The 12th NatWest Island Games are set for Rhodes, Greece from 30 June through 6 July and the Cayman Islands is aiming to be a force in no less than eight sports. Cayman teams will participate in athletics, cycling, basketball, sailing, shooting, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
Worldclass track star Cydonie Mothersill is expected to compete in the 2007 Island Games. |
‘This is not the largest contingent we have ever had but I think it is certainly one of the strongest we have ever sent,’ said Richard Parchment, chairman of Cayman’s Island Games Committee. He predicts a high finish for Cayman in the final medals table.
‘We have always finished around fifth or sixth in every Island Games that we have been to. I think this team has a chance to get up into the top four.
‘Our athletes have been training very hard,’ he said. ‘Both the team sports and the individual athletes have been putting in a lot of hard work to get ready.’
The Island Games are open to island countries with populations of no more than 120,000 people. This will be the fifth Games that the Cayman Islands has participated in.
‘We should do very well in men’s basketball,’ Parchment said. ‘We have always been strong, winning the silver medal every time. Rhodes, this year’s host, always beats us. Maybe we can get by them this time. Our women’s basketball team should be very good again. They have won gold in the past and should be a contender for gold again.
‘Injuries have hurt our cycling squad but they should still be competitive. We have a very good shooting team as well. They are in top form and have a high potential to win medals.’
Led by Olympian Heather Roffey and fast-rising teen star Brett Fraser, the Cayman swim squad is likely to make a big splash in Rhodes. Unfortunately, veteran stars Shaun Fraser (University of Florida) and Andrew Mackay (Notre Dame) are unable to compete due to training commitments, according to Parchment. ‘Our swimmers are really good,’ added Parchment. ‘They always come back with medals.’
‘We expect to have an excellent tennis team with both male and female players for the first time,’ he added.
Cayman should be a prominent force in the volleyball competitions in Rhodes. Cayman will field men’s and women’s teams in both court and beach volleyball this year. ‘The men’s volleyball team has been improving steadily every time we go to the Games,’ said Parchment. ‘They finished well enough last time to earn a good seeding this year. That means they will have a better chance to get into contention for a medal.’
Two worldclass stars will lead Cayman’s track and field contingent. Kareem Streete-Thompson, Cayman’s all-time fastest sprinter and a Commonwealth Games medalist, is slated to compete in his first-ever Island Games. Cydonie Mothersill, currently one of the world’s fastest women over 200 meters, is also expected to represent Cayman.
Parchment believes the Island Games are the ideal proving ground or stepping stone that can lead athletes into larger competitive arenas such as the PanAm Games and the Olympic Games. Success-or failure-at the Island Games is the perfect test to determine whether or not one is ready for a bigger stage, he says.
‘The Island Games are very important for us because they allow many of our athletes to compete, far more than ever get the chance to compete in the PanAm Games or the Olympics,’ he said. ‘I think it’s important for the opportunity it gives us to develop athletes and give them motivation.’
Sports Minister Alden McLaughlin hopes to attend the Games, depending on how well he recovers from the recent serious cycling accident he suffered.
Parchment believes that most Cayman sports finally have gotten past the lingering effects of Hurricane Ivan’s visit in 2004. One challenge remains, however. ‘We are still struggling to get sufficient sponsorship support since Ivan,’ he said. ‘We always need more financial help. We are very grateful to our sponsors who have done so much for us.’
Parchment thanked Butterfield Bank for taking on the role of primary sponsor for the 2007 Cayman Islands Island Games team. Other ‘vital’ sponsors are: CUC, Maples and Calder, Cayman Airways, Progressive Distributors, Car City, Ritz Carlton, Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, and the Cayman Islands Sports Ministry.
Any person or business interested in offering financial support of any amount may contact Richard Parchment by phone (525-5525) or email ([email protected]).
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