Across the seven-mile width of New Providence you may hear the howling of wolves, marking its territory and gathering its troops at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium for a great big battle of talents at the DTSP Wolfpack Track and Field Classic. Yes! It’s hunting season once again and we collectively are hunting for prized possessions – the greatest talent that the country can provide in track and field.
As we move into the historic year of 2023, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) is proud to endorse and sanction this edition of the DTSP Wolfpack Track and Field Classic in the year that we celebrate 50 years of Bahamianhood and 50 years of track and field excellence in the Caribbean!
With every pack of runners, jumpers and throwers, we intend to assemble the ultimate pack of athletes who will serve as the standard bearers for The Bahamas at the 50th edition of The Carifta Games, that the Federation will host on April 8-10, 2023 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Not only as a meet promoter that we are grateful to the DTSP Wolfpack organization, but we are equally grateful for its continued contribution to our program, adding content to our competition schedule and excitement to our sport!
This and every other track meet leading into the Carifta Games will be considered a Blue-Ribbon certified event, which
serves as a qualifying meet for the Carifta Games. I am incredibly pleased to see the talent teeming around the track training with the intensity of true champions in the months that lay ahead of us.
On January 21, 2023, the entire track and field family will join in the chorus of howling, as we all join in the gathering of the wolves for yet another exciting track and field showcase. On this occasion, I wish to congratulate Larry and Gail Clarke together with the diligent and energetic team of the DTSP Wolfpack Organization for putting on a BlueRibbon-standard event.
I am equally pleased to recognize the patron for this event, Mr. Neville Wisdom, both an iconic coach who has produced some of the finest athletes of our sport and a fine parliamentarian who has served this 50-year-old Bahamas proudly.
Welcome once again to hunting season!
Drumeco D. L. Archer President Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA)
DRUMECO ARCHER
We have reached a major milestone in the Wolfpack family, as this is our 8th year as an organization and our 5th annual track meet. We are elated after a pause due to COVID-19 to be back hosting our track classic.
The Wolfpack family is relatively a babe in the industry, but our achievements in our short tenure are notable and we are proud as an organization. We are now at the juncture where many of our alumni have successfully completed university and are beginning to make valuable contributions to our country and even on the global stage. This augurs well for our brand and franchise. We believe our athletic prowess should be accompanied by academic success. Our objectives speak to the same.
The club started with what I call the Magnificent Seven, and this year I say “goodbye” to the last two remaining members- Lydia Clarke and Philip “PJ” Gray. We wish all of our graduating seniors the best as they matriculate into university and join the halls of the alumni who are doing quite well.
We were fortunate in 2022 to attend two international meets in Florida where our athletes did quite well. We hope to continue this trend in the future. In July 2022, we hosted our 2nd Annual Boot Camp in Fresh Creek, Andros. Plans are in the making to expand the Camp to the local residents of Fresh Creek.
We are honored and most pleased to have as our honoree former Cabinet Minister The Honorable Neville Wisdom. Mr. Wisdom is a former educator and is known for the development of a myriad of successful athletes and coaches of our nation. I am pleased to speak of my coach from The Government High School Mr. Wisdom with fond memories. Mr. Wisdom would have instilled in the young people he mentored the importance of integrity, good work ethic, humility, discipline and sportsmanship as the hallmarks for success in athletics. I have taken those same attributes with me and have purposely tried to instill the same morals in our children of the Wolfpack family.
This year’s meet as always is meant to be a family event. We are happy to introduce a few additional events that foster healthy rivalry between Corporate Bahamas and Law Enforcement Agencies. We are grateful for the plethora of clubs from Nassau and the Family Islands that have come to join us for this year’s festivities. We trust that this will be as eventful for you as it is for our administrative arm who are responsible for organizing our meet. We are indeed grateful to all who have assisted in making this event a success. We say a special Thank You to our faithful sponsors, parents, and guardians who have supported us this year.
We look forward to outstanding performances from all athletes and wish them all an enjoyable and safe meet. Let the games begin!
Larry Clarke Head Coach & President
We were blessed this season with a new Assistant CoachCoach Paul “Mighty Mouse” Wilson. Coach Wilson is our strength and nutritional coach and has fit in quite well into the Wolf Pack Family.
“SUCCESS, YOU CAN’T JUST WISH FOR IT, YOU MUST WORK FOR IT!”
Mr. Neville Wisdom was born on the island of New Providence on August 11, 1950 to the late Mr. Walter and Mrs. Dorothy Wisdom. The third of six children, he was raised in Oakes Field, with the family later moving to Highland Park.
Mr. Wisdom commenced his formal education at St. Anne’s School, where he served as Head Boy and later attended Queen’s College. He then completed his tertiary education at Minnesota State University, Mankato where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree. Upon completion of his studies, Mr. Wisdom entered the teaching profession, rising to the position of Senior Master at The Government High School.
Mr. Wisdom was introduced to Track and Field by his father, Walter Wisdom and his brother, Olympian Gerald Wisdom. He specialized in the long jump discipline, but his enduring contribution will be that of nation builder in the areas of Youth and Sports. Mr. Wisdom was a founding member of the impressive Bain Town Flyers Track and Field Club, through which the lives of countless young Bahamians were impacted.
