INSIDE THE BIRD’S NEST 1/7/2014 Issue 7

Sport Cave Hill (SCH) @SCH_Blackbirds

Inside the BIRD’S NEST

ONE FLIES, ALL SOAR

IN THIS ISSUE

Segways have been utilized for years and for

various reasons. Some persons use them for

recreational purposes and others as a means

of transportation. However, the usage of

segways has evolved even further and is the

key component in the new and emerging

sport on campus, Segway Polo.

This innovative sport bears many similarities

to conventional Polo. The main difference is

the substitution of horses and grass fields for

segways and artificial surfaces. The sport

takes the elements of conventional polo and

combines it with some key components of

Football such as fast-breaks, one-two plays

and strategic attacking and defending. It

continues to gain popularity and is being

driven even further through the efforts of Mr.

Ralf Luther, President of the Segway Polo

Club of Barbados (SPCB).

After numerous discussions between Luther

and Head of the Academy of Sport Cave Hill,

Mr. Horton Dolphin, the SPCB made the

Cave Hill Campus its home with the intention

of growing club membership and increasing

persons’ interest in the sport.

One such person whose interest was

captured was that of Mr. Nevin Roach.

Roach. A member of the UWI staff

community, Roach instantly fell in love with

the sport and has never looked back since.

He took his sound knowledge of Field Hockey

and naturally was able to transfer his talents

to the Segway Polo field. His fast

development did not go unnoticed and was

selected to represent Barbados at the 2013

World Championships, held in Washington

D.C.

Roach showed absolutely no nerves

whatsoever and his tally of ten (10) goals (3rd

highest in the tournament) helped propel

two-time World Champions Barbados to the

final of the tournament, where they narrowly

lost out 2-1 versus Stockholm Saints, a team

hailing from Sweden. Roach also copped the

award for “Most Promising Player”, which is

a fantastic achievement in a competition

which also featured teams from Germany,

Lebanon and the United States.

The interest in Segway Polo is on the rise and

the club continues to hold its intense training

session on Campus every Sunday morning

and Thursday night as they step up their

preparations for the next World

Championships being held in 2015. The

avenue for international sporting experience

is very much open and the invitation is

extended to members of the UWI

community.

UWI Cave Hill Blackbirds Cheerleading squad continues to grow Page 2

Handball makes its way to the Cave Hill Campus and

seeks to develop and attract new players Page 3

Advertise with the Bird’s Nest

Introducing Segway Polo

INSIDE THE BIRD’S NEST | Issue 7 1/7/2014 2

Sport Cave Hill (SCH) @SCH_Blackbirds

MEDIA

SPCB practice session at UWI Hockey Turf (video – click to play)

Short corner defense during the UWI Hockey outreach Independence tournament.

ATHLETE’S CORNER

Carlos Brathwaite is a 25 year old Barbadian

all-round cricketer. He bats right-handed, bowls right-hand fast-medium and is an excellent

fielder. Brathwaite broke into the West Indies (WI) team in 2011 and played both T20 and ODI internationals, following his successful exploits with the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) cricket team in the WIBC cricket season.

Dania Hamilton: Born and raised in St. Lucia, 27 year old Hamilton is an outstanding volleyballer with approximately 8 years experience in regional and international

competition for her country. Hamilton Captains her national team as well as the UWI Blackbirds.

NOTICES

Students’ Gym: The gym will remain closed until the new semester begins.

Sports Programme: The general sports programme will resume on January 27th, 2014.

MSc in Sport Sciences: This will commence on January 20th, 2014.

Spreading Cheer You may have seen it numerous times on television and was left in shock and awe at

the associated technical skills, ability and risk, but was ultimately and thoroughly satisfied with the sport of Cheerleading.

These factors combined have paved the way for Cheerleading to make its way onto the

Cave Hill Campus, giving birth to the UWI Blackbirds Cheerleading Team.

The team was formed back in 2010 and was mandated to bring life and energy to the

crowds when the UWI Games 2011 were held here in Barbados. At that point, the team was under the tutelage of Shari Pollard and

Justin Poleon. Shockwaves were sent through the three contingents and general

public at the Games with dazzling routines and daredevil performances, leaving a favourable impression on all persons in

attendance.

Fast forward to 2013 and the team continues to perform commendably. Pollard and Poleon have since moved on and passed the

reins over to Nicolette Regis. Regis, a 20 year-old, 2nd year Management student,

brings four years of cheerleading experience to the fore. Her cheerleading talents were

originally spotted whilst a student at the Lodge School and after displaying exemplary ability, she was invited by the coach to

become part of the movement and has not looked back since.

A current membership of fifteen participants is lead by Megghan Michael, Remington

Forde and Regis. Each person is designated a specific role to make the team as efficient

and effective as possible.

Michael is charged with choreographing the dance techniques of the team, Forde

provides the inspiration for the high-risk gymnastics and fitness routines whilst all

stunts are controlled by Regis.

Albeit a team effort for development, the cheerleaders have encountered a few challenges along the way in its short

existence. Its desire to expand has been thwarted by the difficulty encountered with attracting new membership, especially since

the sport is still relatively unknown around campus. In addition, the team has been

struggling to obtain the funding they need to take them to the next level.

Despite these setbacks, the team is still making great strides in their mission to continuously improve their operations. Cheerleading has gone a long way in building character, discipline, fitness and flexibility and has raised the self esteem of each team member considerably.

