BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – UNITY between the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis is believed to have been strengthened as a result of the recently held 52nd Annual Basil Henderson 4H Easter Monday Aquatic Sports Meet.
Each year, the event is held over the Easter weekend at the Ferry Terminal in Basseterre and features a number of swimming techniques/strokes including the breast stroke, the butterfly, the dog paddle and the back stroke. The event, on every occasion, draws a sizable crowd and has been given rave reviews on its entertainment value.
Organiser of the event Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett, in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, spoke to the level of participation during this year’s event and noted that he was particularly pleased with Nevis’ representation at the meet. He said the team from Nevis left the competition with the most wins.
“It was quite a success…because this year, for the first time, we had a number of aquatic sporting groups which participated and it gave impetus to the whole aquatic sports development. We had groups like the Pemberton Swim Club and it consisted of about 50-plus in that group. We had the St. Chris Swim Club here in St. Kitts. That is a police group of youths that are looking for something to do in their spare time. It’s a group that incorporates not only swimming but educational activities, sporting developments and other activities.
“We also had the Miss Edris Swim Club out of Nevis and that was an important feature in our sporting development this year. The Miss Edris fellows, they are pretty competent because Miss Edris is a veteran in her own right. She was able to bring down the group from Nevis, and for the first time a Nevis contingent came down in full to participate; properly uniformed. The girls were attired properly in a specific uniform as well as the boys. They took home most of the prizes back to Nevis, which is a good thing because it brings about a sense of reunification amongst our twin-island state that is, to some extent, dwindling. This helped to galvanise solidarity and strength between the two islands and bring them in a closer reunion.”
Mention was also made of the Special Olympians, whose participation over the past number of years have has added to the meet’s success.
The popular vertical and horizontal “greasy pole” events – which saw prizes including hams and cash – were won by Ikimba Daniel, winner for the past couple of years. Prior to that, according to Nisbett, the event was won by Marley Roberts.
A riveting boat race brought an end to the aquatic segment of the annual. It concluded with a race was won by seasoned veteran ‘Curvis’. He was awarded $1 000 while ‘Lulu’ took home the $300 First Runner-up prize.
Following the distribution of prizes, the highlight of the day, a boxing display/exhibition, was underway and saw persons interested in the art form duking among themselves. Described as a national legend, 72-year-old Emile ‘Topsy’ Pyke displayed his boxing skills alongside another local boxing legend, ‘Bumpy’. The pugilistic exhibition was however interrupted by the sound of gunfire; a situation which was quickly arrested by the police.
A special word of gratitude has been extended by Nisbett to those who, in whatever shape or form, contributed to the success of the event.
