Sports
CIOC sends 6 athletes and young reporter to China
(CNS): Jamal Walton, Pearl Morgan, Polly Serpell Morgan Llyod, Florence Allan and Pablo Bertan will be flying the flag for the Cayman Islands when they compete for their country at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China next month. The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee which has just dispatched its largest even number of athletes to the commonwealth games in Glasgow said this youth team is twice the size of the team that represented Cayman at the 2010 as the level of local sports go from strength to strength. The games begin on 16 August and the athletes will compete in athletics, equestrian, gymnastics and sailing.
In athletics, Jamal Walton and Pearl Morgan compete in the 400 m and 200 m respectively while Rider, Polly Serpell will jump in the individual competition and Morgan Llyod, the youngest athlete at 15, will participate in the individual all-around gymnastics. The sailors, Florence Allan and Pablo Bertan will compete in the one person dingy.
Meanwhile, Jade Webster, a young journalist, has been selected to participate in the Young Reporters Programme for the games. Webster, representing the Americas, is one of 31 young people around the world selected to participate in the programme. The Young Reporters were selected by the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees through a rigorous selection process. Representing each of the five continents, they are between the ages of 18 and 24.
Cayman's athletes will be in action from August 18, with Equestrian first up. All athletes and officials will be traveling to Nanjing early next month in time for the opening ceremony, which is scheduled to take place at 8:00 pm Beijing time, (7 am Cayman time) on 16 August at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre stadium. The team will attend all cultural and education programs until the closing ceremony on August 28th.
Swimmer Lauren Hew will not be attending the Youth Olympic Games, as she has not been selected by FINA, swimming's governing body. Hew achieved the B qualifying time standard in the 50m backstroke at the CARIFTA games earlier this year; however, with the large number of athletes that achieved A qualification times, this limits the number of B qualified athletes that can compete.
Butler opens for team CI, Fraser makes fly semis
(CNS): Geoffrey Butler opened Team Cayman's Commonwealth games participation on Thursday morning in Glasgow. Although Butler didn't qualify for the final in his heat with a time of just 4.06.78 in the mens 400m freestyle, Brett Fraser was second in his 50m butterfly heat securing a place in the semis this evening with a time of 24: 01. The swimmers were the first athletes to compete from a team of 27 sportsmen and women who were led into the Celtic Stadium on Wednesday evening my Cayman's veteran cyclist Michele Smith. Cayman will be pinning its hopes of medals on its track and field stars as well as the swimmers who are also eyeing the Scottish games podium.
Laura Butler clocked up a time of 1:05:69 to come home 7th in her 50m butterfly heat while Alex McCallum was well off the pace in the mens 100m backstroke heats with a time of 1:01:22. The Butlers will also be looking to improve their rankings as they continue the competition this week.
Almost 5000 athletes from 71 nations took part in the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening which was broadcast to over a billion viewers across the commonwealth. A truly Scottish affair with shortbread, tartan, the Loch Ness monster and of course Rod Stewart the weather was the biggest surprise for the athletes as Glasgow basked in glorious sunshine.
For more on the Commonwealth Games and Team Cayman log on to http://www.glasgow2014.com or the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee Facebookpage.
Wild Stallions start excellent touch adventure
(CTA): The first round of the Miller Lite Men’s Touch League started with a high octane round of games at the Camana Bay field. The four teams (Stallions, Raptors, Samurais and Wolverines) may sound like made-up street gangs that never made the final edit of “West Side Story” but make no mistake – these guys mean business and can cut through any defence like a switchblade between the ribs. It was a good night for the STALLIONS, captained by Ian Smith, who started their campaign with two wins out of two. In their first game they took on and defeated the RAPTORS 5-4.
The tries were spread around the team with one a-piece for Nic Swartz, Ian Smith, Jason Scarff, Kent Pearce, and Shaun Hardcastle. The STALLIONS are a mix of experience and novice and Smith was particularly pleased with his newbies contributions. Whilst one knows what you get from those who have lived and loved in the Touch sporting arena it is the performances those who are treading on virgin territory that are often the most pleasing.
