Cayman’s Women Look to Return to Island Games Podium
Cayman’s National Basketball Women Hope To Repeat History At The 2019 Island Games!
The Cayman Islands National Women’s Basketball team is no stranger to hardware at the NATWEST Island Games!
The very first three years of the Cayman women competing at the Island Games was a huge success with the women winning 3 medals under the guidance of the Technical Director for Cayman Islands Basketball Association and then Head Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro.
The Cayman Islands made an enormous impression when they won Gold in the Isle of Man for their very first tournament appearance in 2001; Bronze in Guernsey 2003 and Gold in Shetland Isles/Gibraltar 2005.
But it would be 2007 Rhodes, Greece where Cayman placed 8th that would put a damper on the women competing at the prestigious games going forward. The women did not compete in 2009 through 2013, but would try their hearts at it once again at the all too familiar tournament held in Jersey, Island the year of 2015 where Cayman placed 5th. In 2017 in Gotland, Sweden, the women would get close to the podium as they faced Guernsey for the Bronze medal match. Guernsey however, proved too experienced for the young Cayman squad and took away the triplet island’s only chances of bringing home hardware.
President of the Cayman Islands Basketball Association Mr. Richard Parchment said, “This Cayman National Women’s team has history to repeat as medal contenders. Watching their men counterpart in 2017 finally pull off what they have done twice in the past has reignited this team, so July in Gibraltar should be an exciting time for Cayman basketball.”
The Technical Director for Basketball Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro said, the women’s team is in a rebuilding stage but he knows that they’ll get there soon. “Our women are in preparation right now to regain their rightful place on the podium. They have not been on that podium since 2005. However, last year the team placed 4th just missing medal contention. We look forward to the ladies doing an extremely good job this year in Gibraltar.”
This year 2019, the National women’s team consists of Courtisha Ebanks, Hannah Parchment, Scimone Campbell, Khailan O’Connor, Michal Segal, Dionne Anglin, Yolanni Manzanares, Alicia Turner, Melissa Bridgemohan, Stacy-Ann Kelly, Chloe Powery-Doxey and Neandra Forbes.
The 2019 Women’s Coaches are Wendy Manzanares and Cory McGee. The team’s Manager is Melissa Smith.
Coach Wendy Manzanares is very excited to see things coming together with the women’s team as preparation continues. She said, “The last time the women’s team was on the podium at the Island Games was 2005 with Gold. We did not compete in 2009, 2011 or 2013 and in 2017 we placed 4th so now our team is at a stage of rebuilding and is expecting to regain our place on the podium in the near future. The journey is the most important thing and we are definitely aiming to leave a mark.”
Background info on tournament
The NatWest Island Games is held every two years and is an international multi-sports event with Competitor teams representing different island communities with no more than 150,000 people….A mini-Olympics if you must. The 18th annual games will be held in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar between July 6th and 12th 2019.
-Controversially, the games will not include cycling, football, or Indoor Volleyball which have been in all previous games since 1985, due to the lack of venues, instead replaced by tenpin bowling, judo, and squash.
