CARIBARENA Antigua

Culture (from Wikipedia online) is an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning.

It also implies a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution, organization or group. A revolution ( from Wikipedia online) is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.

There is a revolution taking place in our communities and culture. Antiguans & Barbudans have always played community sports, and organized sports as a trait of our national culture came out of that expression.

For numerous reasons, our communities aren’t playing as they once did. Our recent results at regional and international sports tournaments have been very disappointing, and it may be more than coincidence that so many of our youth are involved in crime and other associated ills plaguing the state in recent times.

Regaining our youth and revitalizing community involvement through sports participation may help to reverse this trend. A number of communities have started wholly community driven and originated initiatives which aim to achieve better sporting facilities(Indoor Gymnasium).

This is the start of the revolution. Jules Bowen leads a team of concerned sports enthusiasts and is contesting for the presidency of the Antigua and Barbuda Amateur Basketball Association (ABABA) at its general elections scheduled for the Multi-Purpose  Cultural and Exhibition Centre at Perry Bay next Monday night.

Bowen’s team comprises past players, league organizers and community organizers dedicated to evolving the business of ABABA basketball into a self sufficient, independent and profitable venture. He is a member and coach of the Zephy’s Trucking basketball team in the honourable Harold Lovell basketball invitational tournament.  He has been an unofficial ambassador for the sport on the island having played in the ABABA league for the past 22 years, playing pivotal roles on teams such as CTV Clippers, Le Chateau Reflections, Ballers, Quakers, Freetown Travellers, and Island Original.

Bowen also played basketball in college at the CUC campus in Trinidad and the UAEM campus in Mexico, and has won numerous accolades and trophies over the years. Some high points of his playing years include being called up three times to try out for the National Youth Team during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

Bowen and his team have been vigorously campaigning over the past 6 weeks and have hosted a number of meetings, highlighting the team’s manifesto and initiatives. He has stressed the need to prioritize the issues affecting the sport on the administrative level before anything else can be done. Some of the initiatives include:

Broad Goals & Objectives

* Rebranding basketball in Antigua & Barbuda
* Redoubling efforts to further expose basketball in Antigua & Barbuda to the local public and taking the unique Antiguan – Barbudan experience regionally and internationally
* Bringing organized basketball to all the communities on the islands
* Developing an entertainment package for a regular basketball experience (weekends)

Short term goals & objectives

Deepening the discussion between the ABBA executive and clubs

* Evolving teams into clubs
* Players’ Association
* Year round training for the athletes
* Working closer with the Ministry of Sports to develop greater participation at the school level (Junior and Senior levels)

* Increase prize monies and pay out overdue prize monies and trophies etc
* Forge partnerships with regional and international associations and clubs
* More televised games
* Corporate, legal and sponsorship tie-in
* Assist in developing a world class national arena and other community facilities

A Lesson from Barbados Dear Mr Editor. Your recent news item about the horrific crime committed in Barbados where six persons were burned to death brings to the fore the nee... read more

Bowen and his group of concerned sports enthusiasts aim to revive the popularity of the sport and maximize the potential of the local sporting talent. This is a wonderful opportunity for the official body responsible for organized basketball in Antigua and Barbuda to join the revolution started and do its part in further evolving our sporting culture. He and his team have promised to open effective communication channels between the executive and the affected stakeholders during his tenure if elected. A catch phrase of the group is “All hands on board, let’s work together”. At one of the recent meetings his team hosted, he opined to a number of well known stakeholders, “We all have to work together and turn around our basketball culture, and we would like to invite all members contesting the upcoming elections to engage in meaningful and collaborative dialogue even after the results of the elections are known, next week”.

Team members:

* President – Jules Bowen
* 1st Vice President – Vincent ( Vere ) Cornelius
* 2nd Vice President – Jules Williams
* Treasurer – Dave “Beef” Joseph
* Secretary – Arlene Josiah
* Asst Secretary – Kevin Edwards
* Public Relations Officer (PRO) – Patrick “Barry” Simon
* Floor Member 1- Bobby Joseph
* Floor member 2- Lance Browne
* Referee Representative - TBD

 

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