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Please CLICK HERE for pix of "The Medal" and Savatheda Fynes A COLLECTION OF SIX ARTICLES - please click on the article of your choice
The Home Run - By Stephanie Humblestone - 1 Nov 2000 The Golden Girls' visit to Abaco will live in the hearts and minds of the people of Abaco for a very long time. In years to come adults will remember standing by the roadside as small children, eagerly awaiting the appearance of the motorcade as it proceeded slowly through the Marsh Harbour area and the settlements north and south. They will recall waving their little Bahamian flags, positioning them in their hair and the waistbands of their school uniforms. They will remember, too, reaching out to touch their national heroes and then later comparing stories in classrooms, playgrounds and on school buses. Head girls of schools will cherish the kisses of appreciation given them by the athletes when presented with gifts and 12th Grade prefects at S.C. Bootle High School will boast of escorting the Golden Girls through the school yard to the podium. These and a score of memories will come flooding back to them. In addition to all these warm recollections of two wonderful days back in the year 2000 will be the messages given them by their heroes. And there were many. One is that it does not take a certain temperament to excel. Savatheda Fynes is softly spoken and reserved. As her third grade teacher put it, "She used to sit and observe but she knew what she wanted." In all her public appearances on Abaco, she came across as bordering on being shy. Yet she went out there with her quiet determination and achieved the Gold. By contrast, Pauline Davis-Thompson is more outgoing which is reflected in her manner and body stance. At the Treasure Cay Primary School assembly on the 19th of October her presence was charismatic, projecting in both her voice and ideas. "You may not be a great athlete, but I am sure we have great lawyers, doctors, etc. out there," she told the children. "From this day forward," she continued, "I don't want any excuses. My mother said, 'I never want to hear the word CAN'T.' I don't want to hear that in your vocabulary; it's not part of mine," she continued. Many times we make excuses for not attempting or excelling. At the Cooper's Town School rally Pauline congratulated both Savatheda and Troy on contending with the limited facilities afforded them in their early days of running in Abaco. When she used to come here to compete, she was amazed at how the athletes managed to practice on poor tracks. Things have improved since those days, but our athletes do not have the superior conditions of other countries. And yet, despite the restrictions of that early training, they were victorious. What all of the athletes stressed both publicly and in private interviews was the need for young people to pursue their dreams. "Today is our day and tomorrow is your day; everything you do, do it to the best of your ability," was the message one of them gave to the huge gathering at Abaco Central High School on the 18th of October. Troy McIntosh told school students from the north assembled at S.C. Bootle to never let go their dreams. Savatheda told the ZNS cameraman that she always tries to give 100 percent and forges on to achieve her goals. Another message which resounded throughout their appearances and interviews was, to coin an old expression, that you can't run before you walk (aptly enough). "It takes time to let things happen," said Savatheda. Troy came 17th out of 100 in a two and a half mile road race back in the 80s. He was not deterred. He practiced in the belief that he would improve. Next year he placed fourth. Undeterred, he practiced more and finally came first the following year. "Education is 100 percent important to accomplish any goal," Savatheda said. All the Olympian athletes are highly educated. When interviewed, they were lucid and articulate, enunciating their words well. As such they were not only good international athletes but great ambassadors for the Bahamas. At every school rally they emphasised the importance of academics and emphasised, too, that there are no short-cuts. By their incredible achievements at the Sydney Olympics 2000 these world class athletes demonstrated not only that "their legs are blessed," but that they possess mental qualities which we must seek to emulate - endurance, stamina, self confidence and relentless determination. The Golden Girls and Olympian athletes' visit was a boost to Abaco. "I want to go out and run," said Claudia Henchell, a 12th grade student at Forest Heights Academy described by her P.E. teacher, Mr. Victor, as "probably the fastest runner on Abaco." (Mr. Victor, himself a runner, competed against Troy McIntosh 20 years ago.) Winning the Gold not only inspires girls such as Claudia to press on regardless even when progress seems slow, but it shows them that their country, although geographically small, is as mighty as the world's superpowers. Perhaps the most poignant message the athletes left us with was that they may travel the world, receive any number of accolades, interact with sophisticated people, taste exotic dishes but their hearts are with us here in the Bahamas. "It's good to be home," Savatheda told a ZNS reporter. And it was wonderful to have her - and indeed, all of them - home.
