Sport in the Caribbean

by Kelsey Moore


It has been quite interesting to learn about sport in the Caribbean and the importance of specific sport to specific cultures. We were given a very in depth look at cricket in Barbados and the historical and cultural history of it. There is not even a comparable sport in the US that is so embedded in culture that it becomes part of one's national identity. Cricket has played that role in Barbados and has largely overshadowed all other sports on the island. However, different sporting cultures have emerged on other West Indies islands as soccer reigns king in Trinidad and Tobago and track and field remains dominant in Jamaica. It was interesting to hear how soccer is Barbados is seen as the gang and drug related sport while cricket is much more of the civilized sport which all young people are encouraged to play as a part of the growth and development process. Cricket is respected and followed by almost everyone in Barbados, but has become a sore subject of late for some. The Barbados (and West Indies) cricket teams are not performing to the exceptionally high standards set in past decades by their teams of being among the best in the world. Despite still being hands down the most popular sport at grassroots and elite levels, cricket in Barbados is not at the competitive level that they used to be.

St. Lucia, however, has a very different grassroots sporting culture in that most youth here are playing soccer. There is some variety with programs in volleyball, cricket and netball as well, but soccer still remains the most popular sport on the island of St. Lucia. It is interesting, since the current captain of the West Indies cricket team is from St. Lucia, that there is not more of a widespread interest in playing the sport. In that respect, St. Lucia seems more similar to other developing nations in which soccer is played by everyone everywhere and provides an opportunity for someone to leave their home area. Many of the children and youth in St. Lucia have never left the island due to financial constraints. Sport may provide an opportunity for a youth to be offered a much sought-after scholarship to an American university or even a chance to travel to another Caribbean island to play in regional competitions. Learning about sport and the culture surrounding various sports in the Caribbean has really been a new and exciting experience!

Snorkeling, Shipwrecks, and Sea Turtles!

On Monday afternoon we ventured down to the neighboring St. James Parish via a reggae bus for a 2 hour snorkeling excursion off the coast of Holetown Beach. In case you’re wondering what a reggae bus is, imagine this: a public transportation bus that rapidly pulls over wherever it pleases to pick up passengers and ensures a stifling hot, crowded, and noisy ride. Once you step foot on the bus you are guaranteed a ride to your destination featuring the hottest selection of island music for just $2 BDS! Reggae buses have also come to be known as a great way for college students who want an inexpensive ride and who don't mind mingling with the locals (as in being so close to them that chances are, your sweat is probably quite literally mingling with theirs) to get around the island.
Each bus ride is certainly an experience in itself but I digress…

Holetown Beach
Photo Credit: Malene Kjær

After we arrived at Holetown Beach we negotiated prices with a number of local boat owners until we got the best price for an afternoon of snorkeling (again, doing as we college students do best and going with the cheapest option!) Once we were satisfied with the price we hopped on board a glass bottom double-decker boat and went out a short distance from the coast to begin snorkeling. Our first stop was over a coral reef where six of us donned a mask and snorkel and took the plunge into the crystal clear Caribbean Ocean while the others looked on from the boat.

Snorkeling through a school of fish

At the reef we saw brain coral, fan coral, and a plethora of brightly colored fish including parrot fish and trumpet fish. Although some of us felt that the massive schools of fish were already swimming a little too close for comfort, our guides and fellow classmates who were watching from the comfort of the boat disagreed. So, in an effort to attract the fish closer to the surface of the water the guides and our classmates who chose to stay on the boat proceeded to throw slices of bread into the ocean. This caused an impromptu feeding frenzy in which we were involuntarily centered. At this point I think most of us felt we had gotten a little more than we had bargained for as the fish were jumping out of the water, splashing around us, and swimming up against us!

Our second and much less eventful stop was at a man-made shipwreck site. After a few minutes of snorkeling our guides explained to us that what we were seeing 30 meters below the surface was a previously functioning cargo ship that had been filled with concrete and purposefully sunken to become a tourist attraction. While we snorkeled over the shipwreck we enjoyed seeing and swimming alongside many types of fish!

One of the many sea turtles!

A short distance further down the coast was the grand finale on our snorkeling excursion. At the last stop we had the opportunity to swim with Sea Turtles. This was definitely the most highly anticipated part of the day and it certainly did not disappoint! As soon as we jumped off of the boat and into the water, we became fast friends with the turtles! We definitely got the up close and personal sea turtle experience we were guaranteed as we were actually shaking hands and receiving high-fives from our new ocean dwelling friends! This was truly an incredible and unique experience, something I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the island of Barbados!

