Travers to ski for Cayman Islands in Winter Olympics

| 08/02/2010

Cayman Islands News, Grand Cayman sports news, Dow Travers Winter Olympics(The Ski Channel): Dow Travers will be the first ever Winter Olympian for the Cayman Islands. His stunt is alpine skiing and his backstory is set against that beautiful, tax-friendly island of endless white sand beaches. On the flip side, Cayman’s highest point does not even qaulify as a mountain or even a hill. It’s a bluff, actually called "The Bluff," and it stands 141 feet above sea level. That’s not a geological recipe for ski success. It was family winter vacations at Beaver Creek that left Travers with a skiing addiction fueled by competitive drive.

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  1. noname says:

    Dear CNS,

    This is the original "controversial" poster to this particular story.

    I am rather disappointed with you.

    In the past 24 hours this will be my 3rd time writing in to clarify a few points, yet they have not been allowed – interesting as they were not combative in nature at all!

    Anyway, what I was trying to communicate to the masses that such phrases as "paper caymanian", "born caymanian", and the sentiments of racism, bigotry, xenophobia, prejudice etc. were ALL injected into the conversation by those of you that took offence to my words!

    If one takes the time to re-read my original posts one will see clearly that my entire perspective was based on the FACT that hardly anyone knew/knows of our "Winter Olympian" – that’s it!

    I made no issue of where he was born (if I’ve never heard of someone how could I possibly know where he was born?), the nationality of his parents, if or how the individual happens to be a Caymanian, what color he happens to be … nothing! Again – we know NOT the young man – I was simply expressing my confusion as to how (until now of course!) not a single poster had ever heard of our newest Olympian.

    Granted, I elaborated upon what may or may not be behind this set of circumstances (which I still stand by), however, I employed no abusive or discriminatory labels upon the individual.

    I guess a few folks in our very disjointed community were rubbed the wrong by something I said?

    I hope you will allow this post because if rejected once again one can only assume that CNS does in fact SUPPORT in-fighting and conflict as the do not allow their participants to simply clarify gross misconceptions.

    • Anonymous says:

      Your point is still rubbish and so is your perspective. When was the test about how many people or which particular  people  know the althlete ?Either he meets the international standard or he doesn’t. This one apparently does. That is the point about an international standard .It is non discriminatory and non prejudicial .End of discussion.
       

       

  2. Anonymous says:

    Instead of bashing a young man who is trying to accomplish and achieve something in his life and is representing the Cayman Islands on a positiv e note, why don’t you concentrate or worry about how you should deal with our LOGB as he is currently running the country into the ground and selling it out to the highest bidder, making all kind of changes to the legislation, half of which don’t even make sense!

    Good grieve people! It is getting more pathetic by the hour. Have you ever watched any other international sports? How many players are on some "national" team who were clearly not born in that country. Who gives a #)($?

     

    • Lachlan MacTavish says:

       Spot on 15:46……I’m embarassed to read some of the comments here. What positive and wonderful press for our country. What a wonderful accomplishment for a young man to participate in the Olympics.

      Good luck….enjoy the experience Mr. Travers…..thank-you for representing The Cayman Islands. I’ll be looking for you during the opening.

      Lachlan MacTavish

    • Pah! says:

      "Who gives a #)($?"  – mediocre narrow minded bigots who are desperate to hold on to monopolies and entitlements, that is who gives a #)($.

  3. Laurice Fraser says:

    To all who have posted comments, it appears that our aspiring and accomplished young athletes are finally gaining the media attention they deserved although, we do have the negative ones. THANK YOU!!

    For the record I am the mother of Shaune and Brett Fraser, who like Dow Travers are Olympic qualifed athletes, representing their country – The Cayman Islands. Shaune, Brett & Kyle my youngest son are of dual nationalities – born in the Cayman Islands to a Caymanian mother and a Canadian father (who achieved Caymanian status through marriage/residency). Dow and his other two siblings were also born in the Cayman Islands to Parents who were granted Cayman Status long before he was born. So remind me what the nationality issue was here again?

    I am very sad that the author in today’s Compass headlines chose to use a title that projects negative connotations. In my opinion, it should have read: DOW IS NO SNOW JOKE!!  Yet in that article young Dow has made positive statements that he’s happy for Cayman to gain media attention. Perhaps we should have had the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee providing more media coverage and a count down to his event so that the general public would have been aware of our fine athlete. – Wake-up CIOC!!!

    Unless you are parents, family members, supporter, coach or athlete and comprehend the amount of Dedication, Emotional, Social, Physical & Mental Sacrifice made by our young athletes striving for excellence to gain elite staus and qualification at the Olympic and World Class level, I must say that those writers posting negative statements are unqualified. Do you realise how diificult it is coming from a pinsize country as ours? We should support all of our athletes at all times because as the mom of Cayman Olympic swimmers, I know it’s not an easy task and for the athletes it can be a gruelling journey towards achieving their athletic goals whilst balancing their academic goals also.