Nathan Stubing played well and should have scored with his first touch of the ball only to put it down just shy of the try-line. No score – a tough start but a valuable lesson. In this league there are no soft decisions for inexperience. Kent Pearce, another newbie, never stopped running all night. Like a cross between the Duracell Bunny and a kitten chasing a laser-pointer he hunted the ball down all over the pitch. At one point he collided into teammate Swartz with the equivalent of a “Glaswegian Kiss” and had to leave the field seeing stars. It was a tough night too for Smith who, whilst diving to score his try past the despairing lunge of Riley Mullen, popped his shoulder on landing and the dislocation was there for all to see. Smith however, like a biscuit that has been left in the tin too long, is a tough cookie and played on in spite of the pain.
The RAPTORS kept the game alive and will be disappointed not to have got something out of the match. Their scores came through the marauding Caledonian hordes of Iain Currie, Scott MacDonald and Robbie True. Ransacking the STALLIONS try-line like dodgy extras from the movie Braveheart, Robbie “So” True delivered two hefty blows, with Currie and MacDonald one each.
The SAMURAIS played out an excellent 3-3 draw with WOLVERINES. The SAMURAIS have a couple of early season injuries, notably to Captain Neal Ainscow, and the fleet-footed Andy Childe but, led by Morgan Shelver they delivered on the day. Charles Moore showed great experience, especially in defence, and with Andrew Barker providing some genuine gas and Tom Berry being strong in the wing position they proved very hard to score against.
For WOLVERINES, the relentless Neil Montgomery led from the front with his signature jack-knifing switch play and coupled with Rudolf Weder and Dave Acutt they were always threatening in attack. These three are more in harmony than The Bee Gees and judging by Acutt’s new beard he sees himself as the Barry Gibb of the trio! Special mention must go to Dave White who showed fantastic hands on the wing to score; and to Dan Fitton who was like an un-circumnavigable colossus on the wing.
In the second round of matches, RAPTORS proved too strong for WOLVERINES with a standout performance by Nick Ebanks. His two tries have announced his entry into the Touch world and other teams better take note that this guy has some serious moves. Riley Mullen added two excellent scores, whilst Marc Randall and Robbie True added one each. Montgomery and Acutt (2) kept WOLVERINES hopeful but ultimately it was a stretch too far losing 6-3.
In the final game STALLIONS edged a tough contest against SAMURAIS 6-5. Jason Scarff was outstanding in defence and also nicked a try. Nathan Stubing scored his first Touch try and Ian Smith, Shaun Hardcastle and Nic Swartz (2) also scored. For SAMURAIS Andrew “Kanye” West put in a real shift scoring three important tries, with Andrew Barker and Morgan Shelver getting the extras.
Local athletes eye Glasgow podium
(CNS): With the largest team that the Cayman Islands has ever sent to the Commonwealth Games, the 27 athletes will be hoping to bring back more than a Tam o'Shanter from their Scottish fling. Track star Cydonie Mothersill won Cayman’s first and only gold medal at the 2010 Gamesin Delhi but this time around all eyes will be on Ronald Forbes, David Hamil, Tyrell Cuffy, Troy Long, Carl Morgan, Carlos Morgan and Ashleigh Nalty and Kemar Hyman to bring back the sporting 'bling'. The international competition starts with the opening ceremony in Glasgow Wednesday evening (2pm local time), with the games starting on Thursday morning.
The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee said that Hyman should be considered a medal favourite when the sprinter takes to the track as his preparation for his races has been very technical.
"His coach is well aware of what Hyman’s true potential can be leading up to a race. His determination now is nothing like before, and if he stays focused, not only will he be one of the top contenders but also he will be the favorite to win," the committee said.
Ronald Forbes, Cayman's sprint hurdler, will also be looking to do a better job than his sixth place in the final in India with an eye on the podium, and long jumper Carl Morgan, who was down in 14th place in 2010, will also want to make a better impression on the rankings.
As well as the track and field stars, Cayman's athletes will be competing in the pool, the boxing ring, the shooting range the squash court and for the first tie in the gymnastic arena.
Myron Blair, Eilidh Bridgeman, Julian Jervis, Daniel Murphy, Cameron Stafford and Marlene West will be competing in squash, while Geoffrey Butler, Lara Butler, David Ebanks, Brett Fraser, Lauren Hew and Alex McCallum are the swimmers. Christopher Jackson, Edison McLean and Andrew Schirn form the shooting team. Boxer Tafari Ebanks and cyclist Michele Smith will be going it alone in their respective sporting disciplines for Cayman.
