Bahamas News
Pauline Davis story Running Sideways A Winner Fit for a Movie Screen. Feb 7 2022
By Diane Phillips
#TheBahamas, February 9, 2022 – If Bahamians are looking for heroes, they don’t have to look very far.
Just over-the-hill, as they call it here, to a densely populated community known as Bain Town where the strong survived and all the churches combined could hardly hold the confessions and prayers of their congregants, and where in that hardscrabble hood, to a girl with grit.
Her name was Pauline Davis. She started running sideways, usually barefoot, carrying buckets of water from a public pump, looking over her shoulder to stay steps ahead of the boys who chased and frightened her. Sometimes she beat them back by running straight up a palm tree.
Pauline ran so hard and so fast and so consistently she ran her way right to the top of track and field.
Now, in a new book with award-winning author TR Todd (Pigs of Paradise, The Man Behind the Bow Tie), the
fearless competitor tells her story, revealing fears, excitement and the cruelty and just a whole lot of bad luck piled on top of good.
The book is called Running Sideways: The Olympic Champion Who Made Track and Field History. The foreword is by Lord Sebastian Coe, an Olympic champion himself and, since 2015, president of the World Athletics Association. He calls Pauline’s achievements – competing in five Olympics, sprinting to Gold twice in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, once in the 200m individual and with the Golden Girls 4 x 100m – Herculean, given the path she trod to get there.
“But it was not until reading Running Sideways that I had insight into the boulder-strewn nature of that path, from the adversity and social challenges of her youth bolstered by the undying love of her parents through to the unwarranted battles that she’s waged and won with myopic sports administrators,” writes Coe, referring to episodes where Pauline had to scale the wall of the stadium to run the field, training to represent her country in regional and global events. Like everything she did, she did more than others. There was almost no event she could not run, competing in the 100m, 200, 400m and 4×100 relay.
Publisher’s Weekly praised the book and the story it tells of a young runner who had to save her shoes for school and church who went on to become a two-time Olympic gold medalist, the first to win individual gold in sprinting in the region and the first woman of colour to serve on the World Athletics Council.
There is such depth to the character who is Pauline, tough as nails and soft as lamb’s wool, that all Todd had to do was tell the story of her life honestly. It is a story worthy of a movie script, a big screen full feature film that millions around the world of every age will relate to – and dream of doing the brave and courageous thing.
Todd was a perfect choice to be narrator for a story which lifts the spirits without masking the dirtier truth of parts of the world of sports. The two became friends when he was business editor of the Nassau Guardian and AP correspondent for The Bahamas. A runner himself, though not competitive, Todd was fascinated by the what he heard about Pauline and when he organized a fund-raising race in Exuma after leaving The Bahamas physically but maintaining a business interest, he asked her to be the patron. She accepted and has done so for the past four years, helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Exuma youth and scholarship programs.
At 55, and still in excellent condition, Pauline is retired from competitive running and from the Ministry of Tourism where she worked as a brand ambassador for 20 years. Today, a new brand ambassador, multiple Grammy award winner and international rock superstar Lenny Kravitz added his admiration for the trailblazer.
“Pauline Davis is a brilliant example of Bahamian excellence and perseverance,” wrote Kravitz this week. “I remember as a youngster, my Bahamian Grandfather having us go out as a family to watch and support Pauline and the other Bahamian athletes at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Pauline later mesmerised the world in Sydney 2000 with her gold medal winning Olympics performances and her star continues to shine today through her mentorship of young Bahamian athletes.”
The entertainment superstar joins a long list of all-star endorsements from those in the track and field community, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson from the United States, two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder in the 100 metre Donovan Bailey from Canada, and two-time silver medalist Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn from Jamaica.
Published by Rowman & Littlefield, the book is now available on Amazon and the publisher’s website. Books will soon be available at local stores here in The Bahamas, with a special book signing event planned for March 8th at Goodman’s Bay.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