    My fellow writers and community at large, Dow has chosen to represent the country of his birth so let us all support him in his sport. One that yes, may not be indigenous to Cayman, but one that is extremely difficult and dangerous, which he has developed his talent and excelled in.

    Therefore, on Friday evening as Dow carries our Cayman Flag, let us feel that national pride in seeing our small country represented by one very proud athlete happy to do so. Let us collectively stand behind him, support his efforts and cheer him on down the slopes. Go Dow! Go Cayman!

    Finally, our island as we know it is no longer populated by indigenous Caymanians alone but by over 150 nationalities. Following the status grant of over 3,000 foreign residents and to those that were deserving, we can no longer continue on this path of "Us" and "Them" and discriminate because of one’s nationality. Athough the facts and situation may be an unpatable awakening/realization it is a new environment and one we must learn to adapt to without losing ourselves in the negative aspects. We are now all citizens of what is still a beautiful place to live so let’s not ruin it anymore than what the ugly head of crime is trying to do. I have no hesitation in stating the above and yes I am Caymanian (many generations back).

    • Anonymous says:

      Bloody well said, Laurice! Your kids are great by the way.

      From the parent (not born here but here nearly 40 years) of a child born to a born Caymanian. I wonder how many Caymanians under the age of , say, 20, are born to two "born Cs". I would suggest very very few which is great for genetic diversity and strength but terrible for the mindless bigots. Even Ezzard goes outside of Cayman for his soulmates; interesting eh?

  4. Anonymous says:

    True born Caymanians, tenth generations must only represent these islands, what a joke.

    I noticed during the last few Olympics no one complained about Kareem or Cydonie representing us. From my recollection their heritage is from Jamaica. You never seemed to complain about them carrying the Cayman flag, nore all the other teams, persons that have represented the Cayman Islands, in fact the CI football and cricket team is not all Caymanians but that’s ok, I maybe wrong but I would put money on it to say the cricket team has over 70% none Caymanians (2 or more generations) playing for them and yes this includes the White family ( if not for the White’s family passion for the sport we probably would not have a cricket program on these islands).
    For you all you ignorant, bigoted people, stop posting on CNS we are not interested in reading your comments anymore, this young man is setting an example to all our young children (like all sports figures on these islands), let’s support him and wish him all the best in Olympics.
  5. EastSider says:

    Seems to me that maybe a lot of folks are waiting to see if he wins.  If he does, then he will be a Caymanian.  If he loses, I guess he will be that damn ex-pat again.  How ironic.

  6. Joe Grinder says:

    GTFOH with that crap?

    Well abuuuusssmmmse me,I must really apologize to you ,for having me ,to have to walk dogs,so I can jump through the hoops, that you make up ,to make some idiotic points to join your elite group.Are you serious?.How about you ?,Obviously you are a B&B,20 generation Caymanian,who has no concept of the real world.You should be proud to see the Caymanian flag at the Olympics.But no,you chose to deride the concept of representing your country in a world stage,just because this athelete is not up to your standards of what makes a Caymanian ,does not make him less Caymanian.

  7. Please, do something says:

    Dear editor

    Is there not some means by which you can appropriately censor comments which are both irrelevant to your pieces and objectionable?

    This is a story about an incredibly talented young man competing on behalf of these islands at the very highest level and I wish him well.  It is not a story about born or naturalised Caymanians or about black, white or brown people.  

    I don’t think I’m alone in saying I’ve had enough with the bigotry which is posted on your website by the vocal, prejudiced minority.  Please, do something!

    CNS: I do not generally dictate the direction of the conversation – you have just redirected it to moderating of the comments, for example. I do delete a fair few comments but I’m not going to avoid topics because they are uncomfortable. The Cayman Islands is a community in transition – ‘what is a Caymanian?’ is a subject that people seem to want to discuss.

    Lots of objectionable, even bigoted, comments are made in private within small circles and cliques, where they are, I suspect, not recognised as being objectionable. CNS is a place (possibly the only place) where they can be aired, discussed and argued in public by people from all aspects of this society who would probably not otherwise meet, and where they can get an alternative perspective. This thread, I think, is a good example: a few people made objectionable comments and were roundly put down, in both comments and thumb votes, by what seemed to me to be a good cross section of the community, and that tells us something. Clinically moderated comments do not achieve anything.

    So far in our poll Is the Cayman community deeply divided?, the answer ‘No, there are a few vocal voices whomake it appear so’ only has 9% of the vote. Perhaps you could add your vote.

    Finally, if you really dislike the comments on CNS, there is always the option of not reading them.

    • Anonymous says:

      From what I can tell, the argument in favour of publishing comments that may seem racist or prejudiced is that unearthing such perspectives is preferable to having them uttered behind closed doors and that in being allowed to voice their feelings, those making such comments will be exposed to alternative viewpoints and, correct me if I’m wrong, the implication is that this can only be good for society in a broad sense.