Finally, young Bethany Dikau (17) is the first Cayman gymnast to compete at the games and she will be competing on all four pieces of apparatus in the women's competition. The swimmers will be the first athletes going for Commonwealth glory, with Geoffrey Butler opening things up for the Cayman team in the pool for the men’s 400 meter heats.
Alongside the athletes and trainers, Governor Helen Kilpatrick and Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden and the chief officer in his ministry will be going along too.
Meanwhile, the team will also be armed with what usually prove to be some of the most popular pins at international games. The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Game pins for the Cayman Team were designed by Jamie Doak and are in the shape of a turtle wearing tartan.
The Olympic committee, which commissioned the pins, said they were happy to support local artists.
"We have very limited numbers and with all Games pins, they are available for sale at $5.00 locally or US$10 plus the cost of shipping if you are overseas. All funds raised go back into the development of sport and athlete preparation in the Cayman Islands," they explained.
Pins are available from the committee for $5 each for more information contact cioc2@candw.ky
For more information on the teams visit http://www.caymanolympic.org.ky and for more on the whole games go to http://www.glasgow2014.com
Academy wins Schwan USA Cup
(ASC): Academy Sports Club won the U13 Silver championship at the Schwan USA Cup in Minnesota last Saturday. The local club, which is well known for its focus on youth football, participated in the Schwan USA Cup with two teams in the U11 and U13 age groups.
“Both teams did extraordinarily well”, said Coach Paul Byles. “Our U11s won their group with one of the best defensive records in their age group, and made it to thesemi finals and our U13s won their group without conceding a goal and eventually the U13 Silver Championship”.
Byles said that both teams trained hard for several months and dealt with their challenges well. During the competition, both teams had tough quarter final matches withthe U11s winning on penalties and the U13s winning a very physical game by a 2-1 margin. The U13s eventually won their Championship match against Boca Juniors, a good Mexican team, by a 2-nil margin.
Academy took 27 players and had the support of 18 parents on the trip. The club stressed that they were not only representing Academy but also the Cayman Islands as there are many international teams at the event.
“Whenever we travel as a club we are very well aware that we are also representing our country and this is something that we always reinforce with the players. We always take a lot of pride in being able to show the world that the Cayman Islands has a lot of great young football talent”, he added.
Byles added that the Schwan Cup is also a great experience generally for the players.
“The nature of the tournament is that there are many teams from different age groups, with thousands of youth footballers in a huge facility. When you have that it creates a very exciting atmosphere for the players as they get to meet people from all over the world.”
The Schwan Cup is thought to be the largest youth tournament in the world; the event showcases more than 1,016 teams and 14,000 soccer players from over 17 states and 17 countries. All games are played at the National Sports Center, certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest soccer complex on earth.
CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President Mr Jeff Webb said, “Congratulations to the Academy team on their success at the Schwan Cup in Minnesota. Once again Academy has been a wonderful representative for our country on the regional stage and we look forward to more success from them in the future.”
Virgil Seymour Head Coach at Academy said “ we are very proud to see the fruits of the hard work of these teams which represents the youngest players at our club. This is how you build a good football program, from the bottom up and we are happy to see some success with our general approach.” On behalf of our Board of Directors and the entire Academy family I wish to congratulate Coach Paul Byles for doing an excellent job again with these teams.”
“This year’s U11 team consists of the same players which made it to the U10 finals at the Disney Youth Cup last year, so we can see that there is a consistent performance from these youngsters a year later”, said Mr. Byles.
Byles said the players are still very excited and already talking about where they will compete internationally next year, but everyone will now take a well deserved rest before pre season training for the local CIFA leagues.
Academy U13s also won both the FA Cup and league titles in the CIFA league this season and the U12 team which included primarily the U11 players that went to Minnesota also had a great local season as they won both of CIFA’s U12 Rallies.
Academy also thanked the team managers, assistant coaches, parents and corporate sponsors for their support.
Youth sailors fly the flag in BVI
(CISC): The Cayman Islands Youth sailing team returned yesterday from a very successful showing at the Premier’s Cup regatta in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. They took silver medals in the regatta along with the Maxwell “Mackie” Simmons award for the team displaying the best sportsmanship. The BVI team took advantage of their local knowledge and sailed well to lift the trophy but our sailors beat out strong competition from Anguilla and Antigua to take second place. The Premier’s Cup, now in its 16th year, has welcomed hundreds of enthusiastic young sailors from across the Caribbean and the wider world.