Bahamas Wins Gold By Isobel Sherman - 15 Oct 2000 Early Saturday morning, September 30, four Bahamian girls, one from Abaco, won an Olympic gold medal in Sydney, Australia, in the 4 x 100 metre relay. Additionally, one of the quartet, Pauline David-Thompson won a silver in the 200 metre competition. An amazing record for a country of this size. In 1999 these girls were named the Golden Girls after their first place finish at the World Championships held last August in Seville, Spain. The Bahamian women's team came home with a silver from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in the same relay, the 4 x 100 metre relay. Abaconians were glued to their television sets for the running of the 4 x 100 meter ladies relay at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Called the "Silent Assassin" by the commentator, Savetheda Fynes, Abaco's own from Fire Road, ran the first leg and gave the Bahamian team a commanding lead that no one was ever to catch. The Golden Girls repeated their win at the World Championships at the games in Sydney to the delight of Bahamians everywhere but to the extra delight of the residents of Abaco for Savetheda is one of our own. To see the golden girls standing on the podium receiving their gold medals was a sight to behold. All Bahamians are proud of the ladies' accomplishments in the 4 x 100 but for Abaco it was an especially sweet victory. Congratulations from Abaco to the Golden Girls and to Pauline Davis Thompson, who won a silver medal in the 200 meters. The four girls will be the center of much attention when they return home later this month. There will be five days of celebrations in Nassau. Each girl will receive a "fitting monetary award" according to Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham. Additionally, they will receive a grant of Crown Land and Central Bank will be commissioned to mint a commemorative gold coin to honour this achievement. The Bahamas finished 42nd overall out of 69 countries which medalled in track and field events. Two hundred countries participated. Twenty-seven athletes competed this year from the Bahamas. Other notable events occurred in Sydney. Three Bahamian women made it to the finals in the 100 metre sprint, Savetheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup and Debbie Ferguson, but they failed to make a medal. It was the first time a small country had made such a record. Additionally, Debbie Ferguson finished fifth in the 200 metre competition and Jackie Edwards placed seventh in the long jump for women. Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein played in the tennis competition remarkably well and in the doubles quarter final beat the American team in straight sets eliminating them from further competition. This came as a shock to the American team. In the men's 4 x 400 metre relay, the Bahamian team, Avard Moncur, Troy McIntosh, Carl Oliver and Chris Brown placed 4th. Troy is another athlete Abaco can be proud of as he is from Fire Road. The team maintained second place until the very end of the race when they dropped to fourth. They made a national record with their time. The Bahamas began competing in the Olympics in 1952. Previously, Bahamians won a bronze medal in 1956 and a gold in 1964, both medals in sailing. Then in 1992 Bahamas won its first track and field medal, a bronze in the triple jump in the 1992 games won by Frank Rutherford. And in 1996 a silver was won in the 4 x 100 women's relay. Two of the athletes are retiring, Pauline Davis-Thompson and Eldece Clarke-Lewis. Eldece ran all the qualifying races in Sydney but was not one of the girls chosen to run the final race. It is now hoped that other athletes will be encouraged to train to replace these girls. They will need to train for other competitions with their ultimate goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics. The country is very excited about this great win and hopefully many young people will train in field and track as well as tennis, swimming and other areas.
If you look at the Olympics that were just held in Sydney where the Golden Girls won a Gold Medal and Pauline Davis Thompson a Silver Medal and you calculate the number of medals won by the size of the country, then The Bahamas came number one in the world. How? Simply by our population. A country with approximately 300,000 persons won one gold medal and one silver medal. Who figured this out? It was posted on the abacoboard on the oii.net website by Tony Bennett. It makes our medal wins much more significant.
Abaco celebrated its biggest events ever on October 18 and 19 when the Golden Girls and two of the men competing in the Olympians visited. The Golden Girls won gold medals with their first place win in the 4 x 400 relay while the men's team came in fourth in the 4 x 400. Huge crowds were on hand at every location where they went. The enthusiasm and excitement has never been equaled on Abaco. It began on the morning of the 18th with their arrival at the Marsh Harbour International Airport. Even at an early hour when most people are just getting up, a crowd numbering in the hundreds greeted them on their arrival. Later in the morning a motorcade of about 130 vehicles drove through central Abaco. These included convertibles, trailer trucks, a fire truck and even a flat bed with a Junkanoo band. Along the way schools turned out, flags were flown, bunting, streamers, balloons and banners all added to the festivities. The women athletes included Savatheda Fynes from Fire Road, Pauline Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson, Chandra Sturrup and Eldece Clarke-Lewis. They were accompanied by two of the men's team, Troy McIntosh from Fire Road and Wellington Saunders. Their first school rally was at the sports field in Murphy Town where school children from many schools assembled. Later in the day they traveled to S.C. Bootle High School in Cooper's Town. The following day they visited Treasure Cay Primary School and J.A. Pinder Primary School in Sandy Point before returning to Nassau.