      This sounds logical and perhaps it is true, but I would have to ask whether the research on group polarisation and social identity theory has been considered when drawing this conclusion.  It has been a long time since I have studied social psychology, but I think these concepts may be relevant. 

      In relation to group polarisation, there is evidence to suggest that people may adopt more extreme positions and advocate more extreme courses of action after engaging in a group discussion, rather than prior to it, if only to differentiate their views and opinions from opposing or more moderate perspectives, and to identify with those whose arguments they find persuasive even where they are more extreme (and what we find persuasive tends to have a lot to do with our opinion going into the discussion).  There is evidence from research into social identity theory to suggest that we discriminate against members of other groups more when we feel that they are threatening the groups with which we identify in some way.  If these statements hold true, on-line forums which allow divisive comments have the potential to make those who are quite prejudiced even more prejudiced, and to foster prejudice amongst those who feel threatened by their prejudices (prejudices of which they would be unaware, had it not been given a public voice).  Their resulting prejudice only feeds back into the whole ugly mess, bolstering people’s initial, uniformed views. 

      But perhaps my reading of this is wrong, as I said, it is a long time since I studied social psychology and I have not read any recent research, all of this could well have been turned on its head or found only to apply in very specific circumstances.  From a personal perspective, while I enjoy reading CNS, and obviously supplying the occasional response myself, like the earlier commenter I too could really do without the divisive rhetoric. There are many good things about CNS, it’s incredibly current and well written.  But I read the comments for the measured and sober perspectives supplied by a number of contributors, and I am getting tired of sifting through an increasing amount of commentary which upsets me personally, and commentary that I know will upset others, not to mention the people who claim, or appear, to speak on my behalf and don’t. I notice that you’ve effectively said to the earlier commenter ‘if you don’t like it you can stop reading’….well one day the cons might outweigh the pros and I will…certainly I have done this in the past in relation to other publications.  

       

      Obviously there is a place for all manner of conflicting perspectives and healthy debate is important in building a strong community where everyone feels they may actively participate, but I have to question whether the divisive rhetoric really helps any one, or just makes us all feel a little bit hated, a little bit threatened and a little bit angry. Societal relations here don’t seem to be getting any better for it (but please tell me if you have evidence that they are, in all sincerity, I would be very interested).  

       

      If the poll you mentioned accurately reflects the views of people here in Cayman, it appears that most believe the community is very divided.  I can’t help thinking that having a facility to publish and read all manner of hateful comments about each other is not going to change that for the better. Yes, I am aware of the argument in favour of free speech…but drawing a firmer line in relation to the comments does not prevent free speech…it just makes a statement about the kind of speech which you and the majority of your readers prefer….perhaps you can run a poll in relation to that before you invite a segment of your readership to stop reading (I am fairly convinced that the outcome of such a poll would be to find that a majority support maintenance of  the status quo, but wouldn’t it be nicer to know for sure)?

      I guess the point I want to make is that, if it is your argument that publishing comments that may cause distress to particular members of the public and segments of the community is justified because it is of benefit to that society, you’re going to have to explain to me exactly how that works…because I just don’t see it.

      CNS: You have raised some valid points and this is not the only comment criticising the moderating on CNS. We’d like to run this comment as a Viewpoint since most people have already read this article. If you are agreeable, could you email a suitable pen name to me here.

      • anonymous says:

        Right, let’s start censoring and removing posts just because you, or the majority, so happen not to agree with them – that makes a lot of sense…  Because we all know that those who are put in charge of censoring have no personal biases, right???   I’m disappointed that your mommy and daddy didn’t teach you that social engineering does not work?

        If you’re not a big enough boy or girl to be able to handle comments, attitudes, and opinions that don’t necessarily reflect your worldview, I suggest that you read the kiddie section of the newspaper, in order for your little feelings not to get hurt.  Or maybe find a quiet place to sing Kum Bay Ya all day long.  In the meantime, please allow the rest of us to deal with reality, with a world where people are a bit hated, a bit threatened, and a bit angry. 

      • Shock and Awe says:

        First of all, 12:14 I’m agreeing with you, some of the points you’re making are very valid.  People can enter a conversation with a neutral, or mild, point of view and then suddenly find themselves siding with people who hold very stringent points of view merely because they lean more in their direction.  From there, it’s like a snowball rolling downhill.  On the other hand, I’ve found out more about the country I live in, and the people, since venturing into and participating in CNS.  If I could describe it it was like an oasis of information  while I was thirsting for more.  About what makes the island tick.  We can’t prevent people from going off topic (as I am doing..sorry) and you have tried to do in bringing it back to reality.  What it does do when that happens is allow us to see more clearly what exactly our problems are.  And they are vast and relevant still. You’ll notice that when someone starts to vent other posters either try to put them in line, or ignore them.  A topic such as this for instance, which began with a story about a young man who has succeeded in reaching the Olympics, got way off base. If you’re interested in Social Psychology, as I have always been, it gives you a great deal to think about. As to why almost every one of the conversations on here inevitably lead to some type of "them" vs. "us".  I would venture that in the past this was also used as a type of political expediency which was used to get people to rally "’round the flag" without asking too too many questions about mundane issues like…..policy, finances, etc.  It was good talking point and as long as there was silence available from the people who could not vote, were intimidated by their work permit status, or relegated to the outside of a society they lived in the concept worked.  Now things are a little different, in that we are free to comment.  Still anonymously, but it’s available. Still, others wish to bring the topic back to something more familiar.  Something they can defend.  Something they can use to show that it is still "them" and "us".  But that’s their problem, it certainly isn’t CNS’s.  And it shouldn’t be ours.

