By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

‘GOLDEN girl’ Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie was overwhelmed by the recognition she got this past week on her return home.

Ferguson-McKenzie, who is preparing to transit back home for good, said she was thrilled to know that the Member of Parliament for Bain & Grants Town, Wayde Watson and organiser Sean Bastian decided to remember her for her contributions by naming her as the honoree for their fourth annual Summer Games.

“I’m always grateful to be honoured while I’m alive,” said Ferguson-McKenzie as she attended the completion of the basketball tournament on the court at the Southern Recreational Grounds.

“But it’s important for the next generation to be able to do what could be done if they put in the hard work to be successful.” 

The 49-year-old highly decorated Ferguson-McKenzie, who has won individual and relay medals at every level of competition from the CAC Youth Championships and CARIFTA Games to the World Championships and the Olympics, said she was glad that she could spend the time home with her husband Adrian and mother Elka.

Watson said they couldn’t have selected a better choice than Ferguson-McKenzie to honour this year. They presented her with a plaque during the track meet last week and during the finals of basketball, she presented the awards to the winning teams. “She was able to come out and attend all of our events as she interacted with the people in the community,” Bastian said. “A lot of the athletes who participated were thrilled to see her.”

Bastian noted it’s always good when someone from within the community where they grew up gets to be honored for their contribution to society.

During the initial Summer Games, Bastian said they honored Governor General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Praatt and former minor league baseball player Fred ‘Papa’ Smith, who both played multiple sports and played very well.

For the second games, Golden Girl Pauline Davis was the recipient, followed by Olympian Nathaniel ‘Nat’ McKinney and basketball standout Deckery ‘the Cobra’ Johnson.

This time around, Bastian said they were really thrilled to be able to honor Ferguson-McKenzie, who has made a valuable impact on the community that she grew up in.

“We try to look within the community to find those individuals who have done very well professionally, in college or at the Olympics,” said Bastian, a former basketball player.

“We try to bring them in during our summer games so that we can show the participants that if they perform as well as they should, they too could one day follow in the shoes of the honorees, who would have “

While the competition in track and field and basketball was fierce over the week of competition, Bastian said they will be making some adjustments for 2026, which would enable them to include events for more of the ladies’ to compete in.