For Bermudian track and field star Dage Minors, his ultimate goal this season was to represent Bermuda at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the end of this month. After some stumbles earlier in the year, including contracting the Coronavirus when he returned to his island home, he has managed to qualify for the international tournament
“ Overall, I would say that I’m in my best form ever, but not at this exact moment,” Mr. Minors, 26, told TNN.
“ There is really no need to be feeling the best that I can right now, but with that said, I feel like this year and hopefully next year will be my peak-peak [form].”
According to Mr. Minors, he has more sponsorship and donors now than he has ever had before in his career. He hopes to get a few more companies to sponsor him very soon, hopefully for a
longer period of time.
“ I’m not going to say no to further sponsorship, and if someone gave me ten dollars [for my career], I would take it and be gracious for it, that is just who I am,” he explained. “ Right now, the focus has been to get me to the Commonwealth Games, but hopefully after that, I can sit
down with a few people and tell them what I need for the next two years building up to the Olympic Games and then we’ll see what happens after that . . . If anybody wants to take a chance on me, every little bit helps.
Even the sponsorship that I have now does not cover everything.”
Mr. Minors encourages other aspiring young Bermudian athletes to surround themselves with people who encourage, motivate them and push them to be the best that they can be, both personally and professionally.
“ In Bermuda, outside of my immediate family and closest friends, people like Steve Burgess, Devon Bean and Chris Estwanik have taken me under their wing,” he said.
In relation to the recent increase in violence and antisocial behavior which is disproportionately affecting the island’s young black men, Mr. Minors admits that he is unable to identify with some
of the things that these young men are going through, since he is not in that type of environment.
The track star is in Bermuda until July 14 and then he is going to his college coach in New Hampshire for one week. The Commonwealth Games begin on July 28, but Mr. Minors is going to Birmingham a week before it officially starts to get some training in. Even though it may be
the biggest tournament he ever participates in, he plans to treat the games just like they are a regular meet.
He feels that he has to take that approach. “ I never forget where I come from, despite being away for so long,” Mr. Minors said. “ I’m not friendly with everybody in Bermuda, but I will represent them [to the best that I can] and I think that everyone on the Bermuda team has that mentality. As much as I run and train alone, I have the entire island behind me.”
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