By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

OVER 50 competitors braved the chilly waters of Goodman’s Bay on Saturday to try and claim a spot on the Bahamas Aquatics’ five-kilometre open water team to represent the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships.

While Malcolm Menzies and Alanna Murray topped the field in the male and female divisions, Bahamas Aquatics, according to president Algernon Cargill, will review the results and those posted in Grand Bahama before they select the open water team that will travel with the swim team to the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Trinidad & Tobago over the Easter holiday weekend.

“This was our first open water swim for the year in Nassau. It’s a CARIFTA qualifier and with over 50 swimmers competing, it was a good sign,” Cargill said. “There is an increased interest in open water swimming and we had a good number of female swimmers participating.

“The course was a bit choppy, but nonetheless, these swimmers persevered so I was happy with the results.”

Cargill stressed that based on the top three finishers in the two open water swims here in New Providence and the one previously in Grand Bahama, they will then select the team for the CARIFTA open water swim.

The top three competitors in the 12-13, 13-14 and 15-18 age group will be selected to compete.

In making their strong case for the team selection, Menzies, competing in the 15-18 age group category, topped the field in one hour, 10 minutes and 47 seconds. He was followed by William Farrington in 1:12.43 and Alexander Murray, competing in the 14-15 category, was third overall in 1:12.50.

“It was great, but the conditions of the water particularly at the end, was quite hard. I couldn’t really see the buoys, but I managed to get the job done,” said Menzies, an 11th grader at Windsor Academy and a member of Black Marlins. 

“I’m happy with it. I came here to do what I wanted to do, so I’m happy with it. I’m looking forward to CARIFTA. I just want to go for it.”

Last year, Menzies was the first Bahamian to finish the event here in Nassau where he placed seventh overall. He hopes to improve on that performance in Trinidad. 

For 15-year-old Farrington, a 10th grader at St Andrew’s and a Mako Aquatics member, he was just as thrilled with his performance.

“The conditions weren’t fairly, the waters were a bit happy, but I was still able to get it done,” Farrington said. “It was a very good race, very fierce between three or four of us in the pack for most of the race.”

Murray, a 14-year-old Black Marlins’ member, said he was definitely pushed to his limit.

“The race was very long. My arms got really tired when I was on the second lap,” said Murray, a ninth grader at Aquinas College. “But it was a pretty good race. I think it was my best time ever. The competition was a lot of fun. I had a lot of people to race with next to me.”

His older sister, Alanna, pulled away from the field to easily win the female segment of the race in 1:20.44. There was a close batter for the next three spots with Siann Isaacs getting second in 1:22.30, Barracuda’s Madison Gilbert in third in 1:22.29 with Mako’s Gillian Albury coming in fourth in 1:22.33 and Alpha Aquatics’ Samirah Donaldson was fifth in 1:22.57. 

“It was good. I felt sick today, but I still got through it. It was tiring,” said Murray, a 16-year-old 10th grader at Aquinas College and a member of Black Marlins. “I am really looking forward to competing in CARIFTA this year. Hopefully I will get to do very well.”

Isaacs, who competes for Alpha Aquatics, said it was a good race. She said if selected, she intends to compete even better.

“We tried to stick together, but it was good that I was able to get the edge at the end,” said the 14-year-old ninth grader at Windsor Academy. “I know it will be tougher at CARIFTA, so I have to be ready.”

Gilbert, a 13-year-old 10th grader at Queen’s College, said the third time around competing in the open water was much harder than the previous two. “This time the waves were a lot worse than they were the first two times,” she pointed out. “But it wasn’t so bad. It was good for us to push each other coming to the end of the race.”

Last year she competed in both the open water and the pool competition and she’s hoping to duplicate that feat again this year.

Albury, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Windsor Academy, said it was chaotic at the finish because “everyone was racing” to finish, but she was glad she got through it. “I felt like I swam a good race. I started out fast to try to separate from the pace,” she said. 

“I kept my pace steadily to stay with the girls in the front and they finished fast, but I was able to secure the second finish in my age group.”

Donaldson, a 14-year-old 10th grader at Queen’s College, said it was the first time she tried the open water, but she didn’t have as much expectations as the rest of the girls she competed against.

“I think I did very well,” she said. 

“I wanted to be right there with the other girls, but I was getting choked and then they pushed in the middle. 

“But I tried my best to stay in my place and hold on.”

Bahamas Aquatics, according to Cargill, is also in the process of finalising its swim team as the Bahamas aims to bring home the seventh straight title from the championships in Trinidad and Tobago.