After a one year hiatus due to Hurricane Irma, the Department of Sports in collaboration with the National Sports Institute (NSI) and Sint Maarten Sports and Olympic Federation is excited to host the third instalment of the Brown Pelican Sports Awards, which aims to bring awareness to various persons and organizations within the community who have contributed positively to sports and who have excelled within the sporting arena.
As the island continues to recover from the traumatic experience of September 2017, various sports play a major role as an outlet and coping mechanism to the realties that so many of us face. Therefore, under the slogan #SPORTSMATTER, this year’s awards ceremony will honour our resilient local athletes. Department of Sports Head Jonelle Richardson has been managing the organization of this event since its inception.
Recapping the history and idea behind the event, Richardson explains that “the preparations for the awards began in 2014 when the Department of Sports recognized the importance of bringing awareness to sport, the championing of our athletes, the people who made sport happen in our community and our past sporting legends. From this, we developed our Sport Awareness Campaign which comprises a Seminar, Sport Open House and the Brown Pelican Sport Awards (BPSA). The BPSA is usually held in November around Sint Maarten Day. It was decided to host the event around this time as it is the time of year that nationalism is encouraged and we also aim to encourage nationalism and an appreciation for the many contributors to sport on the island.”
The awards ceremony was dubbed the Brown Pelican Sports Awards because the National bird of Sint Maarten is the Brown Pelican and our national teams who represent the island are seen as Brown Pelicans. Along the same line, in recognition of the bird that should instil national pride, it was decided to name the event the Brown Pelican Sport Awards.
Award categories are Athlete of the Year – Male, Athlete of the Year – Female, Best Overall Team, Best Coach, Best Sporting School, Sporting Innovations, Best Sponsor, Best Sport Organization, Sports Icon and International Ambassador. In 2016, Keacy Carty (cricket) and Melissa Bardfield (mixed martial arts) took home Male Athlete and Female Athlete of the Year respectively, whilst Marco Landon won the coveted Sports Icon Award. Keacy Carty also won the International Ambassador Award. Crossfit Axylum took home Best Overall Team whilst Tri- Sport won the award for Best Sports Organization and Edsel Romney (cycling) earned the Best Coach award.
Other winners of the night included St. Maarten Academy for Best Sporting School Award and Fittest on the Rock for Sporting Innovations. Dean Hodge was named the Brown Pelican Youth Ambassador and our local football legends Eleven Brothers, John Pierre Romou, Erwin Esdaille, Ernie Rombley and Austin Brooks were honoured during the ceremony for their outstanding contribution to football on the island.
Entry costs US $10 per ticket and can be purchased at both Van Dorp locations and at the NSI office in Cay Hill at Raoul Illidge Sports Complex. The proceeds of all Brown Pelican Sports Awards go to the National Sports Institute for the development and stimulation of sports on the island. However, this year’s proceeds will be used directly by the NSI towards the repairing and rebuilding of our local sports facilities that were damaged by Hurricane Irma. Therefore, the organizing committee is adding a special element to the Awards Ceremony by having a Very Important Purpose (VIP) section at the event where local companies will have the opportunity to #stepup4sports and purchase a table for a suggested donation of at least $200. This donation will go directly towards assisting with the repairs and upgrading of our local sports facilities damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Richardson encourages everyone to attend the Brown Pelican Sports Awards: “It is a great opportunity for the public to show an appreciation for the many contributors to sport on Sint Maarten; see what has been happening on Sint Maarten; the many achievements of our athletes and contribute to the repairs of our facilities as the proceeds will go towards this.”