        Was this about the Olympics??  Yes!!!!  God speed!!! Go Dow!!!

  8. Anonymous says:

    These posts should simply be congratulating Dow Travers on his achievement of representing HIS country. Sadly, even that has to be picked apart as to whether or not he’s "Caymanian". Well, good for him he set the record straight and hopefully that is that!

    Young man, thank you for your pride in your country and here’s wishing you success. Don’t focus on the negativity of many of these bloggers who have nothing good to see in any situation. All the best!

    As for Tanya Streeter, she was born and raised here to parents who had lived here long before her birth (probably before the Immigration Laws) and continued to live here until relatively recently (Jim & Sandra Dailey – remember them?) but apparently that was not good enough for her to be considered one of us. So she left and made a name worldwide for her freediving records – but she competed for Turks & Caicos, which ‘adopted’ her. Her accolades were never shared with Cayman because we rejected her. How sad!! Then we wonder why outsiders think we are all stupid.

    Really, if you were worth it, some of you moron bloggers would make me embarrased to be Caymanian. But thankfully, there are many of us (a lot more than 20% btw) who see people for who they are not from whence they come. 

  9. Cayman Participation says:

    Can someone from here not toboggan down the cresta run on an old turtle shell?  Would that not double our team?

    • Patricia X says:

      We could invent a new sport of "Cooking with Endangered Animals and then doing the cresta run with their body parts".  The rest of the world would hate us for being such selfish hicks, but we might win bronze (after the Japanese whale killers and the Tanzanian elephant poachers).

  10. Anonymous says:

    I do not care if he is a "paper Caymanian", "expat" living in Cayman or whatever else is possible. Currently this young man is representing the Cayman Islands in the Winter Olympics and for that, I, am proud. Good for you and best of luck. When you wave the Cayman flag, I will have a smile on my face. Best wishes and have fun!!

  11. OG says:

     Listen man even if we don’t know him at least he’s representing the Cayman Islands and we should all be proud of that!  Respect!

     

    "Who Jah Bless No Man Curse"

  12. tim ridley says:

    I have known the Travers family for well over 30 years, since Tony Travers first came to live here in about 1976. And I have followed Dow’s ski career since I first saw him as a very young boy in Beaver Creek, where it indeed all started for him.

    Like many Caymanians, Dow spent his early years in school here and then furthered his education and broadened his skills overseas. It is impossible to become an Olympic alpine skier while being based in Cayman. Indeed it is very, very difficult to achieve international athletic standing in any discipline without training and competing overseas. So we should wholeheartedly encourage and support all Caymanians (and their families) who make the commitment to and are able to compete at this top level.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Cool runnings!!!

  14. Anonymous says:

    ! Cydonie ! … Bret … Shaun … Seiji … Cuffy … Kareem … the Nalty siblings … Andrew (Special Olympian) … the list goes on and on!

    Excuse me folks – but we have MANY Caymanian athletes that are "giving us something to be proud of at the moment!"

    GTFOH with that crap!

    My issue is that hardly any Caymanians know of even the very existence of this particular "Caymanian Winter Olympian"! That simply does not sit well with me. (I don’t give a rat’s behind who his father may be or "what he did for this country" – he obviously didn’t feel the people of this nation worthy enough with whom to share his "Caymanian" family, did he?)

    Sadly, we will see more and more of this in the coming years as there is clearly a growing sector of the community that for whatever reason(s) has not / does not / and will not fully integrate within this society. Regardless of this fact, at times like these we are expected to praise their name on high?

    Sorry – not I.

    This whole thing simply reeks of yet another gimmick in which the privileged masses love to bask. (Sort of like the vast teams of expat dog walkers busily mounting their "key employee" points. Request many of them to tend to our aged, our sick or even under-privileged kids abiding in the less than pristine communities of the country and you will see them running for the hills! Amazing how the number of "humane" organisations, personnel and funding that cater to abused animals has increased step in step with the growing number of expats in our community – meanwhile, the (real) human Caymanian families are falling apart due to the coinciding economic pressures – isn’t it?)

    I am sure that I will be accused of using "divisive" language – and to that I will again say: we do not know this individual – not now and not before. It appears that the forces surrounding him made a point of "dividing" him from the local masses – no?

