Making The Athlete

With powder pink sand beaches and sapphire blue seas, Bermuda stands out to many as a  playground for the rich and famous, a civilised slice of the British Empire and insurance laboratory to the world. The island hardly commands an international reputation for sporting achievement although its tenacious sailors are recognised for creating the “Bermuda rig” and one of its boxers won a Bronze Medal in the XXI Olympiad at Montreal in 1976.

Many on the Island were happy with the national sports of cricket and football.  Content, that is, until a young Bermudian boxer stormed onto the national and, recently, international stage.

He is Nikki Bascome.

Things started slowly —Nikki’s early life was not good at all.  A sister died before he was born, a brother passed when he was a little over 3 years old.  By the age of 6, Nikki had lost his mother and his father.  He slumped into depression and bumbled through school, increasingly the recalcitrant child.

This behaviour landed him at one of Bermuda’s alternative schools, The Educational Centre (TEC).

At T.E.C., Nikki met his match in the form of a whirlwind named Lucinda Worrell-Stowe.  Lucinda made up her mind to find out what made this young man tick. She found herself moved by his story of family tragedy.  Months after meeting Nikki, Lucinda organised a school trip to Cuba, but, ran into a roadblock when the Ministry of Education expressly forbade Nikki from accompanying his classmates on the excursion.  Lucinda was undeterred: privately, she raised monies and took Nikki as her guest.

Years later, both would recall Nikki’s visit to a Cuban orphanage.  The young man lit up in the faces of  stunning young Latin beauties. But, he was noticeably, taken aback by their excoriating line of questioning: “What do you want to do with your life?”  “What are your plans?” and “Where do you see yourself in a few years?”

Nikki mumbled something about being an orphan and not having a plan.  The girls expressed surprise; they were making plans to be doctors, scientists, teachers and engineers. Being an orphan was not anything of which one should be ashamed.

This exchange changed Nikki’s life!  Nikki decided to focus on education and his future.

Upon his return to Bermuda, Nikki became a model student – and ended up as valedictorian of his high school year.

In a little more than two decades and in the face of unseemly odds, Nikki Bascome has always been a force set in motion and one that has remained in motion. And, its safe to say that Nikki has accomplished more in one lifetime than many achieve in a few.

Community Activist

Faced with adversity throughout his childhood, it seemed that Nikki would find neither peace nor purpose. But, Nikki found peace — oddly enough in the rough and tumble world of boxing.  And, recently, Nikki has found purpose —  “paying it back” by inspiring upcoming generations to apply his example of clean living, positive thinking and steely-minded determination to survive and thrive.

Nikki uses his story and his gloves to reach upcoming generations and children in the “village”. Countless young people have been encouraged by The Nikki Bascome message: hope through adversity, dedication to non-violence and commitment to do the best and be the best in all things.

Entrepreneur

Nikki Bascome has used hard work and tenacity to start businesses in the professional athletic, sport apparel and live music spheres.

On the music scene, Nikki is the lead singer of rap group, FRESH & HUNGRY.  He and 4 talented friends,  have tucked away five music videos to their credit. Their positive message resonates with young people across the land.

The latest FRESH & HUNGRY video, “Love For Everybody”, (released December 2015) is an invitation to the entire community, but specifically to gang members, to make peace.  Love For Everybody has had over 7,000 hits on YouTube and enjoys a global audience including viewership in the United States, United Kingdom, Jamaica and beyond.

In the retail business, FRESH & HUNGRY has built up a diverse catalogue of sport apparel. The partnership has a broad-based grassroots following for what has become a sought-after niche brand. FRESH & HUNGRY merchandise now includes sweatshirts, tee shirts, caps and other items.

Paying It Forward

Growing up as an orphan, Nikki relied on hard work and instinct to see him through. Nikki, however, credits Allan “Forty” Rego (the storied Bermudian boxing trainer) for being the genesis of the new Bascome vision. “Forty” once told him that life could not be just about “doing” — there needed to be methodical plans and end goals.

One of Nikki’s ongoing projects is to make a fundamental change in the lives of today’s young people. Nikki is “paying it forward” by encouraging new generations to embrace hope and envision their own path to success. He believes that we must remain positive and find creative ways to engage (what some would call the youth of ) “the village”. In actions and in life, Nikki shows that the potent sauce for success is constant mentoring, community support, quality jobs for hardworking people, and a clean-living pattern of thinking.

Nikki is desirous also of buying a home — for his grandmother — and one day for a family of his own.

Support The Cause

Nikki Bascome’s star is on the rise. But, there is so much work to do.

Prepping Nikki for a fight (training camps, air fare, hotels, trainers, clothing, back office administration and ancillary expenses) costs thousands of dollars.  Everyone on Nikki’s team is a volunteer.

For Nikki to go further, we need your help.

For  information on corporate sponsorship or individual pledges,  contact [email protected]

Thank you.