Sporty Events
BANKS HOCKEY FESTIVAL
The tried and tested format works to a tee. You play hard on the field during the day and you party hard in the evening at the many social events that enhance the sporting element. Matches are slated from dawn to dusk with the best teams playing off on Finals Day on Saturday. Stamina and staying power are key components in a successful winning formula, as visiting teams have found to their cost down the years. Some teams start with a flourish only to find the demands of a heavy social itinerary take their toll by midweek and it is the survival of the fittest come Saturday evening to make the end of tournament Presentation of Prizes and farewell blast. Local teams have proved the more successful over the years, as the canny Bajans have been able to combine their sporting and social prowess to best advantage. Hockey is very popular in Barbados, although the damaged Astroturf facility has seriously dented the development of the sport in recent times. There is a busy men’s and ladies league structure and the game is played in most schools. There is estimated to be 700 hockey players in 20 clubs plus the schools. The Barbados national teams compete in regional competitions and the Commonwealth Games. Touring teams, especially schools, travel to the island throughout the year, but the hockey festival remains the biggest fun event. Even the Senior League programmes come to a halt to allow the festival to take precedence. And you don’t have to have a club to participate. Old Gold Roosters is a nomadic club under the guile of seasoned festival gurus Ricky Clarke and Duane “Burkie” Burke and where local players and visitors combine to pitch their social and sporting skills against all-comers. And with some success down the years! Competitions are in four categories-Men’s, Ladies, Mixed and Veterans, but at the end of the week it is the category of staying power that usually wins the day!
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