    I am a Caymanian that attended school and became best of friends with the offspring of some of the wealthiest Caymanian families. We grew up, threw birthday parties, sat around the dinner table, rode bicycles etc. with each other – that to me is the spirit of a Caymanian.

    My overall message is to those of you who may, either consciously or inadvertently, be of the "exclusive club" – you are doing all of us a great disservice with your typical approach to your fellow countrymen.

    The proof is right here for all to see.

    The Cayman Islands does not know its Winter Olympian.

    • What A Traversty says:

      I wouldn’t worry your little head about it. You can bet your ass, that in true CIOC fashion, there will be plenty of "True Caymanians" in the entourage, tagging along, looking to pick up a little credit here and there.

      You might want to check your list again too, I see a couple "Jaicans" and at least one "Trini" on there.

    • Anonymous says:

      Isn’t it fascinating, Tuesday 11:22 that nearly all the persons you mention in your first paragraph-all worthy athletes and God bless ’em-have at least one non born Caymanian parent? So sad we are encouraged by your kind of attitude to point out things like that but ..ah so it go.

      • Anon83 says:

        I wonder myself, why is it that the previous poster neglected to include the young Ronald Forbes (fully and absolutely Caymanian by birth lineage and all the other possible ways).

      • Anonymous says:

        See Laurice Frazer’s post above

    • noname says:

      You Need Help!!!!!

      Call 911now!

    • Anonymous says:

      "I  am a Caymanian that attended school and became best of friends with the offspring of some of the wealthiest Caymanian families. We grew up, threw birthday parties, sat around the dinner table, rode bicycles etc. with each other – that to me is the spirit of a Caymanian"

      Sounds like they succeeded and you didn’t. The failure of your life is no ones fault but your own.

      Point the finger at yourself and get up and do something about it.

       

    • Really Angry Mother says:

      The population of the Cayman Islands is 55,000 or so and out of that, perhaps 25,000 to 30,000 are Caymanian, depending on your definition of the word. So unless you know every single "Caymanian", what you actually mean when you say "The Cayman Islands does not know its Winter Olympian" is that you do not know him. He went to school here so obviously he knows people HIS OWN AGE.

      What I want to know is, if my children who were born here, raised here and have Cayman parentage on their father’s side, but I’d be willing to bet you have never heard of, excel at something, are you going to say that they too are not "Caymanian" enough to represent you because you personally don’t know them and therefore assume that they have not integrated into the community? Who made you god?

      You have probably not heard of this young man because his chosen sport is skiing – not too many local competitions are there? How about the kids who compete in horse jumping internationally? I bet they go to private schools too and hang out with their own friends (not yours) and you wouldn’t know them if you fell over them, except they have a last name you recognise so that’s OK then, isn’t it? All those athletes you listed, would you know each one of them personally if they weren’t great at sports and have been featured in the sports pages of local papers?

      Do you know each and every teenager in these islands? Do Caymanian teenagers hang out in backyards and gossip like you do? You know, like "integrate"?

      What a selfish stupid bad-minded hypocrit you are! What is it really that you don’t like about him? Tell the truth now.

      • Annoyed Caymanian says:

        Dear Really Angry Mother,

         

        I agree with you 100%! What is all this nonsense about "paper caymanians" and "real caymanians"?

        If one cannot accept people who move to different countries and become people of that nation (who care about and respect the culture and nation)- then they are racists.(Note definition of racism: the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races)

        ALL Caymanians originated from countries other than Cayman- does it really matter how long ago that was???

        This is a young man with real ambition and talent! That is what we should be celebrating here! I applaud young men like Dow who have the courage, strength and dedication to follow their dreams and are not sitting in their backyards plotting the next bank robbery here! (I am not implying anything about heritage in connection with this!)

        As to this "Cayman doesn’t know him" nonsense: Really??? Do you know EVERY Caymanian? Are only those who you personally know Caymanians?? (*Shakes head and sighs*) Do you think think every single Olympic player of a certain nation is known personally by every member of that nation- should Dow come and visit every home in Cayman to introduce himself? Dow is representing us and just beecause YOU don’t know him does not make him "uncaymanian"- if you really want to know him I suggest you send him an email and meet up some time. Please don’t be so bitter just because you are jealous.

        Dow has my full support and I hope that those few Caymanians who believe that your last name, or skin colour determines your value as a Caymanian will one day wake up and realise that what truly matters is the intentions of the heart of a person not their name or colour!

        I will celebrate Dow and my other fellow Caymanians who are following their dreams and achieving honorable goals, whatever those may be.

        GOOD LUCK DOW!!

    • Anonymous says:

      I wouldn’t say you are divisive. I would say you are all that is wrong with Cayman. Unless you are in the minority of voters Cayman has no future in this world.

  15. OG says:

     Good luck man…..stay positive and bring back home that gold 

  16. Anonymous says:

    Good luck Dow, I’m sure whatever the outcome 2 things will happen

    1 – You will have an experience which will last a lifetime

    2- The people of this island will moan about whatever you do, they don’t deserve you.