Competitors have enjoyed competing in the beautiful sailing waters of the Virgin Islands while fostering excellent camaraderie amongst themselves.This regatta allows young adults to come together regardless of their background to compete in their chosen sport, while also allowing for personal development within sailing.
“The team sailed really well and had a great time interacting with kids their own age from other islands” explained Coach Kelvin Brown. “Two years ago we were placed 6th but the team is a little older and a lot wiser now so it was good to see them make so much progress. We would like to say a big thank you to the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman and Deutsche bank who helped out with the cost of the travel to BVI”.
The team of 6 were sailing a 24’ one design boat similar to the J22 that they sail here in Cayman. Pablo Bertran and Florence Allan are now looking forward to travelling to China next month to represent Cayman in the Youth Olympic Games whilst Jesse Jackson and Andres McDermot are hoping to represent Cayman at the Central American and Caribbean games in Mexico in November. Allena Rankine and James Allen completed the team.
Club Manager Rick Caley explained “this group of sailors are having an amazing year and are making their mark wherever they go. With their hard work and the dedicated coaching of our Instructors, along with the generous support of our sponsors, they are excellent ambassadors for Cayman”.
Local footballer needs Facebook votes for big break
(CNS): Local footballer Jiffon Robinson is battling for a chance to play with one of the most famous football clubs in the world in a Facebook contest. With three spots left at the Digicel Kickstart Academy to be held in Barbados in October with Chelsea FC, local players battled to represent the Cayman Islands. Coaches from Chelsea announced at the weekend that Zachary Scott, Tevin Crawford and Kameron D’hue were selected out of 30 of the top players in Cayman who participated in the clinics. Jiffon was selected as the ‘wild card’ and dubbed the ‘fastest footballer in Cayman’ but only three out of 14 wild cards get to go to the academy in October.
A fourth player has been selected as a wild card from each of the 14 participating countries which hosted the Kick Start Clinics. Out of those only three can attend the Digicel Academy by winning a spot based on fan votes in a competition launched on Facebook called “Pick Three”.
James Wynne, Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship, said the firm was proud to see the unearthing of aspiring young footballing talent across the region
“With only three spots left for players to attend the Digicel Academy, the Chelsea FC Foundation coaches have selected 14 wild cards who each possess the talent required to impress at the Academy,” he said. “Every year the selections of the wild card pick becomes harder due to the amazing talent that these young players display and so this year we decided that each of the 14 wild card picks should earn their spot through the support of their friends, fans and family by getting their votes through the Digicel Kick Start Facebook competition.”
While Jiffon didn’t earn one of the top three spaces, he still has a fighting chance to go through to the Digicel Kick Start Academy with the “Pick Three” competition.
A dynamic midfielder and member of local Academy Sports Club, he has posted an eye-catching YouTube video showcasing his footballing skills for anyone who may be curious of his talent. Dubbed the “fastest footballer” by Chelsea FC Foundation Senior International Football Development Officer, David Monk, Jiffon is set on winning a spot in Barbados. Jiffon is asking everyone in the Cayman Islands who has access to a Facebook page, to vote for his video in the Pick Three competition. Voting closes at 5pm on 24 July.
How to Vote: Visit www.facebook.com/digicelcayman, LIKE the page then find the voting link on the page and click to VOTE. At 11-30am Tuesday Jiffon had the second highest number of votes and remained in with a chance to get one of the places.
Footbal fever at W.Bay summer camp
(CNS): Over 50 young people, from six to 17 years of age were enjoying football fever last week at sports department summer camp in West Bay. Against the backdrop of the World Cup the young footballers were trained under Coach Roy “Huta” Ebanks, and other coaches. As well as physical workouts, the boys and girls learned basic techniques including dribbling and juggling, while also enjoying football-related competitions, including mixed-team scrimmages.Younger participants also had a unique opportunity to train alongside players from teams such as Scholars, Elite and Future, as well as several members of the junior national teams.
The players also received wider training in the area of social development, including a talk by Youth Services Unit representative James Myles.
