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THE FREEPORT NEWS

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

SPORTS

GBFFL continues to see progress

Annual Invitational Tournament plans near completion

SHAYNE STUBBS
FN Sports Reporter
shayne@nasguard.com
Week 10 of the Grand Bahama
Flag Football League is in the
books, as teams begin to get
ready for the play-off, which is
set to begin July 5.
With the 11-week regular season coming to an end this Sunday, Public Relations Officer for
the GBFFL, Vincent Marshall
recapped the season briefly this
past Sunday.
So far the season has been really exciting. We had a lot of
new teams come in this season

and it would have taken them

some time before they started
clicking, Marshall noted at the
Grand Bahama Sports Complex.
Right now we have some
teams that have really started to
get it together, so to speak. Most
specifically, we have the (Hot
Shots Liquors) Assassins who
have been on a two game winning streak. We have the Lady
Warriors, who have actually
given the top teams some competition.
On the mens side, Its still one
sided. We have our power teams
that have been dominating every
season, but we have newcomers
that have been coming out and

Sports
Scope
With Fred Sturrup

Young boxer excels in

classroom with 3.50 GPA
There was a myth, long associated with boxers. Its not complimentary. Boxers were (and still are to a large degree) given credit
for brawn but not brain. Physical strength and athletic skill have
always been recognized, but not intelligence, in particular.
In recent eras, some boxers have emerged who made inroads in
dispelling the myth. One such, who is doing that today, in a significant way, is young Anthon Jerome Moxey. The 15-year-old is
trained by Meacher Major and Kaito Ferguson and is a registered
member of the Meacher Major Boxing Club and the Pan American Caribbean Boxing Organization (PACBO).
Moxey is relatively new to the sport but has improved by leaps
and bounds. The capacity to quickly catch on is characteristic of
the young boxer. A 3.50 grade point average at C. I. Gibson High
School is indicative of the total quality of the son of Shantell Sears
and Arthur Moxey.
According to Major, their young ring proteg has been in the
gym for just three months, but follows instructions very well.
Moxey has a perspective far beyond his years. He aspires to be
a cardiovascular surgeon but for now, the objectives are to play a
lot of attention to his studies and to learn what he can about boxing.
I love boxing. It keeps me fit and teaches me discipline. Its
also a great way to let off steam, said Moxey.
What a guy?
He is the pride and joy of C. I. Gibson High. Moxey is on the
Principals List, a prestigious achievement, and he is depicted as
an excellent and conscientious student.
With the 3.50 GPA and a top-level gym report card as well,
Moxey has become the first boxer to qualify for the next PACBO
trip. PACBO, with the head office in The Bahamas, is working
directly with the Meacher Major Boxing Club. Major is a PACBO
Regional Director
In August, with the endorsement of the Bahamas Boxing Federation, PACBO will sponsor a Bahamian teams travel to the
Turks and Caicos Islands. PACBO has re-activated its networking
with regional member nations. Previously, PACBO sponsored Bahamian boxers who fought in Jamaica, and New Jersey. Just recently Lennox Boyce traveled to New Jersey and engaged in a
highly successful exhibition, courtesy of PACBO.
I am the president of PACBO and it is a privilege to be associated with Major, Ferguson and their young charges.
Boyce and Moxey are important elements in the national sports
development program.

Police Enforcers and BORCOOilers going head-to-head in GBFlag Football action as the regular
season winds down and teams head into the play-offs.
(PHOTO:SHAYNESTUBBS)

showing up every Sunday, and

you can see the progression in
their play every week.
Some of the teams that have
been pretty dominant in the
mens division are the Chances
Alliance (8-1); the Bahama Rock
Excavators (8-1); the FCP Stackers (6-3) and the Shipyard
Wreckers (5-4).
However, Marshall noted that
two teams have stepped up and
made names for themselves.
Surprisingly the Police Enforcers (6-3), their team was a
power team.They seem to have
fallen off a little bit, but at this
point in the season, they do seem
to be getting it back together and
are a force to be reckoned with.
And surprisingly, the Sands
Bears have stepped up. Over the
off-season they made some excellent pick-ups and they are
now making a run towards a pos-

sible championship title this season.

While the mens division has
certainly provided action worth
watching, Marshall is really
pleased with the womens divisions play and he feels strongly
that the division will only continue to get better and better.
Most notably the womens
side of it has really been impressive. We have the MLM Eagles;
they have continually been an offensive threat to every team. You
have the Lady Enforcers that
have been a defensive threat to
every team and everybody pretty
much has an idea what their
play-offs are going to look like.
The men, the play-off picture
is slowly coming together. So,
definitely well have to wait until
the end of the regular season to
determine exactly who is who in
that aspect.

With the steady progress of the

league on the upswing, Marshall
is hopeful that the fan base will
continue to increase, while also
hoping more corporate sponsors
would hop on board.
Were hoping to get more
sponsors along with us. Most recently we had Marcos come on
in week eight. We have Bahamas
Beverage and Brewery Company
and they have been a consistent
sponsor for us. We also have a
well-known franchise (that could
not be disclosed at this time) that
has already committed to sponsoring next season, so thats a
good sign. Weve also gotten
Coca-Cola to sponsor us this season so they have come through,
along with PowerAde, those two
brands, and they have been pretty
good to us this season.
Once the post-season is completed, and champions have been

crowned in both divisions, teams

will shift their focus towards the
Annual GBFFL Invitational
Tournament, set for August 1-3.
Last year, five teams out of
Nassau came and participated,
which Marshall noted as a big
improvement from what they
normally had.
This year, Marshall said, they
expect a total of 20 teams (eight
womens teams, 12 mens teams)
to play in the sixth chapter of the
tournament, one of those teams
will be from the Family Islands.
We also have this year, one
team that is coming out of
Abaco. Abaco, for the first time,
will be presenting an all-star
team to compete in our tournament.
Were still finalizing the last
few details, but weve already secured accommodations, and most
people may be shocked by that
but when we announce the tournament well announce who those
sponsors are. And were finalizing
our airfare. We have gotten something from an airline already and
thats been related to the teams in
Nassau and theyre really looking
forward to it. Were expecting
more than five teams this time and
believe it or not, some teams out
of Nassau have already committed and they have already paid
their registration fees.
To the general public, Marshall
urged them to come out, even if
you havent watched a game of
flag football as yet. And to those
who have been faithful every
Sunday, If they have been
watching and see the teams
progress, to see who makes it to
the championship games is definitely going to be something and
I think those games are going to
be the most exciting for the season.

To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com

Week 11 Game Schedule (final week of regular season)

1:00 p.m.
GB Shipyard Wreckers
vs
Fast Track Flyers
ANTHON MOXEY,
pictured with his report card

2:20 p.m.
Bahama Rock Excavators
vs

MSC Tritons
3:40 p.m.
FCP Stackers
vs
RBPF Enforcers...
5:00 p.m.

Westminster Runners
vs
Sands Bears
6:20 p.m.
Chances Alliance
vs
BORCO Oilers