  17. Definatley not caymanian says:

     Dow gained a place in the Olympics without "taking" anything from the island. So no matter what he is raising the Cayman Islands profile almost for free. Probably not such a bad thing. Don’t judge him unless/until he makes a complete arse of himself at the games.

    • Anonymous says:

      are you sure you’re not caymanian? you spell like one.

      • Definatley not caymanian says:

        No. And you will find my spelling is perfect english. Prseumably you are 1) the caymanian you were criticising me of; or 2) american, in which case I have no more to say.

        • Doh!!! says:

          "PRSEUMABLY"  

          Your perfect English (capital E) is at a loss… 

          You even screwed up your own name "DEFINATLEY"???

          Oh boy – back to school…

  18. Twyla Vargas says:

    Young Travers is the son of Tony Travers, "Cayman Tycoon", the man with the plan, who is always out on a limb trying to save Cayman financial face.

    Been here so long,.even my grand mother knew him.

    Give youngTravers your support he is one of us.

  19. Dow Travers says:

    Thank you all for your Kind Wishes. It is a great Honour to be able to represent my country in the Winter Olympics and showcase to the world what we as a small nation can do when we set our sights to it.

    My parents met in Cayman and later married in Cayman. I was born in Cayman to a Caymanian father. I grew up in Cayman, I went to school in Cayman, and I will throw my skis down the hill with malicious intent for Cayman!

    Cayman has and always will be my home, and I am very proud to fly our flag at these games.

    Dow Travers

    • A Concerned Caymanian says:

      Well said and congratulations!  I wish you the best and continue to make our country proud!  I must admit I have only heard of you now and wish we could know more about our latest Caymanian Olympian.

    • Bridgette Manville says:

      Thank You Dow, well spoken like a true Caymanian!

      Prejudice & Ignorance goes hand in hand….Stay true to who you are & trust that you have many who are in admiration of your plight, and yes indeed we are PROUD to have you represent your country & ours "The Beloved Cayman Islands".

      Good LUCK and all the Best DOW.

    • Anonymous says:

      Congratulations Dow.  Raise our flag high.  We are proud of you representing the Cayman Islands.

      From a 11th generation Caymanian

  20. Anonymous says:

    Say wha?!

    "Positive news…?!"

    "…we should be happy…?!"

    Ummm – hello, but just about every poster here has acknowledged that they know not the showcased individual.

    Furthermore, he is COMPETING in the WINTER OLYMPICS!! Do I have to point out the thousands of accumulated hours, days, weeks, months and years on the snowy slopes it requires to hit the qualifying mark for such an ‘achievement’?

    Guess what? Said experience can NOT be gained by living in or spending a great deal of time in the Cayman Islands. Furthermore, I am willing to bet next month’s salary that he failed to qualify for the olympic team of whatever nation in which he has been ‘training’ – thus … (voila!) – Cayman has its first Winter Olympian!

    Sure this makes for a great little talking point for the international media front, however, let us all keep it real for just a moment please.

    Again, I wish the young man luck in his efforts – but please … save the violin for a moment truly worthy of its melody.

    (Seems to be yet another example of paper citizenship run amock.)

    P.S. I know I shouldn’t be so hard on the young fella but … welcome to the real world son!

    We don’t pet nor’ powder ya’ at all roun’ ya bredrin’ – we calls’ ya’ out!

    :o)

    Ski hard – Jah Bless!

    • Anonymous says:

      Dear naive, ignorant and idiotiic writer of this comment,

       

      Get off your high horse!

      I bet you have not brought any sort of benefit to our Islands!

      What is being part of any nation (i.e. Caymanian) if it is not that your heart belongs there, that you care about your community, your resources and do your part to benefit your nation.

      He may be a "paper caymanian" but you are ignorant.

       

      Jealousy I suppose.

       

      Get over it!

    • Anonymous says:

      You lose .Please take your entire $200 monthly paycheck to CNS for credit to the Cayman Islands ski team which has exclusive FIS accreditation for all its registered althletes at international ski events including the World Championships and the Olympics. Dow Travers was registered at 16 years of age and is required to represent the Cayman Islands exclusively. 

    • Commons Sense 101 says:

      As a Caymanian, I can only hang my head in shame when I read ignorant comments such as this one. We have had our share of negative news lately and it really angers me that idiots like this one still finds the time to comment  negatively on something that is so positive for Cayman. 

      We should all be proud of Dow regardless of his family background.

      I have always been athletic and played football at the highest level locally including representing Cayman internationally. I can therefore appreciate the dedication and long hard hours training that Dow must have invested to get to this point.

      The fact that there are a majority of well wishers posted here gives me some sense satistfaction.

      I don’t know you DOW, but I wish you nothing but success and hope that we get a chance to see you on TV.

      A West Bayer!

