This past weekend was very busy for all involved in the tourism industry with the influx of visitors for the Jimmy Buffett concert. One of the events I had to attend as a representative for the ATA was the charity auction held at Zurra, one of Anguilla’s newest and finest restaurants owned and operated by Melinda and Bob Blanchard. It was during this charity event that the auctioneer, Mr. Art Egel, principal of the Alwyn Allison School in West End, offered up for auction a cricket bat and jersey signed by Omari Banks.

The majority of the crowd was of course not from Anguilla, and therefore not completely aware of the intricacies and importance of cricket to not only Anguilla, but the rest of the Caribbean. Art therefore felt compelled to describe to the crowd who Omari Banks was and how significant his accomplishments have been to Anguilla. To the attendees, Art mentioned, “for those of you who do not know Omari, he is like the Michael Jordan of Anguilla in the world of Cricket.”

Comparing Omari to Michael Jordan of course got my attention quickly. For the crowd, it helped them understand who he was and for that reason, his bat and jersey raised USD $2,500 for the three local charities which were to be benefactors of the auction: The Anguilla Tennis Academy, Project Stingray, and the Anguilla Children’s Fund. Art is of course a phenomenal human being as he puts so much time and effort into teaching young people in Anguilla. He therefore told me I should focus on an article about Omari Banks and what he has done and continues to do for the children. I then questioned whether he would still be worthy of an article as he is no longer a child, but then I remembered at last week’s National Youth Council Meeting, Mr. Lenox Proctor, Director of Youth and Culture, reminded me that a person age 1-30 is considered a young person.

In researching the history and accolades of Omari on the internet, the most obvious fact that makes him a star is that he was the first player from Anguilla to play Test Cricket for the West Indies. This fact, combined with an impressive start as a bowler and a batsman propelled him to be one of Anguilla’s heroes. This hero status was awarded to him by a series of events upon his return to Anguilla that included a motorcade around Anguilla, greeting by citizens and members of government and a huge welcome at the James Ronald Webster Park.

Obviously, Omari has distinguished himself in the world of cricket, as a citizen of Anguilla, and as a young man, all of which make him deserving of being Anguilla’s most important athlete. The question is, what is he doing now? Currently, the best word to describe what Omari is up to these days is “training.” In mid-April, he will be travelling to England to play professional cricket with a club team and therefore there is much work to do. His daily routine in Anguilla is to begin training at 6:00 am and then he works at the primary schools as a Physical Education instructor. Later, he returns to his training regime during mid-afternoon, and then follows that up with more training in the evening in which he not only works out, but helps coach future star cricketers of Anguilla. Omari also commented that while he will be playing professional cricket, he will still return to Anguilla to play for his country as well as represent the Leeward Islands in cricket competitions.

I asked Omari about his work with the young people in Anguilla and he responded, “I enjoy working with the youngsters and I hope that me being a professional athlete, and representative of Anguilla, will help them understand the level of commitment and dedication it takes to get to the highest level. It is important that young people know that with hard work, they can achieve anything.”

Omari is exactly the type of person Anguilla needs: a positive role model. He is a young man who has accomplished many things and at the same time, is willing to give back to his community. I am sure everyone will join me in congratulating him for what he has done and will do in the future and we all wish him the best in his endeavours.

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