Overall we all had a great time out on the boat and in the water; it was definitely one of the most memorable days of the trip!

A Good "Lime" Depends Greatly on Good Company

THIS IS FOR MY PEOPLE. Hospitable, kind, and genuine are the words that come to mind to describe those who we encountered and interacted with during this trip. Some took us in as if we were members of their extended family in town for a visit. Some made it their mission to show us a good time and assure that we experienced as much as possible. Some were fascinated with our swagger and wanted to hangout so it could rub off on them not knowing that the intentions were mutual. Some relationships started as business and ended as a friendship. Some started as friendships and made it easy to do business.  

As my father says “we are just plain folks, trying to have a good time.” I believe that if you exude respect, are genuine, and have overall good character it is recognized and reciprocated. 

Now for some cliché statements to wrap up: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “Treat other’s the way you would want to be treated.” “Don’t worry, be Happy.”

To Smitty, Phillip, Rommel, Snake, Sammy D, Ted, Adrian and many more I thank you, your eclectic personalities have represented your country well, I can only hope we did the same.

Bathsheba - By Annika Svensson

            On Tuesday January 10^th, 2012 we had to get up extremely early to head to Bathsheba for a day of surfing. Bathsheba is located on the other side of the island (the east side) so we left our dorms by 8am to ensure we could make all our bus times. We had to catch two buses to make our way over but the second bus only ran every two hours so we had to make our 9am stop. Driving around here is probably some of the craziest driving experience I think I’ve ever personally been through. Our first bus was pretty quite but very over crowded because the rest of residents of the island had school to attend to. As a quick side note, the school uniforms are some the brightest uniforms and spread of colors I have ever seen; it’s just so beautiful and they all look so cute. Our second bus ride was crazy though. Since Bathsheba is located on the other side of the island, that landscaping is laid out slightly different from ours over here on the west side of the island. The roads are still very narrow and torn up, but we went on some of the hilliest roads on the island I personally think. Nicole and I were pretending we were on a roller coaster as we went up and down through some of the villages. Probably the best thing about being on the second bus was the fact that we got to see what more of the local residential areas looked like. Finally after about an hour of traveling we reached Bathsheba.

            Our next goal for the trip was to locate “Snake” who was going to be our surfing instructor for the day. After searching for a blue house with a white roof for about five minutes we saw a Bajan man staying in the distance waving us down. Since the waves we first arrived were apparently not good surfing material, according to Snake, he invited us back to his house for a few minutes so he could get ready and hoped the waves picked up. We found out that he doesn’t teach professionally, but it’s more of a side job. Apparently how he got his name when he first started surfing he road a short board instead of a long board which means he was able to weave through the waves and people much easier so he was given the name Snake. I wish that one of us had taken a very clear photo of him because he was probably in his early 60’s but one of the coolest guys we had met on the island. While we sat and waited he provided us with fresh picked bananas and coconut, which was incredible. An hour later it was time to hit the waves.

            As we reached the beach to our far left we saw something that looked like a nature made pool area. The water reached about four feet deep but there was a little rope swing that allowed you to swing down from the rocks into the shallow pool if you wanted too. The water was so refreshing from the burning sun. While we chilled in the pool for a while Snake recruited a friend to help out with the surf lessons. One by one each of the group members who decided to surf went out there and went for it. Everyone got up at least once but probably the best of all of us was Kelsey. The few of us who didn’t surf walked around the beach to take pictures of the massive rocks that were just standing there in the middle of the ocean. I realized that the east coast the water is much rougher, the waves were coming in and break about every minute but there were rocks everywhere. After three hours and everyone completely their time it was time to head back to grab a very late lunch.

Spear fishing off the coast of Barbados

A few of us woke up bright and early for a day of fishing out on a boat.  We met up with David Smith, an experienced reef diver/fisherman who offered to take five of us out with him, while he and two other experienced divers went spear fishing on a reef about half a mile out in the ocean. We arrived at the beach where the Captain and David were already preparing for the dive. When we got there, we helped load a small dingy with gear and supply's and we rowed it out to the boat which was anchored about 100 yards offshore.    Once the two other divers arrived, we were off.  We spent the early morning out on the water and conducted two dives, each about 45 minutes long.  The divers all speared a variety of fish on the reef at two different locations consisting of Parrot Fish, Red Belly Chub, Red Snapper, Ling Ling, Spanish Mackerel and Barracuda.   We had the opportunity to line fish in between dives, and I was lucky enough to snag my own Ling Ling on a hook.  We were also given the opportunity to snorkel and swim around a pier which was full of aquatic life.  After about  5 hours we headed back to shore and took our catch to a local restaurant, where it was prepared into a delicious meal for us.  What a great day!!