For more information on Department of Sports summer camps contact 949 7082
‘Baywatch’ comes to Cayman at summer camp
(CNS): The Lions Aquatic Centre in George Town has turned into a Baywatch-style training camp this week as it begins its first ever Junior Lifeguard Training in the Cayman Islands. A group of 25 young people aged between 10 and 15 are taking part in the specialist camp attending half-day daily sessions, when they are put through drills and receive instruction at the pool, as well as going to Seven Mile Beach for seaside training outings. Most of the youngsters at the camp are already keen watersports enthusiasts, either as members of the facility’s Stingray Swim Club or as participants in the Learn to Swim programme. Taking a leaf out of the famous TV show, the kids will soon be qualified to come to the rescue of people who find themselves in trouble in the water.
Senior Swim Instructor Ryan Mushin and three other coaches began with team building exercises and safety instruction for the young swimmers before putting the class through its rescue paces in areas such as stroke-styles, lap-swimming and basic life-saving techniques for pool or open-water.
The local Red Cross provided the training materials, and the young lifeguards to-be are being encouraged to continue their training with Red Cross certification classes in CPR and other areas.
Snacks were donated by Progressive Distributors and watersports operators lent paddleboards and other equipment for use in open-water sessions.
Another Lifeguard Training Class session will be held next week and parents or students are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The cost is $25 for the entire week.
MacRae leads globetrotting Stingray Swimmers
(SSC): Stingray swimmers wrapped up the 2013-2014 Swim Season with members competing in swim meets aroundthe globe: from Bridgetown, Barbados (Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships) to Aberdeen, Scotland (Scottish National Age Group Championships); to Sarasota, Florida (Shark Open) and St Petersburg, Florida (SPA Invitational). Catriona MacRae and Katie Klein represented the Cayman Islands at the CISC Open Water Swimming Championship in both the 5k and 10k events in Barbados. MacRae finished 4th overall in the 5k while Klein came close behind in 6th place.
Catriona shone brightest though in the 10k event where she finished 2nd overall and captured the gold medal for the 14-17 age group. The two also competed in the pool, where they were joined by Stingray Swim Club (SSC) Teammates Matthew and Chris Courtis who swim for Barbados. The Courtis brothers both swam incredibly well, with Matthew securing five podium finishes … one of which was Gold in 200 Fly; and Chris coming in just behind his brother with four podium finishes.
SCOTLAND: Alex Dakers competed in his first Scottish National Age Group Championship with a 100% PB strike rate at the pool in Aberdeen. Dakers swam the 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly and raced especially well in the 200 breaststroke, chopping off 7 seconds for a time of 2:56.57. Dakers came 19th overall in the event.
SARASOTA, FL: Nine swimmers competed in the 2014 Shark Open in Sarasota – a heats and finals format swim meet. “Little” John Bodden led Stingray with massive PB's in every event, most notably clocking a 10 second PB in the 100 butterfly at 1:04.33. John narrowly missed qualifying for Southern Zones by .04 in the event. Ali Jackson also swam well, finishing first overall in the 50 backstroke and 2nd in the 50 breaststroke while Sam Bailey, Ella Plunkett, Sarah Jackson and Cole Morgan also all hit finals.
ST PETERSBURG, FL: Led by standout swims from Stingray’s Silver Group, the pack of 17 swimmers raced to loads of lifetime bests, top 5 finishes and records. Out the gates quickly were Sophie Hayman, Corey Westerborg, Danielle Seales and John Fleming who all recorded giant PB's in the 200 IM or Open 50 events. Seales dropped over 3 seconds in her 50 freestyle to clock a 36.5 while John Fleming bested his short course PB by over 5 seconds.
Westerborg cleaned up on his own times all weekend, with particularly sharp swims in the 50 butterfly where he dropped 2 seconds, clocking in at 36.9 and in the 100 freestyle where he chopped off over 6 seconds, also beating his best short course time in a time of 1:12.4. The 100 free being a new Stingray, National and CIASA record.
The Hayman sisters dominated many of their races with both Katie and Sophie looking especially strong in the freestyle events. And a big congratulations goes out to Krishna Adapa and Danielle Seales who both finished the meet with 100% personal bests over the weekend.
For more information on or to volunteer at the Stingray Swim Club visit www.caymanswiming.com