Two Awards for Atherly The Barbados Amateur Basketball Association culminated its year of activities with an awards ceremony on December 8th, 2013, at the Island Inn Hotel. The UWI Blackbirds received recognition for finishing second to Station Hill Caviliers in both the league and knock-out competition, while Toni Atherly had her moment in the spotlight receiving two major individual accolades. Atherly, an outstanding guard, was named

MVP and best offensive player of the league. .

UWI Cheerleading Team

INSIDE THE BIRD’S NEST | Issue 7 1/7/2014 3

Sport Cave Hill (SCH) @SCH_Blackbirds

Mixed Results for BCL Team For the 2010 – 2012 seasons the UWI Barbados Cricket League (BCL) squad has done relatively well in both competitions of the BCL, placing 2nd in the league and reaching at least the 2nd knockout round of the limited over’s cup on all

three occasions. In the 2013 edition of the competitions however, the team received mixed results.

Led by the batting of Keefe Birkett

(predominantly a Basketballer) and the bowling of seamers Omar Francis and off-spinner

Nicholas Brathwaite, the squad picked up another second place finish in competition, behind 2013 champs Mahica. However, the lads

weren’t as dominant as they usually are in the knock out cup, which had now been revamped to a T20 competition instead of 35 overs a side. They succumbed to a group stage exit for the

first time ever in that category of the competition.

The BCL, though competitive, features players from as young as 10 years old to over 60 years,

and is tagged as recreational with emphasis on participation and fun.

UPCOMING EVENTS (2014)

General sports programme begins • 27/1

Scrimfest Hockey Championships • 10/2

BNB Interclub Tennis • Feb - May

BNA Netball League 1 • Mar - Jun

BABA Women’s Basketball League • Feb - Jul

BTTA Table Tennis Interclub Champs • Mar-Jul

Regional 1st

Class Cricket • Jan - May

BFA Football League • Feb - Jun

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit Sport Cave Hill’s website or fanpage

Inter-parish Champs Crowned The Christ Church Dolphins captured the 2013 UWI CO Williams Inter Parish

'Invitational' T20 cricket tournament at the 3Ws Oval on December 7. The Carlos

Brathwaite led side captured their 2nd title in the 7 year history when they defeated a star studded St Michael Merchants by 9 runs. First class cricketers Nekoli Parris and Shai Hope started the innings for the Dolphins team by putting on an opening stand of 52 runs and this laid the foundation for a score

of 151 for 5 (20 overs). The batting side of the St Michael Merchants

was restricted to 142 for 7 by the Christ Church team.

3rd Year for Hockey Outreach

Besides its academic prowess, the University

of the West Indies Cave Hill prides itself on two things: a strong sporting tradition it has created throughout its existence and being a pillar within the Barbadian community. In an effort to mesh these two strong suits, the Academy of Sport Cave Hill introduced the Pass Stick Score Junior Hockey Programme,

to expose more communities to the sport of field hockey.

Originally conceptualized and successfully executed by Academy Sport Coordinator Katheryn Stewart and Hockey coach Colin Elcock, the programme is into its third year

of existence and caters to the needs of the children in the community in two ways: on the playing field and in the classroom. The programme not only harnesses, nurtures and improves the skills of the participants but

also provides an avenue for children who are in need of additional academic assistance, all at an extremely low cost.

The outreach initiative also extends into the summer where the Academy hosts a summer camp. Responses to this camp have been very favorable over the years and continues to gather interest within the community and also, across Barbados.

Handball Now Offered

Exciting, Invigorating and Fast-paced! These are just a handful of words that can be utilised to describe one of the newest sports

to the region. You may have seen it on television during the Olympic Games and was captivated by the energetic and high-intensity nature of the sport and wondered

how you could get yourself involved. Students need not look any fur ther, as Handball has finally made its way to Cave

Hill!

MEDIA

UWI BCL Cricket Team

Introduction to Team Handball (video-click to play)

Handball is a special sport, given the various associated components. It is seen as an amalgamation of different sports and draws

on essential features of these sports. It calls for catching, jumping, running and off-the-

ball movement which are usually found in sports such as Netball, Basketball, Volleyball and Football. The fast-paced game is played

by both males and females.

The main driving force behind the emergence of handball here at Cave Hill is a young man by the name of Alex Greenidge.

Greenidge, a student of the campus and current President of the Barbados Handball Federation, has displayed a passion to see the sport take flight and has been rewarded as such by the response he has received from

the student body. Greenidge is ably assisted by certified Handball Coach Samuel Payne,

and together, they have forged a strong partnership that has seen the number of participants grow steadily over the past year.

Handball continues to provide another avenue to students to come and showcase their talents. With the increase in popularity and number of players, surely it will only be a

matter of time before a strong UWI Cave Hill presence draws the national colours of the

Barbados Handball Team.

CREDITS

Publisher/Chief Editor: Nevin Roach

Editors: Academy of Sport Cave Hill Staff, Amanda Montague, Ronnie Chandler

Writers: Shane Lewis, Steven Leslie, Nevin Roach, Aundrea Wharton

Inside the BIRD’S NEST

Academy of Sport Cave Hill The University of the West Indies

Cave Hill Campus Bridgetown, Barbados

Email:sports@cavehill.uwi.edu Web: www.cavehill.uwi.edu/sport

INSIDE THE BIRD’S NEST | Issue 7 1/7/2014 4

Sport Cave Hill (SCH) @SCH_Blackbirds