Brac Athletic Club Success

(CNS): The Brac Elite Athletic Club (Track & Field) is one of the most successful sports clubs on Cayman Brac. This is the output of dedicated members and hard training. Athletes of the club have won multiple medals and titles in and outside of the Cayman Islands. Out of all members, it is safe to say that Madison Bush, age 11, has been most successful. She is a 4 time medalist at USA Track and Field Youth National Championships and has been awarded the title ‘Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year 2008’ by the Sports Association of the Sister Islands (SASI). Madison has also competed in the Junior Olympics twice.

Other accomplishments of the the club are Andrew Frederick, who earned SASI’s ‘Male track athlete of the year 2008’ and competed in Carifta 2009; Jonathon Frederick was Under-14 Champion in shot put, discuss, and javelin for the Cayman Islands; and Ameilia Gillispie, who preforms several events, represented Cayman Islands at CAC Junior Championships 2009 taking home a 3rd place medal in High Jump. All are trained by Flynn Bush. Flynn is a serious coach in T&F and was appointed as a National Coach strictly for the Island Games in the Aland (pronounced Oh-land) islands.

Success did not come easy. The athletes train a total of five days a week at 6am on Mondays and Wednesdays and at 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Each athlete also has to sign a contract which requires them to commit to training consistently, working hard on track and at school, to be respectful of others and themselves, and to produce result that are competitive when compared to top tier athletes of their own age in the USA and region. The Athletic Club Started with 16 members in September 2008. Out of the group, 7 preserved. Out of the seven athletes, 4 have kept this contract while 3 are on probationary status.

Hurricane Paloma took a toll on the athletes by disrupting training for 2 weeks in November 2008. Even the athletes homeless and important equipment lost, they still resumed training vigilantly. It’s this kind of dedication that brings the BEAC the success it’s already attained and much more is expected in the future.