Who doesn't love a game of beach baseball?

Yesterday since the weather was absolutely gorgeous a few of us decided to walk down to the local beach for a couple of hours before our night seminar. It didn't take long before we realized that there wasn't going to be much swimming going on due to the high tide, rough waves and strong undertow. The tide was so high that there really wasn't any space to set up our towels and hang out either. After standing around in the wake of the water for a bit we were getting a little bored of just standing around. This is when we noticed these little round, green fruit and branches that were perfect to use as a baseball bat. We figured that this was great, a bunch of sport management majors playing a sport on the beach! It started as just a few of us throwing them while others tried to swing and hit them into the woods and eventually we decided to use rocks as bases and set up a baseball game. It seemed as though if you hit the fruit at the right angle they would split open and fly everywhere, which of course became an object of the game. We decided that if you hit the fruit hard enough to either go in the water or the woods you could move forward one base. Before starting the game we all went around collecting as many of these fruit as possible to use as our baseballs. This is when the lifeguard came over. He informed us that he didn't foresee any swimming today due to the water conditions and oh yeah that fruit? It's called manchineel fruit and it is highly poisonous. If the inside part touches your skin you will blister up or it will burn your skin. He let us know that we should wash our hands and stay far away from the fruit. If it rains and you stand under it, the run off from the tree is enough to produce blisters. (Check it out --> http://www.best-barbados-beaches.com/manchineel-trees.html ) So much for our baseball game!!! On the way out we saw a sign posted high in a tree about the danger of the manchineel trees, to stay away from the fruit, and to avoid standing under them while it is raining. Apparently we were forewarned! Luckily we all washed up and didn't get any blisters or burns but to anyone coming to Barbados in the future.. even though you think baseball is a good idea with the little green fruit and your proud of yourself for incorporating your major into fun games, be careful to stay away from the manchineel!!!

-Melanie Shanfield

3W's Oval

The 3W’s Oval

 

Today we arrived in Barbados and met the entire group at the airport. We then arrived at our dorm rooms which are located in Frank Worrell Hall. Our rooms are great and very different from the dorm rooms back home because of the tropical weather. The rooms are very open and usually everyone keeps all the windows open. The best thing about our rooms is our view. We are located directly across the famous 3W’s Oval. It’s a great field and one of the best cricket ovals in the world. I have a decent knowledge of cricket and have been watching games with my grandfather, dad, and uncle since I was three years old but last night I saw my first pro game live! The game was the pro Barbados team versus the pro Trinidad and Tobago team. The Barbados team lived up to their reputation of fast bowling and were bowling balls at around ninety miles per hour against the Trinidad and Tobago team. As I mentioned before, I have never seen a live game before so the pace of the game was shocking and seeing bowlers bowl at ninety miles per hour was a great sporting experience for me. The venue itself has a tremendous amount of history as well which is amazing for any cricket fan. The grave sites of Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Clyde Walcott are also located here at the 3W’s Oval. The 3W’s oval is named after Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Clyde Walcott, and Sir Everton Weekes who all made up the 3W’s. All three are legendary cricketers from Barbados and reached worldwide fame in during the forties and fifties. They all have a monument here at the Oval that honors them. The game was great and Dr. Nauright correctly predicted that Trinidad and Tobago would score between one hundred and fifteen and one hundred and twenty runs and they actually scored one hundred nineteen. The atmosphere around the game was very enjoyable and people from the local community came to see their countrymen beat Trinidad and Tobago. The audience had all ages and the fans for the Barbados team were quite vocal and very supportive of their team. My favorite part of the first day was when I saw how the locals here in Barbados support and love cricket. Even if you don’t know anything about Cricket you could tell that the locals here in Barbados are hardcore fans who really support the game. I think one of the easiest ways to soak up the local culture is at cricket game because it’s more than just a game here - on this Island it is a way of life and a way of showing West Indian pride.

-AJ Rashid