April 24, 2010 - Sports can provide the key and the vehicle to open opportunities and take you to destinations unimagined!

That game-plan came from former Olympian Freida Nicholls who was giving the feature address at the Barbados Volleyball Association’s 2009 Award Ceremony at the Barbados Olympic Centre on Saturday night. 

Nicholls who is a marketing manager and lecturer by profession was speaking in front of the sponsors, awardees, representatives of the Barbados Olympic Association, the National Sports Council and the BVA Executive, where she gave a fascinating presentation on how sports had transformed her from an aspiring athlete at Queen’s College to an Olympian who travelled the world through her athletic and academic abilities.

The President of Olympians Barbados admitted that being committed to sport calls for a lot of sacrifices but the motivating factor will always be that while you are training your opponents will not be partying but training just as hard or even harder.  The Marketing Manager at Barbados Port Inc explained that applications reaching her desk will always have the required academic qualifications.

“What will give an applicant the edge will be that bottom section which speaks to extra curriculum activities.  A person involved in sports will be a person who is focused and disciplined, understands team work and respects authority,” Nicholls stated.

“Sports persons today are more visible and are sought after more by the media than Prime Ministers.  Thus, knowing your sport and being able to speak about your sport with confidence will be key for any upcoming sportsperson,” Nicholls added.

The former Olympian, while praising the good work which the BVA has been doing to make it the envy of other sporting organisation, also told the executive to groom young persons to take up the mantle of leadership in order to smoothly replace the current executive when they become ‘long in the tooth’.

The BVA also received glowing tributes from Erskine Simmons, Secretary General of the BOA and Mona Alleyne, Deputy Director of the NSC.  Simmons indicated that the BOA would continue to help the BVA in its projects while Alleyne challenged the executive to remain in the forefront of sporting organisations by seeking assistance from the NSC after raising a percentage of any needed budget.

“That action will encourage the NSC Board to recognize your effort and to contribute the shortfall or even more.  That will also inspire other associations to follow your template,” Alleyne added.

Such an example would have been in place for Carol-Lyn Edghill to capture the President’s Award who as acting president Kenmore Bynoe described had demonstrated an efficiency in policing the BVA’s funds.  Edghill was also described as bringing about a paradigm shift with the junior programme where the players and parents were motivated to raise the needed funds to take part in regional competitions.