November 7, 2014 – The official roster of athletes representing Trinidad and Tobago (TT) at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) has just been released. Among the 200 athletes selected, seven swimmers will be representing TT in Veracruz, Mexico in the competition slated for mid-November: George Bovell, David McLeod, Dylan Carter, Kristin Julien, Abraham McLeod, Dominic McLeod, and Napoleon Howard.
Dylan Carter, currently on the roster of University of Southern California, has made a name for himself in several international competitions, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics. Carter brought home some hardware from those Youth Olympics in the form of a bronze medal for the 50m freestyle and silver for his performance in the 50m butterfly. Carter most recently had a solid performance at the Peter Daland Invitational on October 24th, clocking a 44.78 in 100y freestyle. At the CAC Games, Carter will engage in a packed racing schedule, which includes the 50m, 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyles, as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly events.
George Bovell, a name synonymous with Trinidadian swimming, will be competing in his second CAC Games, having already won gold (50m freestyle) and two silver medals (50m backstroke; 400 freestyle relay) at the 2010 meet. Bovell once again qualified to swim the 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle events at this year’s competition, although not exactly under the same circumstances. Coming off of a hectic Short Course World Cup schedule, as well as just now recovering from a bout of pneumonia, Bovell is using this meet as preparation for the SC World Championships in Doha, Qatar scheduled for December 3-7 of this year.
When asked about his outlook on the CAC Games, Bovell said, “One of the best aspects of these games is that they encompass all of the Olympic sports. This always creates a fun, exciting atmosphere and a positive team environment.” He further explained, “It’s fun to represent your country alongside your friends from other sporting disciplines. It’s like a ‘mini-Olympics’ in many ways.”
Bovell also has some exciting things happening outside of the pool as of late, with the George Bovell National Aquatic Center scheduled to open in May 2015. The facility will serve as a modern, state-of-the-art training and competition center for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo. “This [center] will no doubt have a profoundly positive impact on the sport locally, as the dearth of facilities has always been such a challenge for us.”, says Bovell. As a true visionary, Bovell adds, “We intend to host international swim meets, training camps, and offer the center to be used as a staging camp for teams as they prepare for Rio.”
The 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games are taking place in Veracruz, Mexico, over the course of November 14th – November 30th.
Interesting
Unfortunately, Dylan Carter and Naopleon Howell are not on the team. Dylan withdrew from the team, and Napoleon qualified, but only in the 50 breast and is third behind George Bovell and Abraham McLeod. Other qualifiers included Lousville’s Caryle Blondell, and Tennessee’s Joshua Romany and Cherelle Thompson. Cherelle is on the team, but Romany, who is the third 50 freestyler behind Bovell and Carter withdrew, and Blondell’s time was done just outside the qualifying window, rendering him ineligible.
Overall, the outlook for Pan Am is much better with all the collegiate swimmers not having their college obligations disrupted in July.