BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-WHEREAS football and cricket suffered from great administrative difficulties throughout the year, many sports continued to make strides in a positive direction and afford their sportsmen and women the opportunity for top-class competition.
Many Kittitians and Nevisians made the most out of 2009 by competing against overseas athletes for the first time, and even though they did not always walk away with first place, it is certain that their presence announced to the world that St. Kitts-Nevis has a long and proud sporting tradition that cannot be ignored.
Track and Field:
St. Kitts-Nevis continued to be a strong force in both regional and international athletics in 2009, beginning with a fantastic professional debut by Virgil Hodge at the January 31 Aviva International in Glasgow where she took first in the 200m with a time of 24.29sec.
The early part of 2009 saw the Federation greatly benefiting from the strong performances of 2008, as the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletics Association (SKNAAA) continued its longstanding sponsorship by Adidas athletic wear and had their contracts renewed.
As the nation’s athletes continued to gear up for the Carifta Games, the Federation was treated to 23-record breaking performances at the first national Interschool Championships to be held that the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Stadium. Not only was the large crowd kept on its feet by record performances but a heated medal chase for the championship between Basseterre Senior High School and Sandy Point High School held fans rapt as the medal table was triple checked. In the end, Sand Point emerged victorious based on number of silver medals after having tied BHS in the gold category with 15 medals.
The preparations for the Carifta Games paid dividens in April when the Federation brought home two bronze medals from the St. Lucia event, Kadeem Smith in the 800m and Tesril Nisbett in the Javelin. St. Kitts delivered an even more impressive performance in May by winning their 11th successive Leeward Islands Championship with 30 gold medals. British Virgin Islands took second at the competition, while Nevis courageously battled for a third place trophy.
A low point in the track and field season came in June when the much anticipated inaugural hosting of the Caribbean Games had to be called off due to the threat of the H1N1 Influenza virus. The announcement disappointed fans around the Caribbean and cost hosts Trinidad & Tobago millions of dollars in preparation costs.
While the rest of the region mourned the chance to witness the best athletes of the Caribbean competing, fans in St. Kitts-Nevis were treated to witnessing national sprinting icon Kim Collins run for the first time at the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Stadium before the stand bearing his name packed full of fans. Collins did not disappoint in any of his events and set a new national record in the 100m with a season best time of 10.15 sec.
July held both highs and lows for the athletes of the Federation, as the women’s 4x100m relay team became the first in the nation’s history to qualify for the IAAF World Championships after they ran an impressive 43.53 sec at the Central American and Caribbean Senior Championships in Cuba. Latter-July had less positive news for the Federation, however, as none of the young athletes were able to medal at either of the 6th IAAF World Junior Championships or the Pan-American Junior Championships.
Despite several first class performances at the World Championships in Berlin from August 15-22, the Federation remained medal-less at the event. The world was captivated, however, as the undisputed sprint king from Jamaica, Usain Bolt, broke both the 100m and 200m world records he set at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
One month after the World Championships, 32-year-old Collins announced that the time had come for him to step down from international athletics so he could spend more time with his family. He stated at the time that he would still likely run again, but would not be returning to the most elite level of competition.
Administratively, the SKNAAA had a very positive year as they successfully held executive elections that saw Glenville Jeffers and his administration successfully taking office uncontested. The association also hosted three IAAF Level 1 coaching courses throughout the year that certified nearly 50 coaches.
Basketball:
While not as high profile as other sports in the Federation, basketball continued to make strides toward greater development and wider outreach in 2009.
St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association (SKABA) President James ‘Barman’ Hanley and former national player Glen ‘Ghost’ Philip continued to work with the government for the eventual construction of an indoor multi-purpose facility that would be the new home of basketball in St. Kitts-Nevis. After facing challenges in finding a location for the facility, progress was reportedly made and construction is expected to commence once the planning stages are completed.
The regular SKABA season was carried out successfully this year thanks to a new league sponsorship from telecommunications giant LIME and an increased amount of attention by the SKABA administration being paid to teams arriving to their games on time.
The O.D. Brisbane Sandy Point Fruta Falcons continued their winning ways in the Junior Division by claiming their fourth consecutive year as champion, though it was through a hard fought 2-1 series against the Junior Rams Hitters.
2009 saw the long awaited return of Ghaut Bucs to the SKABA basketball league and they did not disappoint their fans in the A Division as they dominated for most of the season and clinched a spot in the 2010 Premier Division by defeating Blue Devils 2-1 in their September championship.
Premier Division play was some of the most exciting out of the entire season, with many close games between the top teams and returning champion Rams Hitters, who were undefeated in 2008, finally showing chinks in their armor. The year concluded at Basketball City when the S. L. Horsford’s Ghetto Roots defeated rival Hitters 2-0 in a masterfully played series.
In overseas competitions, SKN did not win a lot of games, but did gain much experience. Rams Hitters represented the nation at the inaugural St. Maarten Invitational Basketball Club tournament at the beginning of the season, but did not place.
As a closure to the basketball year, the Federation sent a team of all-stars and select players from the Reach One Teach One basketball camp for a tour of United States schools in early November. Though they did not win their games against the US college opponents, strong performances from several of the players landed them scholarships for 2010 and the tour was deemed a major success by Head of the Department of Sports, Dave Connor.
Other Sports:
Other notable moments for the year came from the national netballers, who took first place in the OECS U-23Netball tournament in July. This was followed up in August by their young counterparts in St. Kitts winning Dominica’s U-13 tournament.
In April, the Federation became the first nation in the OECS to host the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federations Championship. Though the tournament was not without issues in its execution, it’s hosting successfully demonstrated that table tennis had finally arrived as a sport of national interest. This point was reinforced in late June when the St. Christopher Table Tennis Academy, the first of its kind, was opened by national coach Edgar Berridge.
Kittitian Gavin Skerritt made waves for his country in October when he flexed his way to a first place finish in the light-heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fitness Events Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition in Ontario, Canada. From there, Skerritt continued his intense training routine at the gym and went on to represent the nation at the UFE Canadian National competition. Even though he did not win in the bodybuilding division, Skerritt described the event as a wonderful chance to network and fulfill his dreams in the sport.
Moving on to 2010:
Though 2009 was not without its bumps in the road, particularly in the various sporting administrations, the groundwork was laid throughout the year for many of the Caribbean and Federation’s top sportsmen and women to excel in the new year.
With football back in the full swing of competition and track and field athletes quickly gearing up for the London 2012 Olympic Games, the coming year will without a doubt be one to look forward to. Though administrative difficulties are likely to continue, particularly in West Indies cricket, it is hoped that 2010 would bring close competition that both entertains and unites athletes and spectators alike.