    • Anonymous says:

      Dow says he was born in Cayman to a Caymanian father.  Not good enough for you?  Twyla says "Been here so long,.even my grand mother knew him."  Not good enough for you?  Didn’t live or spend a great deal of time in Cayman?  Then, shouldn’t all those men who famously went to sea be removed from being considered true Caymanians since they were not living or spending a great deal of time in Cayman?  I don’t think so.

      Why can’t you be proud of Cayman and supportive of this young man? You are one of the crabs in the parable about the bucket of crabs.  You know the one:  put one crab in a bucket and it’ll get out.  Put two or more crabs in a bucket and none will get out because every crab that almost makes it is pulled back down to the bottom of the bucket.  A Cayman crab.  Why are there so many of you?  

  21. Anonymous says:

    I don’t know this young man but wish him the best of luck and feel proud to have him represent the Cayman Islands at the Winter Olympics. He is an inspiration for other young people and as a community we should not be looking at where he came from but where he is at, that is here the Cayman Islands.

    Guess many of you have forgotten a young lady by the name of Tanya Streeter who was willing to represent the Cayman Islands albeit under different circumstances. Anyone heard from her lately or knows if she still thinks of this as her home or herself as a Caymanian?? Hum i wonder why!

    We are one people within three islands, why is it so hard to see that instead of Caymanians vs Expats /us vs them?  With all the negativity in the blogs one can only guess what is being said in homes in front of kids!

  22. Anonymous says:

    Dow has Caymanian Status and grew up here.Attended Cayman Prep and High School. Let’s be positive Cayman and support him. This is something good for Cayman. Well done Dow I will be cheering you down the slope!!!

  23. Shock and Awe says:

    I sincerely wish him all the best in the competitions.  You go!   Dow?  Mr. Travers…his middle name isn’t Jones is it?  Tell me it isn’t.

  24. Anonymous says:

    First we had Eddy the Eagle now we have Travers the Turtle

    Ten out of ten for giving it a go. Good luck and Gods speed

  25. noname says:

    Who the hell is Dow Travers?!

    Oh…lemme guess – judging by the name, he is one of our "Caymanian nationals" that for some odd reason is only known by the "Caymanians" (also largely unknown for the most part) within his inner circle huh?

    I know I’ll be lambasted for this post but it has to be said and the majorty of the clickers are thinking the very same thing.

    Some may point to socio-economic divisions as the reason, however, I know many a Kirkconnel, Hislop, McTaggert, Bodden that are household names.

    Ok then … well, good luck dude!

    CNS: You don’t think his father, Anthony, has made Travers a household name?

    • Anon says:

      His brother’s name is Nasdeq…

      • Slaymanian says:

        And he has a sister – Pink Sheets (TRAV.PK) – always frowned upon…  But if she can get her 50-day average above $5, she might get back into the big leagues…

        Go DOW!!!  We need some good news!!

        (Can anyone else imagine the average poster trying to figure this one oue – http://www.google.com &"pink sheets" – THEN chat back…)

    • Down to Earth says:

      Hosehold name? Didn’t that same Anthony Travers live so many years in somewhere like Hong Kong and I am sure he is not an indeginous Caymanian but just came here when the going was good!

      Sorry but I don’t know him as a Caymanian to represent us in the Olympics – just my view as a many generations Caymanian!

      • Don't 4get Me! says:

        Here we go…

        You should be pleased that there’s some semblance of positive news being reported on Cayman. 

        Don’t think I’ve ever heard of the guy but I’m sure he must at least be a resident here.  It really is true that Caymanians can’t get ahead for tying to drag each other down.

        If he’s willing to represent Cayman where others don’t have a shot then you should be willing to call him Caymanian, it’s not takng anything from you.  

        • EastSider says:

          I think a lot of folks on here choose to have some very biased opinions on certain things.  I agree with you on the fact that it is a good thing that Mr Travers will be representing Cayman in the Winter Olympics and wonder if a lot of people forgot when a certain homegrown athlete chose to represent the US instead of Cayman.  Following is a quote from "Track & Field".

          In 1993, Streete-Thompson decided to change his affiliation from the Caymans to the U.S.

          • Anonymous says:

            That American born athlete chose to compete for Cayman once he could not get into the US team. . . .

            • Anonymous says:

              Which American born athlete are you refering to ?  If you mean Mr. Streete-Thompson then please tell me what constitutes an American or a Caymanian ?  Mr. Travers was born in Cayman of ex-pat parents but has spent his entire life here which to me makes him a Caymanian.   I have a child who was born in Miami but both parents are Caymanians and he has spent his entire life in Cayman.  Do you really think he is an American ?  Yes, he might have a US Passport but his roots are here and even if Mr Travers parents are not born Caymanian his entire life is here which makes him a Caymanian.  Why can’t some of you just be proud to see somthing good happening to someone here ?  As for Cydonnie, she is an excellent athlete and has represented Cayman many times but guess what !  She is a born Jamaican who spent her entire life here so pray tell me, what is she ?????

