In 2010, Murphy became the first Bermudian to compete in Winter Olympic Skiing, and the third Winter Olympian to represent Bermuda following Simon Payne and Patrick Singleton, who both competed in the Luge event, with Singleton also competing in the Skeleton event in 2006.
Murphy’s 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games 15K Free Cross Country Skiing Event saw him improve on his 2010 performance placing.
In his first Local Interview following the event Murphy said this time around was a lot easier as he knew what to expect.
“Once you have been through it and know some of the guys your competing against it just makes it that much easier, said Murphy.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Doba Sets World Solo Kayaking Record
IslandStats.com
It took a lot longer than anticipated, but 67-year-old Aleksander Doba has reached Florida.
Doba completed his trans-Atlantic trip and setting a New World Record as the only person to complete a trip from Europe to North America aboard a kayak that included a stopover in Bermuda in order to repair some damages to his kayak.
Doba made landfall at Port Canaveral early this morning after he had paddled thousands of miles, at times fending off powerful storms as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Doba began his trip on October 5th, 2013 and after more than four months at sea, the rudder on his custom kayak broke in a storm on February 13th, forcing him to journey to Bermuda in order to repair the damage.
The trans-Atlantic kayaker was just over 100 nautical miles southwest of Bermuda when the decision to visit the island to affect repairs to the rudder of his kayak was made.
After arriving on the island on February 24th, Doba was transported back to his original position in the Atlantic Ocean by the Spirit of Bermuda on March 23rd.
Finally, following a nearly seven-month-long solo trek, Doba reached his World Record making destination.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
North Village Support CederBridge in Olympics
IslandStats.com
North Village Community Club is hailing the efforts of CedarBridge Academy for its efforts to take a class of 12 students, with varying degrees of disabilities, to participate in a Special Olympics Track Meet which is being held at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
The relationship between North Village and CedarBridge Academy’s Functional Skills class began two years ago as part of the class’s hands-on daily living skills practice. Every week the students launder the North Village Masters and Corona team’s kit.
“When we found out that CedarBridge was looking for dirty laundry we were more than happy to oblige”, joked Stephen Coddington, North Village Community Club President. “The students do a great job which is most sincerely appreciated by North Village Community Club. We hope more people will assist in making this trip possible”.
In speaking to Mrs Ralda Jones, Functional Skills Class Teacher, she said “We know that this will be an awesome opportunity for our students. Not only will they be representing their school but their country Bermuda as well. In the past, our former students have won over one hundred medals and they have felt very proud of themselves, and rightly so. This trip will also allow the students to put into practice some of the many skills they are learning throughout the school year, such as money management, food preparation and daily living skills”.
When asked how the children were feeling about the trip, she added, “Currently the students are rigorously training for the track meet with training sessions and weight training in the school gym. They are very excited about traveling and participating in the games”.
North Village President Stephen Coddington was on hand to present a $500 donation towards the Functional Skills Travel Fund and said, “North Village is more than just a football club. We firmly believe that community clubs such as North Village have an important role to play in shaping our youth’s future.
We strive to provide our youth with an outlet to embrace community spirit through sporting endeavors and community service events. We are happy to be able to help CedarBridge Academy in their efforts to provide the Functional Skills Class children with such an experience”.
To get more information on how you can contribute to the Functional Skills Travel Fund contact Ralda Jones at rajones@cedarbridge.doe.bm.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Trans-Atlantic Kayaker Almost to his Goal
IslandStats.com
Aleksander “Olek” Doba has had to contend with powerful storms, months of solitude and broken equipment and a unplanned stay in Bermuda in trying to paddle from continent to continent across the Atlantic Ocean.
But after more than 5,000 miles of a journey — albeit an interrupted one — that began in October, the 67-year-old Polish Kayaker is set to arrive at his originally intended destination in New Smyrna Beach later this week, said his friend and fellow explorer Piotr Chmielinski.
“At this point we expect from Wednesday night to Friday morning,” said a hopeful Chmielinski.
Doba, a retired engineer, began his solo expedition to cross the Atlantic Ocean on October 5th in Lisbon, Portugal. He paddled some 4,500 miles before the rudder fell off his 21-foot-long kayak on February 13th. He made it to Bermuda on February 24th on his own power and the rudder was repaired. Then, on March 23rd, Doba and his kayak hitched a ride with the ship, “The Spirit of Bermuda,” a replica of a 19th century Royal Navy warship that took Doba back to the location where he was on January 10th before a series of storms pushed him hundreds of miles off his original course.
Before he arrived in Bermuda, Doba was able to travel 20 to 25 miles a day, battling storms for more than a month.
Afforded better weather since he left Bermuda, Doba has been regularly clocking more than 50 miles a day, easily traversing the remaining 700 or so miles to New Smyrna. “(It’s) like he’s got sails or two engines,” Chmielinski joked.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Commonwealth Games Medals Unveiled
IslandStats.com
The Medals that Bermuda Athletes will compete for at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have been unveiled.
The Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals were displayed at an event at Kelvingrove Art Gallery to mark 100 days to the Games' Opening Ceremony on July 23rd.
Organizers revealed that more than 1,380 Medals would be awarded at 261 Medal Ceremonies during the Games.
Each of the Medals weighs 100g and is being hand-made by expert jewelers at the Glasgow School of Art.
The Medals were designed by Glasgow-based artist and lecturer Jonathan Boyd.
The artist uses digital technologies in his work as well as hand-crafted skills and traditional metalworking techniques.
Boyd, who lectures at the Glasgow School of Art, said he had tried to combine Glasgow's industrial heritage as well as a sense of the athlete's skill into the final design.
He said, "It was trying to do something that reflected Glasgow but also had this feeling of movement, it's what the athletes all do."
With almost 1,400 Medals needed by the start of the Games, Boyd said that the process of getting them ready presented a real challenge to himself and his team of 11 specialist jeweler-makers.
He said, "There's blood, sweat and tears in those Medals, just like the way athletes train and go through hell and back to get there, we've gone through the same."
As well as the Medals being unveiled to the public, the event also recreated the medal procession ceremony to be used in the Games, showing the ceremonial outfits to be worn by the Male and Female Medal bearers.
The outfits were designed by fashion designer Kerry Nixon.
She said, "I'm delighted to be a part of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. It's a huge honor for me to design and now showcase the Medal- Bearer's dress and represent my hometown of Glasgow at such an exciting time for the city."
About 6,000 athletes and officials will attend the Games, which will kick off with the opening ceremony at Celtic Park on July 23rd and run until August 3rd.
Commonwealth organizers had cancel plans to blow-up Glasgow's Red Row flats as part of the opening ceremony after a public backlash but still insisted that the Games were on track.
Glasgow 2014 chairman Lord Smith of Kelvin said, "We are entering the home straight now and these last 100 days are our opportunity to do the final work necessary to ensure that we deliver an outstanding Games for Glasgow, Scotland and the Commonwealth."
