Ballantyne family recognized by Breakaway Masters

The contribution of the Ballantyne family of Frenches to sports in St Vincent and the Grenadines was last Sunday put in the spotlight at the Grammar School Playing Field.{{more}}

The family’s mark on the sporting landscape got a moment of recognition from the Breakaway Masters Football Club at the opening of the club’s 2015 sporting season.

The Ballantynes are referred to as “The Family of Sports,” as each member of their household has represented St Vincent and the Grenadines in at least one sporting discipline.

Heading up the honorees is Gloria Ballantyne MBE, who is known as the First Lady of Sports.

Gloria has gone full circle, as she represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at netball before becoming the longest serving president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association.

She was also among the pioneers in the formation of several local netball teams, among them Falcons and Joggers.

Gloria was, for an extended period, the convenor of umpires for the Caribbean Netball Association.

The other half of Gloria’s marital relationship, Freddie Ballantyne, represented St Vincent and the Grenadines at Bodybuilding and Weightlifting.

First daughter of the union, Jacintha, pocketed this country’s first individual medal at the Junior Carifta Games. This is when she took the silver in the 100 m Under-17 at the Games held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1973.

Another member of the Ballantyne family, Orde, notched up another first for St Vincent and the Grenadines by recording this country’s first gold medal at the annual Carifta Games. Competing in the Under-20 category in the Bahamas in 1981, Orde placed first in the shot putt.

He remains the lone Vincentian to capture three medals in one outing of the Junior Carifta Games, as he also took bronze in the long jump and javelin events.

The immediate branches of the Gloria and Freddie Ballantyne family tree have also produced Raymond, Robert, Joanne and Junior. Interestingly, it is reported that all the siblings represented St Vincent and the Grenadines in table tennis, with Robert being the most accomplished and durable. Otherwise, the others distinguished themselves being part of national representative teams: Raymond and Junior – football and Joanne – netball, all with sustained levels of competence.(RT)