Flag football players in the Cayman Islands feel confident heading into a major US competition.
Cayman teams head to Kissimmee, Florida for the US Flag and Touch League national flag football championships 13-15 January. The Cayman Islands Flag Football Association will send a nine-man and a woman’s eight-man squad while the Grand Cayman Flag Football Association prepares a woman’s seven-man side.
Brendon Malice, who is vice president of the Cayman Islands association, states his teams are motivated to win.
“The teams have been preparing for the tournament from October,” Malice said. “The men participated in the Annual Caribbean Regional Cup hosted in Nassau, Bahamas and went 4-1 losing in the final. The recent holiday season was challenging for many players as it impacted consistent attendance at practice. The good thing is all the players have been actively participating in some sort of American football format throughout 2011. Both teams should be able to compete on the international level.
“This will be a good opportunity for the Cayman Islands to measure how far the sport of flag football has grown as well as players being exposed to local media, scouts and coaches. There will be over 300 teams at the national championships.”
For the Cayman Islands group, the men are Alex Angel, Damian Barboram, Matthew Bone, Phil Brown (the association president), Clay Coleman, Glenn Duran Jr, Steve Ebanks, Andrew Frederick, Taj Haye, Todd Hazlewood, Perry Levy, Brendon Malice, Rohan Marshall, Josh Merren, Nate Narcisse, Josh Parsons, Shawn Pitterson, Nicholas Roberts, Adrean Russell, Jermaine Sharp, Baron Solomon, David Taylor and Andrew Wisdom. They will be coached by Malice, Brown and Hazlewood.
Malice and Solomon coach the women’s side, which consists of Jennifer Allen, Cassandra Bodden, Agueda Broderick, Scimone Campbell, Anne-Marie Douglas, Maggie Ebanks, Vanessa Ebanks, Antoinette Lewis, Lisa Malice, Erin Marshall, Camille Solomon, Keisha Solomon, Renee Thompson, Stephanie Watler, Zonief Walker and Dionne Whittaker.
The Grand Cayman organization fields a seven-a-side unit that will compete in the woman’s seven-man screen division. Wisdom and Sharpe will coach Christine Bisnauth, Erica Bosch-Bone, Scimone Campbell, Lilia Conolly, Tonia Ebanks-McLaughlin, Maggie Ebanks, Sophia Dilbert, Michelle McTaggart, Kathy Miller, Shinette Rhoden, Antonia Roberts, Gillian Roffey, Heather Roffey, Alexandria Saintvil, Saneata Smith and Marline Williams.
Bisnauth, who is cofounder of the Grand Cayman group, states her ladies are ready to take on all comers.
“We are very excited about this squad,” Bisnauth said. “We have a strong representation from all of the teams. Michelle McTaggart will be quarterback along with Antoinette Lewis.
“The team has been practicing for a couple months now and we feel ready. This year after playing a full season on sevens we are definitely equipped and ready to take on the teams overseas.”
All of the players will be looking to make their mark at the Austin Tindall Sports Complex in Kissimmee, a manicured field used especially for flag football. The national championships, which is backed by entities like the Central Florida Sports Commission and the Florida Sports Foundation, is in its 41st year and features hundreds of teams from the US, Canada and Mexico. Cash prizes are on offer and 13 different styles of play will be seen.
This is not the first time Cayman has played at the international tournament. Last January a select squad with 20 women took part and won only one of its three matches.
Both Malice and Bisnauth are quick to note that after the Kissimmee trip, the sport moves forward in Cayman with a number of leagues.
“Youth league normally kicks off early February and the co-ed league usually starts the third week of February,” Malice said.
“After this is over the next big project for the Grand Cayman association is the National Football League Youth High School League sponsored by Dart,” Bisnauth said. “Then of course we will have to ramp up for the second season of the women’s league.”
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