From left: U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer Erica Thibault with Dawayna Pratt, Coach Mariska Thompson, Rakeisha Knowles and Rickera Moxey on June 18, at the Lynden Pindling International Airport before the group’s departure to Washington, D.C.

Nassau, Bahamas - For the first time, three local female junior track athletes and one female coach will represent The Bahamas in a 10 day Caribbean-focused youth exchange sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.  The youth track and field exchange will take place from June 18 – June 28, 2012 with the goal of instilling leadership skills in emerging female athletes who can share the benefits of athletic participation - including improved health, greater self-esteem, and greater academic success – with other girls.  

The Track and Field Youth Ambassadors include three up-in-coming track stars representing three islands of The Bahamas: 14 year old Dawayna Pratt of Nassau, 17 year old Rickera Moxey of the Exumas and 17 year old Rakeisha Knowles of Moore’s Island, Abaco.  They are accompanied by Mariska Thompson, the track and field coach at Cleveland Eneas Primary School in Nassau, who will participate in workshops designed for coaches.  Eldece “Golden Girl” Clarke of the Ministry of Tourism’s Office of Sports Tourism advised the U.S. Embassy on the selection of the four participants.

The 10-day track and field exchange is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Sports United – Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative.  The Bahamian delegation will be joined by other female Track and Field Youth Ambassadors representing St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.  The participants will have an opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., and Oregon where they will take part in teambuilding activities, intensive clinics with American peers, and events related to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The Caribbean delegation will also meet Olympic athletes, train with top-level coaches, observe a disability sports program, and tour the Nike World campus.