On the 18th of October a rally was held at Abaco Central High School in honour of the Golden Girls. The rally was held at the track in Murphy Town and included students from schools throughout Central Abaco. Bahamian flags were waved by students to welcome the athletes Bahamian style. The Golden Girls as well as Troy McIntosh and Wellington Saunders were driven in a motorcade onto the track to the beat of Junkanoo music played by members of the Abaco Central High Junkanoo Band where students gave them a real Abaco welcome. Mr. Frank Hepburn of the Abaco Sports Council presented shares in Abaco Markets Ltd to both Savatheda and Troy. The schools raised funds for 350 shares and Abaco Markets matched that so each athlete received 350 shares. It was a day all the students of Central Abaco will remember.
Students and teachers of S.C. Bootle High School and the primary schools of north Abaco lined the main street of Cooper's Town on October 18th to welcome home the Olympic athletes, Savatheda Fynes and Troy McIntosh, both from the nearby settlement of Fire Road, along with the other Olympic competitors. When the motorcade finally arrived, the anticipation erupted into a frenzy of excitement. Children rushed forward to touch the national heroes and they, in turn, stretched out to warmly greet the crowds. Recognising family and friends, Savatheda and Troy embraced people they had not seen in a long while. Savatheda Fynes and Troy McIntosh were coming home, after competing in the most prestigious and challenging of all sporting events, the Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney, Australia, and to greet them on their home soil was an unparalleled display of national pride and patriotism. One of the highlights of the programme was a short question and answer time conducted by Natasha Charles. "I was more into softball than running," admitted Savatheda Fynes when she was asked how she was first recognised. Troy McIntosh said he did not set out to be a runner, "I took part in a road race in Marsh Harbour and placed 17th out of 100; the next year I came 2nd and the following year 1st," he said. When asked about the importance of academics, Savatheda said, "In order to gain exposure you need academics." Troy seconded this by telling the students that he has a degree in civil engineering and all of them present have university degrees. Cooper's Town Primary School teacher, Ms. J. Sands, added a personal touch to the occasion with recollections of Savatheda and Troy as young students. "I was Savatheda's third grade teacher and I remember how she sat quietly with a smile, but she always gave 100 percent of herself," she said. Among the students greeting the athletes in Marsh Harbour was 12th grader Claudia Henchell, a sprinter who placed 2nd in the last Bahamas Games and a relative of both Savatheda and Troy. "It made me realise that if you work hard, you can succeed," said Claudia. Troy's cousin, eighth grader Shantia Sands, also runs competitively. "I watched it all on TV and was so proud." he added. The 18th of October was the proudest day in the lives of many on Abaco when they got to see, hear and touch their national heroes.
Savatheda Fynes, our Abaco girl on the 4 x 400 team which won Gold in Sydney, wants to see our youth go away to further their education so they can have a better life. She is upset that so many leave school when they finish high school as they are not equipped for better jobs which will give them a better life. One way this can be accomplished is through sports scholarships. All the Golden Girls acquired their college degrees through their sports. Savatheda enjoyed running as a small child. She began her education at Cooper's Town Primary School and continued at Cooper's Town High School. She went to Nassau at the age of 13 where she began training in track and field. It wasn't until she was about 16 that she decided to pursue a career in track and field. She attended college in Louisiana and later at Michigan State University to earn her Bachelor's degree in 1996. Since that time she has been a professional athlete, supporting herself through her running, entering about 13 competitions yearly. She also competes in the World Championships held every other year. At this time she is sponsored by Adidas. Her training schedule is tough, three hours six days per week in track with an additional one and a half hours five days a week in weight training. Now with the Olympics behind her, she plans to attend the University of Texas to pursue a Master's degree in kinesiology. She will be a part time student to allow time for continuing her track career. She will compete frequently for the school especially during the spring months. She is looking forward to returning to the Bahamas, specifically Abaco, after the 2004 Olympics. However, she pointed out that at any time an injury or accident can change her plans. Savatheda would like to see more support of athletes by the Bahamian government, more clinics, more effort to locate talent in the Family Islands. She feels that talent is essential in forming a great athlete but the youth must also have good training. Scholarships to American colleges and universities are available in many sports and schools particularly like getting athletes from the Caribbean as they are focused and disciplined so respond well to training. Although the Golden Girls all attended different schools, they formed a unique group based on total trust and commitment. Even though they did not train together except for a couple of short periods, they believed in each other and were able to attain a goal together which they were not able to attain individually.
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