The Barbados Squash Association offers its congratulations to Karen Meakins who yesterday was named Barbados Sports Personality of the Year for 2010 by the National Sports Council. Karen, who was earlier this month recognised by the Barbados Olympic Association as its Senior Female Athlete of the Year, returns to Barbados on December 31st after a brief holiday in the UK.
Karen has had a stellar year in 2010 but, in truth, has been the dominant female squash player in Barbados this decade, and has not lost to any female Barbadian player in any competition at home or abroad since taken up residence in Barbados in 2000. Her achievements this year include:
April – (Gold) Trinidad and Tobago Squash Open Ladies Champion (for the 4th straight year 2007-10) .
May – (Gold) Barbados National Ladies Squash Champion – for the 10th straight year (2001-10).
June – (Gold) Barbados Squash Open Ladies Champion – for the 11th time (1993, 2000-05 & 2007-10).
July – (Silver & Bronze) After winning two bronze medals for Barbados in squash at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games held in Cartagena, Colombia in 2006, she followed up in 2010 by winning a silver medal (Ladies Individuals) and a bronze medal (Ladies Team) for Barbados in squash at the CAC Games held in July 2010 in Bogota, Colombia. (N.B. Karen’s current tally of four CAC Games medals [1 Silver + 3 Bronze] puts her in third place on the all-time medallists for Barbados at the CAC Games!). Barbados has been competing at the CAC Games since 1962.
August – (Gold x 3) Karen won Barbados’ first ever Caribbean Ladies Individual title earlier this year at the 18th Caribbean Area Squash Association’s (CASA) Caribbean Squash Championships in St. Vincent. She also played at #1 and anchored the Barbados Ladies Team to a gold medal in the ladies team competition. Barbados also won gold in the overall team competition as well.
August – (Silver) Karen’s most recent, and arguably her finest achievement this year was reaching the final and winning a silver medal in the 10th World Squash Federation (WSF) World Masters Championships in the Ladies Over-35 age group in Cologne, Germany. This is the first medal won by any player from the Caribbean at this prestigious biennial event.
December – Recognised by the BOA is its Senior Female Athlete of the Year.
December – Recognised by the NSC as Sports Personality of the Year.
Karen is also a certified SRA (UK) Level 3 squash coach and was player/coach of the Barbados Ladies team that won a gold medal at the Southern Caribbean Championships in 2006 and a silver medal in 2004, as well as the following team medals at the Caribbean Squash Championships: 2001 (gold); 2003 (silver); 2005 (gold), as well as the player/coach on the bronze medal winning Barbados Ladies squash team at the CAC Games in 2006.
As you will see below Karen’s exploits have been already
been covered in the influential UK based website – Squashsite and in the Nation. A link to a report on Karen’s return to Barbados, recently aired on the local television station (CBC TV), is also included below.
Happy New Year to one and all from the Barbados Squash Association!!
