Stephen Newbold

Message from The Governor General Good evening scholar athletes, parents, teachers, coaches, family and friends, corporate and individual sponsors, members of The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, ladies and gentle - men. The success the Bahamian Track and Field teams around the world has made Bahamians, residents, and me extremely proud this year. It is indeed a singular opportunity for me to be here on this occasion to congratulate those Track and Field athletes who have conquered the world as well as their lessons. In order for a student athlete to succeed it is most important for them to have good coaching, the brawn as well as the brain. Balance is most important. I am happy that we have a significant increase of persons who made the scholar athlete list this year. It demonstrates that the program has had an effect in encouraging our athletes to improve on their scholastics. It is indeed quite important that we publicize these scholar athletes. Of the over twelve hundred students who participated in the Scotiabank National High School Track and Field Champi - onships, only nineteen (14 males & 5 females) have met the athletic criteria set by the Federation and have made the minimum grade point average of 2.50 to qualify as All Bahamian Scholar Athletes. This has improved from 12 last year more than a fifty percent improvement, which is certainly encouraging. Please allow me to congratulate those World Junior and Youth Champions amongst you, Shau - nae Miller, Latario Collie - Minns and Stephen Newbold. Each of you has stuck to your books while honing your craft. In noting that there are numerous former athletes who have excelled in their professions after putting down their spikes, I must note that the project manager of the new Thomas Robinson National Stadium was Architect Iram Lewis, a former national sprinter. But I wish to say to all of the honorees, you are yet in the early stages of your athletic careers. Some of you have graduated this year and others will in 2012. More than likely the majority of you have been approached or have already been granted athletic scholarships to colleges and universities in the United States. You will only be able to continue your athletic careers if you maintain the academic requirements of the institutions who have high expectations of you. I am certain some of you are aware of former students who lost opportunities to receive higher education because of poor academic performances having been dismissed from the schools and returned home. The Bahamas is in need of bright, technically sound Bahamians to return and contribute to national development in many areas. I urge each and every one of you to continue your quest for success in all areas of life. H.E. Sir Arthur Foulkes 1 Message from The Minister of Education I extend heartfelt congratulations to the nineteen young men and women who have been dubbed, our “All Bahamian Scholar Athletes.” You are shining examples for your peers of what can be accomplished if one is willing to work diligently and to persevere, despite distractions. I therefore, am happy to sup - port any initiative that rewards you for your positive contribu - tions to our society. Nineteen of you are being recognized at this Athletes’ Awards Reception for having met a minimum academic standard of a 2.50 grade point average (GPA), and having excelled as jun - ior track athletes. This is no easy feat. You applied yourselves and found a way to rise to the challenge, which is most commendable. It is wonderful to note that our athlete awardees hail not only from New Providence, but at - tend schools from Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and the United States as well. This demonstrates that we are a people who are full of untapped potential and that we have the ability to compete and to meet the highest world standards in track and field. I applaud the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations for their untiring dedication in the development of our youth and sports in The Bahamas. It is encouraging to know that as our more senior athletes leave the scene that we have a crop of strong, focused and intelligent junior athletes to whom they are able to pass to the baton and who are quite capable of taking the sport and our nation to the next level. Awardees, I am proud of you your many accomplishments. I thank, your parents and coaches also, whose continuous support of your dreams played an important role in helping you to find success. My wish, awardees, is that you always give your best effort in all your endeavours, and that you continue to find a balance between your academic studies and athletic pursuits. If you remember to transfer the discipline that you have developed to other areas of your lives you can only meet with more success in the future. Congratulations once again, and best wishes for the future. The Honourable T. Desmond Bannister, M.P. 2 Message from The President of The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations Within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body of Collegiate Athletics in the United States, the terms “student” and “athlete” are synonymous. This is be - cause the NCAA recognizes that an overwhelming majority of student-athletes will never earn a living as professional athletes. It is also recognized that when the athlete can no longer com - pete, the student can still succeed. Hence great emphasis is placed on maintaining a minimum grade point average (GPA). The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) fully subscribes to this philosophy. That is why the All Ba - hamian Scholar Award has become a yearly fixture on our calendar. Members of our coaching fraternity recognizing the need to create a ‘balancing act’ between academics and athletics recommended the formation of the Parents Association of Track and Field with the express purpose of bridging the gap between the academic and athletic performance so as to ensure that our athletes meet the requirements to further their education through sports and in particular Track and Field. The success of the program is well documented with more than $20million in scholarships being awarded to our student-athletes over the past decade. If this trend is to continue, as I expect it would, it is imperative that we, the Administrators of our beloved sport continue to encourage and reward those student-athletes for their performances in the classroom. The Parents Association is to be congratulated for their efforts in maintaining this vision. This evening, it gives me great pleasure to recognize and congratulate those student-athletes who along with their athletic achievements have also achieved the minimum requirement of a 2.50GPA thus allowing you to be recognized as an All Bahamian Scholar Athlete. Your accomplishment is a testament to your Discipline, Dedication, Determination and De - sire to achieve great things for yourselves. It is also a testament to the support that you have received from your coaches, family members and friends. All of whom are no doubt as equally proud as those of us in the BAAA family. Best wishes for success in all your future endeavours. Mike Sands 3 Honourary All Bahamian Scholar Recipient DR. TIMOTHY BARRETT Dr. Barrett is a Bahamian who has been practicing medicine for the past 37 years. He is a trained psychiatrist and currently holds the position of Director of Community Mental Health Services for the Public Hospitals Authority. He is a Clinical Tutor in Psy - chiatry for the School of Clinical Medicine and Research, Ba - hamas. Additionally he is in private practice and is Managing Director of Psychological Associates Limited (PAL), a com - pany which provides not only psychiatric services but also Employee Assistance Programs and Training especially in the area of human resource development. His early education was at Eastern Junior School and The Government High School. He was head boy of that school in 1965. His athletic ability and love of sports led to his achieving the first gold medal in the history of the Bahamas in a field event when he won the triple jump in the Central American and Caribbean Games, 1966. He went on to the University of Southern California where he con - tributed to their national championship in track and field in 1968. He was an All-American in that same year. He is the first Bahamian to medal in the Central American and Caribbean Track Championships winning the bronze medal in 1975. He has involved himself in many civic and sporting organizations in the Bahamas being a past president of the New Providence Volleyball Association, the Bahamas Sickle-Cell As - sociation, a member of the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled, vice president of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association and an executive member of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association. Currently he is President of the Medical Association of The Bahamas and a member of the Medical Council of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas. He is frequently used as a resource for lectures and seminars in Managing Stress, Conflict Resolution, Time Management, Emotional Management, Leadership Development and Team Building and Maintenance etc. and has been the visiting lecturer for the Masters Degree pro - gram for the University of the West Indies School of Business (Cave Hill, Barbados). Addi - tionally, he has provided services for regional banks and government organizations throughout the Caribbean. He is keenly interested in the development of human beings to their highest capacity and is passionate about the effective use of that limited and shrinking resource - time. Having been ordained to the Sacred Gospel Ministry, he is very active in church ministry at Kemp Road Ministries where he is an Associate Pastor and is responsible for marriage prepa - ration and counseling along with leadership training.

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