“ Remember a healthy body breeds a healthy mind.

What is your job or duty as the Shadow Minister of Youth and Sport?
My role is to ensure that the best interest of Youth and Sport are protected. I must hold government and the sporting administration accountable for their actions or lack thereof. This is a difficult job because it takes lots or research and interaction with people involved with the sport that may try to lead you astray to serve self-interest.

My primary objective is always to do the right thing. Without the athletes we do not have a sport. No one would pay to sit and watch a football pitch or look at an empty track. It is the athletes that are the attraction. Therefore, our focus should be on the athletes and the program that will allow them to develop.

What impact do you think sports have had on the community in Bermuda?
Sport has and can have a major impact on the local community. It has a way of bring a country together regardless of race, religion, gender, or nationality. Sport serves as a primary alternative to incarceration for many of our young and not so young people, especially those at risk. Sport help develop discipline, build character, develop commodore amongst teammates (sometimes life long). Sport can serve as a vehicle to enable young people to further their education, travel around the world, and represent their country on the international stage.

Sport inherently helps to develop national pride. Sport can unite not divide.

Have there been any instances in which you have seen sports positively influence someone’s direction in life, when perhaps they were headed down the wrong road?
The potential is always there for young people to make the wrong decision or get caught up. However, statistics have shown that a young person involved in sport is less likely to get caught up in the negative element. Sport is a positive alternative to incarceration.

What sports are you involved in?
I am currently actively involved with the following sports either through coaching or participation:

Field Hockey, Ball Hockey, Softball, Running, Triathlon, Tennis, Rowing (Sculling), Boxing, Cycling, Football, Track, Weight training, Kick Boxing, Sailing (Sunfish), Swimming, Golf.

What is your opinion on the level of sport in Bermuda?
Sport and our athletes demonstrate a lot of potential to go on to bigger and better things. Unfortunately, sport does not receive the recognition that is deserves. As a result, our athletes struggle to reach their full potential. Often having to leave Bermuda to take it to the next level.

Currently, sport is more developmental than elite. This is largely due to the lack of funding and resources to allow our athletes to take it to the next level. This point is somewhat general as there are some exceptions, especially in sailing.

What obstacles do you believe Bermudians will have to take in order to achieve the next level of competition in sports?
In my opinion, the largest obstacle sport will face is government having the political will to invest the time, money and leadership to allow sport to reach its fullest potential. This does not mean that government should do everything but is should be the leaders in demonstrating it commitment. The next obstacle is that of the sporting administrations. Each national sport has to be held accountable for developing a safe environment for athletes to train and compete, it must also ensure that is complies with the rules and regulations (audited financials, international compliance with general accepted practices). The next obstacle is ensuring that sporting venues are safe and free of drugs and violence. Drug free sport is critical to taking it to the next level. Again funding, space, time and good positive leadership are also obstacles sport is facing. Finally, parental involvement is critical to any successful sport.

Any other aspect you would like to comment on? Whatever you feel strongly about?
If Bermuda is to have the infrastructure to develop world-class athletes it is my view that we must first develop a National Agenda for Sport. Within the context of the National Agenda identify the sporting structure. We must have a recreational, developmental and elite athlete framework. The feeder systems must be facilitated by the primary, middle, and secondary school structures. Physical must be re-instituted as a core subject matter.