By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club held its sixth annual Motivational, Health and Wellness Seminar this past weekend at the University of the Bahamas Library Auditorium.

The seminar was attended by Red-Line athletes, coaches and parents. 

Key speakers at the seminar included Renward Wells, former minister and former sprinter, who spoke on the pipeline of track and field to leadership, and Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, who addressed athlete development and governance.

Former Olympian Ivanique Kemp spoke on life after track, Petra Haven, representing the Bahamas Anti-Doping Agency, spoke on anti-doping laws, Dr Kent Bazard and Debbie Ferguson McKenzie addressed performance, rehab and body maintenance and Harrison Thompson spoke on mental health. 

Red-Line Athletics’ head coach Tito Moss spoke on the purpose and importance of the seminar.

“From its inception, I realised we need to speak to the whole child, whether it’s mentally, whether it’s nutritionally, whether it is physically, so we seek from the very beginning to provide the kids with all the tools they need to function and we continue to find persons in this space to be able to help them, inspire them, motivate them, show them what are food eating habits and show them how to function in this space because track and field is not only physical.

“It’s also mental and the nutritional part of it also plays a role. We want our athletes to be prepared both mentally and physically so when they step to the line they know they have checked all the boxes required for them to function well and to achieve greatness in this sport requires you to be disciplined in all facets of the sport and this is just providing them with some of the tools that they need to be able to function well,” he added. 

Said BAAA President Drumeco Archer: “This seminar is beyond the tangible aspects of our sport, and we really want to focus on the mental aspect and the preparation.

“What we don’t have is a sense of who I am and what my capabilities are.

“And so changing the value proposition of our sport, changing the way we approach our sport is so important to the way we progress,” explained Mr Archer.

The club plans to build momentum with this seminar as the track season approaches.