Head Coach Alison Knights Bramble Reports……

Thursday, 7 July 2011 – Road Town, Tortola: The youngest, best looking and most popular sailing team in the Special Olympics World Summer Games sums up Team SOBVI.  Their performance and style on the water surpassed every single other athlete and unified partner in the regatta.  Natural ability and comprehensive training, only gained from ‘inclusive teaching and racing’ was so apparent that even without their brilliant results, the team have gone on record as being the best prepared in the world.

Having all been entered in different categories, two hard days of ‘divisioning’, found the BVI boats in the top division of each group.  Their direct competitors were to be Australia, the home and largest team – Greece and the USA.   

The venue, although an impressive facility, provided frustrating conditions for a Caribbean team accustomed to wind and waves.  Athens gave us light breezes and flat water most of the time, but rewarded the patient with wind and chop on a few occasions, which immediately put our crews on a totally different level to the struggling teams that lacked experience and boat handling skills in planning conditions.  Sadly, Special Olympics International sailing rules force the fleet off the water as soon as the breeze picks up, making Team BVI fume with exasperation at the injustice.  What they didn’t understand is that they alone were equipped to handle these conditions and had capabilities far in excess of the majority of their competitors. 

The five boys from Tortola and Virgin Gorda were lucky to have the guiding light and experience of nineteen-year-old Elsa Meyers, who, although studying at university in Wales, put her life on hold to join the delegation in London and make up the sixth team member and a lot more beside.  

After a very long regatta, the immaturity of the BVI team showed in tired faces, but once in their boats each day, not one of the teenage athletes did anything but try their hardest to be at the front of the pack.  This determination to win resulted in a Gold from Delroy Gordon and Lenford Pope, who outshone themselves into iconic-like examples that defied and indeed blew apart the international coaches and officials pre-programmed judgments of what a Special Olympics sailor is supposed to be capable of.

In the Level 2 fleet, Elsa Myers and Glenford Gordon fought their races with an Australian boat either side of them on the leaders table all week.  The penultimate day of the regatta saw BVI in Gold position. 

The last day was going to be a ‘dogfight’ between the 6^th largest country in the world and the British Virgin Islands!  Glen and Elsa match raced their closest Australian rival throughout three races in light winds, ignoring the rest of the boats on the water around them.   The lead went back and forth during an unbearable morning of tension ashore, as each mark rounding was announced.  In the end, the pressure of the final day showed on the young helm and Glen had to satisfy himself with a well earned silver medal position – losing Gold by one point!

In the Level 1 class, Jaye Noel and Akeem David had the largest fleet to stay in front of.  Their first two days were sailed so well that like the others, they were placed in the top flight.  This meant they were surrounded by Team Greece – happy and comfortable with their home conditions, as well as their other main competitors the USA.

The Level 1 boats were affected the most by postponements, either when the wind picked up to a level that put a grin on the BVI boys faces (until they were told it was too windy), or when the wind simply didn’t exist at all.  This disruption causes the most damage to the young and as Jaye and Akeem were the youngest crew in the competition, it proved a toll on them.  This could have been a good excuse to give up or stop trying, but not once did these two dream of this.  Each time they left the dock, it was with determination to show everyone watching how big their BVI hearts were.   A final result of fifth overall in a 21 boat fleet was way more than could have been asked of these young sailors.

Off the water, the delegations were treated to wonderful hospitality and care.  If you ask the six what were their finest memories of the three week adventure, they will all reply “their newly gained friends”.  These I am sure will be part of many lifelong memories.

A sometimes overlooked annex of the British Virgin Islands is ‘BVI House’ in Mayfair, London.  The ‘home from home’ of diplomats and members of the BVI Government whilst traveling and attending to business in the UK, is staffed by young and  switched-on BVIslanders who gave the team a glimpse at London life and the sights in a relaxed and meaningful way on the way out to Greece.  Mr. Kedrick Malone and Benito Wheatley took everyone for lunch and then a whistle stop tour of the not-to-be-missed highlights of the capital city.  On our return journey, as arduous as it was, London House again provided a seamless town car service from Heathrow to Gatwick. 

As to the rest of Special Olympics BVI’s thank you’s, they are never ending.  The people of North Sound in Virgin Gorda, along with ‘The Moorings’, supported their home boy – Lenford Pope with the most personally raised funds.  Many small businesses and members of our community gave donations along with schools, charitable organizations and the corporate sector.

Platinum sponsors Digicel BVI have been incredibly supportive all through the event, providing not only major monetary funding, but the means of constant communication between the delegation and home as they moved from country to country.  Maples are year round supporters of SOBVI and specifically the sailing team.  They operate silently in the background to ensure that our athletes have what they need to continue to train.  Caribbean Insurers are also a crucial link in SOBVI’s activities year round. On top of this, they ensured that during the event the delegation were covered for any eventuality possible.

BVI Airways provided our charter flight to and from Antigua. They gave freely of the friendly and efficient service and with warmth and enthusiasm for the team.  The last leg of a total throughout the trip of seven days of traveling was made so painless that the team felt like royalty!

Finally, thank you to all who made it such a wonderful homecoming at the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island on Wednesday night.   Families, teachers, members of the Board of SOBVI and Ministers, Members of the House of Assembly and Trustees alike, all cheered and clapped as a team of weary but triumphant BVIslanders walked into the terminal with gleaming metal clinking around their necks!

Digicel joins in wishing the Special Olympics BVI Team heartiest congratulations on bringing home Gold and Silver medals and an overall 5^th place from the World Special Olympics Games in Athens. We wish the team continued success!

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