are running on.
Members of the Visionary Team are:
1. Mike Sands- President
2. Shervin Stuart, First Vice President
3. Felix Seymour, 2nd VP(G. Bahama)
4. Laura Pratt-Charlton, Treasurer
5. Alpheus Finlayson, Public Relations
6. Tim Munnings, General Secretary
7. Donovan Turnquest, Asst. Secretary
8. Rupert Gardiner, Technical Director
9. Bernard Newbold, Statistician
10. Foster Dorsett, Special Projects
11. Linda Thompson, Special Projects
Members of this team have a proven track record in successfully planning, organizing, and executing events.
They are experienced in fund raising and have respect and credibility with corporate Bahamas as well as private donors. Tim Munnings is an Olympian who anchored the Gold medal men's 1600m relay team at the 2001 IAAF Edmonton World Championships.
Shervin Stuart was once a vice president of the federation. Donovan Turnquest was once a secretary general of the BAAA. Rupert Gardiner has coached numerous Olympic and World Championship teams.
The Visionary Team has three former BAAA presidents, Finlayson, Dorsett, and Sands. Finlayson served on the council of The IAAF, was vice president of NACAC, and currently serves as 3rd Vice President of the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation.
He served as the Public Relations Director of the BAAA from 1977-1985. From 1989-1997 he served as president of the federation, and is the second longest serving president, after Dr. Bernard Nottage, who served from 1976-1989.
Sands is one of the best sprinters the Bahamas ever produced. He is currently on the council of NACAC, and is a Vice President of the Bahamas Olympic Association. He has served in the BAAA Executive since 1989.
Some of the key points in their forty plus page platform are:
* Put Athletes First
* Work closely with Local and Foreign based Bahamian coaches
* Continuous development of Current and New Clubs nationally
* Institute a National Training Centre with adequate equipment
* Provide professional medical, nutriional, fitness, Psychological, and Speech and Image support for athletes
* Initiate a National Talent Search programme to discover and Refine those Diamonds In The Rough
* Improve Training and Certification for Coaches with the emphasis on Primary and High School Coaches
*Concentrate on Improving Field Events and Middle Distances
* Provide cash incentives to coaches and
clubs for home based student-athletes performing at regional and international Competitions
* Re-establish the Bahamian Track and Field Hall of Fame
*Make optimum use of new state of the art stadium by
hosting Bahamas Invitational, a one day meet annually from 2011
*Bidding for IAAF World Youth Championships in 2013 or
IAAF World Junior Championships in 2014
*Have a Bahamian become an International Technical Official (ITO) by 2016 or next available date
* Establish an Endowment Fund
Sands was ousted by a vote of 22-19 on October, 2008. Several of those persons who voted to oust Sands are now actively campaigning for his return to the presidency.
- Austin DWI - New York DWI