By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Bishop Joseph “Joe Mo” Smith has decided not to seek another term in office because of his church obligations, either the second female or the first referee will be elected to take over as president of the Bahamas Volleyball Federation.

The elections will take place on Saturday at noon at the Bahamas Olympic Committee’s head office on Soldier Road when incumbent secretary general Crystal Forbes and official Kirk Farquharson will be vying to replace Smith.

“I’m going to still be a part of the sport. I’m still going to coach and train and give back to the sport in any way I can.

“But I may have some added obligations in the ministry that will not allow me to devote as much time as I should to the presidency of volleyball,” said Smith, who currently serves as the pastor of the Independence Drive Church of God.

“I will allow whoever is elected to carry on with their mandate. I will support them and be a consultant to them.”

Smith, a former national team player and coach, has been on the board of the federation since 1995 as a vice president to presidents Tony Roach and Don Cornish. Since 2012, he has taken over as the president and was preparing DeVince Smith to take over, but unfortunately he passed away and Smith continued to serve.

He was also elected to serve as a vice president of the BOC for the past 12 years, but Smith said it’s time to pass the baton on and he’s eager to assist whoever takes over from him.

Forbes, who served as the secretary general since 2002, said her plans are quite simple.

“Being in the federation for so many years, I understand what the sport needs and the people involved,” she said.

“I have a slightly different concept for the sport than some of the other leaders who have been there before.”

If elected, she will become the second female president of the federation, following in the footsteps of Cora Hepburn. But Forbes said she already has her plans in place should she be successful in her bid.

“The first thing on the agenda is to develop some coaches,” she said. “We are lacking in the coaching department,” she stated. “After that, build a gym. Volleyball needs a home. We’ve been tossed and turned around, but we need our own home where we can play and make magic for our kids.”

For Farquharson, a long-time official, the decision to run was not hard pressed.

“I’m offering myself as president for the Bahamas Volleyball Federation because I believe I have a lot to offer,” said Farquharson, a former two-time president of NOVA, former assistant secretary of the BVH and currently an international referee for FIVA and now the president of the New Providence Volleyball Officials Association.

“I believe my years of experience around volleyball and my years of experience in travelling to international competition, not just to referee, but to take a look at the organisational structure and I even took the time out to study the sport, so I think I have a lot to offer for the growth and development of volleyball.”

If elected, Farquharson said he would like to restructure volleyball.

“With the restructuring comes constitutional reform and the redevelopment of the Family Islands.

As he gets ready to demit office, Smith said his tenure was amazing.

“The lives that we got to touch and people I got to meet around the world and forge relationships in the Caribbean and the respect that was given to The Bahamas and my administration is something that I will cherish.

“Our men went to the third round of the World Qualifiers where we were one step away from making the Olympic Games,” Smith said. “So that in itself is special. We beat the Dominican Republic and Panama. We beat some big countries. “But because we don’t have the proper facilities to train in and people have to work, we are fighting some elements that have caused us not to get to the next level. But for a small country, we have done very well.”

For the new administration coming into office, Smith said they will have to focus on beach volleyball where the sport is heading right now. “If there were not some things that are expected to happen for me, I would have run again,” Smith said. “But I have to be wise. I have to move off the scene and let someone else take over.”

The BVF has been one of the more vibrant sporting bodies in the country.

In recent years, both the men and women national teams have gained international success, but there’s still room for the juniors to crack the ceiling.

There has also been a decline in the participation of teams and players in the Family Islands, which undoubtedly will be one of the major goals for the federation moving forward.