Mr. Wisdom played a pivotal role in the personal, social, educational and athletic development of numerous Bahamians; many of whom through his sacrifice, assistance, coaching, guidance and mentoring were successful in attaining full athletic scholarships, culminating in the achievement of university degrees. These persons include Dr. Livingston Marshall, Larry Clarke, Colleen Hanna, Zina Levarity, Allan Murray,
Alvano Miller, Chris Casey and LaVaughn Sands. A number of his young protégés also went on to have successful track and field careers as senior world-class athletes; including Frank Rutherford, Pauline Davis, Eldece Clarke, Chandra Sturrup, Allan Ingraham and Troy Kemp. Mr. Wisdom should take great pride in the achievements of these elite athletes, including the gold medal achievement of the Bahamas Women’s 4x100m relay at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Mr. Wisdom should also take pride in his successful stint as Head Coach of the Bahamas’ Carifta Team, with the Bahamas winning the Carifta Games on four occasions under his leadership. Mr. Wisdom was inducted into the National Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Mr. Wisdom, a former Senator and Cabinet Minister continued his contribution to Youth and Sports in his role as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture in the Perry Christie Administration, from 2002 to 2007. As Minister, Mr. Wisdom put in place a framework for the design of a new National Stadium, subsequently named the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The National Sports Authority was later established to provide for the construction, alteration and maintenance of the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, the
Mr. Wisdom attends Trinity Methodist Church. He is married to the former Manila Gilbert, and the couple has one son, Donovan. Mr. & Mrs. Wisdom are the owners and operators of the well known business, Florarama located on Cable Beach. The Wisdoms continue to demonstrate their commitment to the development of Bahamian youth through their leadership of the Scout Association of the Bahamas’ 8th Bahamas Scout Troop.
Mr. Wisdom continues to be a champion for the youth of our nation. In 2022 Mr. Wisdom commented as follows:
“If society would look at youth through a positive lens, and invest heavily in their development, they stand to become national assets that will bode well for the future of The Bahamas…..
We need to challenge our sons and our daughters to goodness and to greatness. Let’s take a chance with our youth. Let us invest in our youth.”
DTSP Wolfpack is delighted to be able to recognize the achievements of this outstanding Bahamian, and we salute him for a job well done!
ELAURYN CLARKE FORWARD, UPWARD, ONWARD, TOGETHER FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS
ach year young athletes from The Bahamas and Caribbean at large display their enormous talents at the Carifta Games.
For 50 years the Carifta Games have debuted top class athletes and has allowed the public to watch these athletes progress over the years.
This year The Bahamas has the honor of hosting the 50th Carifta Games as the country celebrates its 50th anniversary of Independence.
This is a significant pairing as over the course of 50 years so many talented Bahamian athletes have emerged from competing at the Carifta Games. Athletes such as Pauline Davis, Chris Brown, Devyn Charlton, Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
With the success of The Bahamas during these first 50 years of Independence, one can only imagine the depth and breadth of talent that The Bahamas will produce during the next 50 years.
For every young Caribbean athlete the Carifta Games is usually the first opportunity to represent their country and compete in a competitive meet on the global stage. This regional competition gives athletes a taste of how their lives could be changed if they remain disciplined and work hard
towards becoming professional athletes.
For many others the Carifta Games is used as a stepping stone to better their lives through gaining athletic scholarships for university and escaping any hardships at home.
Spectators may not be able to imagine the magnitude of the impact that these games have on young eager athletes. These young athletes put in countless hours of hard work and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices as well as demonstrate the required dedication to qualify for their national teams. This should be rewarded by members of the public making the effort whenever the opportunity arises to attend the Carifta Games in support of their countrymen and women.
When the wear and tear of competition kicks in and an athlete begins to get tired, seeing and hearing spectators from their country not only lifts their spirits, but gives them renewed motivation.
If this is what 50 years of community, 50 years of talent and 50 years of excellence looks like then you can rest assured that the Carifta Games will continue to serve as a beacon for young athletes throughout the Caribbean. This should motivate athletes, coaches, officials and spectators to look forward to what will be achieved in the next 50.
CLUB’S BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
The DTSP Wolf Pack track and field club has been in operation since May 2015. Our mission statement is: “To provide young, aspiring athletes the opportunity to attain their maximum athletic potential through the Development of Technique, Speed and Power; to foster high self-esteem, self-discipline, dedication, determination, goal setting and goal attainment, both athletically and academically; to provide a structured environment conducive to producing well-rounded young adults; to offer athletes educational opportunities through athletic scholarships.”
The Objectives of the club are as follows:
1. To support and advance the sport of track and field in the Bahamas.
2. To build strong minds and bodies.
3. To cultivate and maintain an organized, productive, and training environment.
4. To instruct and require discipline and respect for coaches and all persons in authority.
5. To stimulate and encourage the commitment necessary for both athletic and academic success.
6. To promote the highest standards of conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship toward teammates and opponents alike.
7. To position our athletes to become recipients of athletic scholarships from highly regarded academic institutions.
In addition, the club has a strong affiliation with Holy Cross Anglican Church and holds its training sessions on the Church’s premises. We recognize
the importance of spiritual development as a necessary component of the overall development of each girl and boy in our club.
The club which is registered under the Bahamas Amateur Athletics Association currently has approximately 30 members. Our Head Coach is Mr. Larry Clarke who holds the USA Coaching Certification and who has worked under the tutelage of Mr. George Cleare as an Assistant Coach of Bahamas Speed Dynamics. Our Assistant Coach is Mr. Paul Wilson, the strength and nutritional coach. The Executive Committee consists of the following:
