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KEISHA HILL
SportGlobe Writer
J
UST five months into his
job as president of Tennis
Jamaica, John Bailey has
lauded his executive as being one
of the best in Jamaican sports.
Earlier this year, in March,
fol lowing the resignation of
Aubyn Hill, Bailey assumed the
position of acting president. His
position was ratified at the
association’s annual gen-
eral meeting in June.
“What has stood out
is the administration’s
keen participation.
They (the members) are
active and committed,
not just occupying a
seat. A lot of work is
being done and not just
by the president,”
Bailey pointed out.
Managing director of
Virginia Dare Limited,
Bailey has been actively
involved in sports from his
early days at The Queen’s
Preparatory School.
“I played football and junior
tennis, and was one of the
top-ranked Under-12 players,
behind Stewart Sarnia, the
top player at the time,”
Bailey said.
HIGHEST LEVEL
Bailey attended private
high school in Canada and
was an avid sportsman.
He played Amer i can
football at the highest
level and was a mem-
ber of the school ’ s
varsity team, in addi-
tion to participating
in track and field and
playing cricket.
“What kept me in
school, especially high
school, was my active involvement
in sports. I played and captained
the Ontario Under-17 Junior
cricket team and, out of the 12 of
us, including one substitute,
nine were West Indians. We won
the Canadian Provisional Under-
17 Championships as wel l ,”
Bailey said.
ONE-YEAR BREAK
In his last year of high school,
Bailey also played American
football. “I was fast and played
wide receiver,” he pointed out.
Bailey took a one-year break,
returned to Jamaica after high
school and worked with his
uncle in Monetgo Bay. He com-
pleted his studies at a
University in Tampa, Florida.
While studying for his business-
administration degree, majoring
in finance, he participated in
recreational tennis.
“I was too focused on my aca-
demics and, even when I
returned to Jamaica, I didn’t
play competitively. It was mostly
recreational,” he noted.
However, Bailey’s heart was
not far from tennis, as his chil-
dren also played the sport. He
remained active because of this
and rose to the presidency of the
Police Officers’ Tennis Club.
It was Aubyn Hill and Carl
Chen that invited Bailey to join
the board of Tennis Jamaica as
first vice-president in 2011. He
said the only challenge he has
faced since assuming the top
post is that of financing.
“There is always a struggle for
financial resources to get the job
done. The money is never
enough,” he said.
29
SportGlobe
December 5-11, 2012
Email: sportglobe2005@yahoo.com
Bailey at tennis’ helm
I was too focused
on my academics and,
even when I returned to
Jamaica, I didn’t play
competitively, it was
mostly recreational.
FILE
John Bailey
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