By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It’s not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish

• The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

THE sport of volleyball got a big boost over the weekend when the sixth annual ‘Defend Ya Spike’ Tournament was held at the DW Davis Gymnasium.

The tournament, held in memory of the late DeVince Smith, saw the return of a number of collegiate players who came home and turned in some credible performances in both the men’s and women’s division.

At the end of the three days, it was quite interesting to watch as the collegiate-loaded teams survived as the champions over the more experienced-based teams.

Thanks to the efforts of persons like the late Smith, who founded the tournament, Jason Saunders and Raymond Wilson - just to name a few who worked tirelessly with the youth programme - the event has assisted in securing athletic scholarships for a number of the local players to get off to school.

If this is any indication, the future looks bright for the sport, especially considering the fact that the Bahamas now has a chance to start the ball rolling towards qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Might sound far fetched, but in order for the Bahamas to get started, the sporting bodies can’t wait until a year away from the actual games.

The Bahamas Volleyball Federation, headed by Joseph ‘Joe Mo’ Smith, should be looking at the process now with so many players emerging as bonafide players.

There’s no use for these players to go off to college and university and develop their skills and they don’t get the chance to come home and represent their country at the international level.

We’ve seen the proof in male players like Byron Ferguson, who plays professionally in Europe, Jamaal Ferguson, who played in the United States and Eugene Stuart, who led a list of college players that also include Rajhael Moxey, Shonari Hepburn and Lorenzo Williams.

There are no players that have reached the professional status on the ladies’ side, but there are quite a number of college-based players like Brooke Deveaux, Avoni Seymour, Brittany Bonamy, Jannell Curtis, Je’Nae Saunders, Ashley Webb, Chandra Mackey, Leandra Armbrister, Philicia Johnson, who are excelling at the collegiate level.

I want to congratulate the Panthers A, with Brooke Deveaux as the most valuable player for their triumph over the ladies’ champions and the Defenders B with Chauncey Cooper as the MVP, for claiming the ladies’ and men’s championship titles respectively.

If you missed it, the federation is planning to host a National Independence Volleyball Tournament in July, which should provide an avenue for their players to continue to display their skills.

Hopefully from these two tournaments, the federation would be able to field two solid teams to travel this summer to represent the Bahamas in the regional competition at the Caribbean Volleyball Championship level.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The focus this week will be placed on the dual national championships for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and the Bahamas Swimming Federation.

The BAAA will embark on an exciting week of competition with the Junior Nationals to be staged from Wednesday to Thursday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium, followed by the Senior Nationals Friday to Saturday in the new TAR stadium.

Competitors will be vying for selection to teams representing the Bahamas at the IAAF World Junior Championships, scheduled for July 19-24 in Poland and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-21.

The BAAA will culminate the weekend on Sunday with a gala awards ceremony at the British Colonial Hilton when the stars of 2015 will be honoured for their accomplishments.

The BSF, on the other hand, will hold their annual Royal Bank of Canada National Swimming Championships from Thursday to Sunday at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

The Nationals will also serve as the final trials for the Olympics.

Additionally, right after the completion of the nationals, the BSF will be busy with the hosting of the 2016 Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships the following Monday.

Swimmers from more than 20 countries are expected in town to compete in the championships, which will provide a final chance to qualify for the trip to Rio.

So if you’re in town and get some time to spare, you can pick your choice of sporting discipline that you want to attend to show your support. Both track and field and swimming should provide some high level competition with some keenly contested match-ups in both the men’s and women’s division. It’s going to be an exciting next weekend.