              • Anonymous says:

                Bizarre – Cayman,  the place where it used to be said "the population is 20% black, 20% white,  and the rest neither know nor care."

                Now, it seems, a vocal ( I hope) minority  seem to accept foreigners with status as true Caymanians provided they are black, but born Caymanians as expatriates, because they are white.

                Mac, sounds increasingly like Jamaica circa 1973 out there. Please get them to stop.

                 

                Meanwhile, Go Dow!

                 

                • Anonymous says:

                  Ah, the politics of race. Well done Mac, you saw it used to screw up our neighbours and now it seems you are importing it her. What duty do we get to charge when you push it through customs?

        • Anonymous says:

          Dear Don’t 4get Me,

          please tell me you do not actually believe that this is actually a Caymanian (and when I say Caymanian I mean whether born, naturalized etc, etc. it’s all the same to the majority of us) saying these things? 

          If you do, you are sadly mistaken, we are happy and proud of Dow and his dad as well, they are one of our own, they have embraced this country and we have embraced them in turn – that is how we are my friend.

          So just ignore the rabble rousers and troublemakers out there, they will get tired sooner or later of their pathetic attempts to cause further discord between the expat and caymanian population,and hopefully move on to more productive task and get over whatever gripe they have.

           

           

      • Anonymous says:

         

        I fully agree!

        From now on, only those with a truly Caymanian name should be allowed to represent us.  

        Also, they need to provide evidence that they evolved from indigenous Caymanian turtles.

    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t know young Mr Travers (but I have heard of his father) but just want to wish him all the best since he will be representing my country.Incidentallly there are a large number of Caymanians that I dont know for whatever reason but that does not make them less of a Caymanian.A suggestion for Dow and the Olympic Committee:after the games perhaps you could make an effort to  introduce Dow to the Caymanian public>This could be something as simple as having him meet and greet people outside a major supermarket or at a sporting event.Just a thought.

    • Anonymous says:

      This post provided absolute proof that the part of the horse that goes over the fence last has an opinion.

    • McExpat says:

      Lovely, when I read post like this I know why Cayman needed an influx of fresh blood from all over the world.

      This 20th generation Caymanian (a massive assumption) obviously has been exposed to too much inbreeding and has a chip on his shoulder if someone other than him and his kind don’t get anywhere. Is it not good enough that Mr. Travers has spent many years here, working hard and uplifting Cayman? You complain about paper Caymanians. You complain about 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation. So when is someone a true Caymanian? Only when they can’t tell their aunties and uncles from their brothers and sister?

      Don’t fret my friend, you can read all about your Boddens’, and Ebanks’ in the crime section.

      To the 20% (very generous %) decent Caymanians out there, get rid of scum like this, they give you a bad name.

      O and I won’t let the door hit me on the way out. At least I have the brain capacity and skills to make it somewhere else.

      Now back to harrasing your sister/mom.

      • A Concerned Caymanian says:

        Are you calling Caymanians idiots for being proud that they can trace their heritage for many generations?  Then you state that we only 20% of our people are decent.  Well I hope the door hits you really hard on your way out as you are being very ignorant and mean spirited.  Sounds like someone who didn’t get the permanent residency they applied for and is now bitter.  It does not matter if you can trace you lineage back to1 generation or 20 generations.  What matters most is that you accept our culture, our people and be PROUD to be Caymanian!  If you only identify with us when it is convenient then you are NOT a true Caymanian even if you were born on these islands.

    • Anonymous says:

       I Googled Anthony Travers and he seems to have been responsible for bringing a lot of wealth to the Islands  – go to the website below:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Travers

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Look if you are jealous how abotu you buy some skiing equiptment and start practicing. IDIOT!

    • Anonymous says:

      When the moderator calls you out….you know your argument is weak!

  26. Mozzie Fodder says:

    This reminds me of the film "Cool Runnings" about the Jamaican bobsleigh team!! Good luck to the man!

  27. Anonymous says:

    Go Cayman!

    Well done to this young man who is giving a positive representation of us overseas!

    I and my family will be watching and cheering for you – all the way

  28. Anthony Montana says:

    Good job Dow.

  29. Kerry Horek says:

    Well done!! This young man is doing our country a great favour right now, with all the negativity going on it is such a breath of fresh air to see how far he has come in his pursuit to the Olympics and carrying the name of our country with him.

    THank you Dow Travers, I am praying for your success in the winter games and may God continue to bless you.

     

  30. Anonymous says:

    Any "Good News" about or for the Cayman Islands today is most appreciated. God knows, we have been given a "bad rap’ over these past 3-4 years with everything you can think about, so this is good publicity and in the right direction.

  31. Anonymous says:

    This is the kind of news we need to be highlighting more. I don’t know who this person is but I think that is great! Keep up the good work!

  32. CaymanLover says:

    Best of luck DT, will be cheering you on all the way!  Its great to see our athletes doing so well.  We should really have posters and billboards up all over to show our solidarity and support for athletes who as we see here are actually pioneers as well!