7 News Belize

Why Orson for Cycling
posted (July 11, 2018)

In other sports news, Orson Butler is offering himself as president of the Belize Cycling Federation.  He’s currently the Vice President - and he’s flip flopping with his current president, Dion Leslie.  On his slate - which goes to an election on Saturday - Butler is President while Leslie is offering himself as Vice President.  They’ve got a worthy challenge from a bunch of new faces - who are familiar in cycling, but have not served on the executive.  We asked Butler why the election was delayed from last October to now:

Jules Vasquez
"Now elections were due from October of last year."

Orson Butler - Running for President, BCF
"Yes that’s right, ending of October."

Jules Vasquez
"We are not having it until July of this year. What accounts for the delay?"

Orson Butler
"Well really and truly what happened was we were working on our constitution."

Jules Vasquez
"Now it is said that you've changed the constitution and that now you are padding the list making it so that even a 13 year old can vote."

Orson Butler
"Well the thing is that it’s very funny. People watch at the list and the day of election but they haven't watched the past years before. In 2015 Joslin Chavarria son by the name of Derrick Chavarria rode the junior cross country and he was 12, he was born 2003. Last year we have a young man by the name of Delton Rohas, he was born 2005, he rode the junior cross country; same thing age 12. This year he rode the junior cross country, age 13."

Jules Vasquez
"These are criticism that the other side is levying against you, that first that you don't have good communication with your membership, that you don't have meetings with the members."

Orson Butler
"Well to tell you the truth, this is age of technology. All things can be sent out by email and we send out email and personally I am out there on the road riding with some of the same cyclists now and again training. I spoke to guys on one on one basis so I believe the communication is there, so I don't understand why they say we don't communicate."

Jules Vasquez
"What do you think of the opposing slate, I will just be devil's advocate. Looking at the slate, Mr. Ordonez, Alexi Ordonez, Ms. Vernon, Karen Vernon, these are new faces. Some might say bway, we need an infusion of new life. What do you think of the opposing slate?"

Orson Butler
"Well they do have, they are people that have been around the sport. For example, Ms. Karen has been around the sport, Alexi Ordonez, he works directly, he manages his father's bike shop. The rules of governing cycling, you have to be familiarized with these things to be involved to have that executory position. He's new to the game and cycling carries a lot of loads."

Jules Vasquez
"You're saying he's too green?"

Orson Butler
"He's too young; I believe he's too young."

Jules Vasquez
"You all aren't people who are progressive or pushing cycling forward, you all just want to conserve the same agenda you've been doing; you say competently with little resources for the past 5 years. Many times people say, bway we want vote for a change, we want move cycling forward. Are you and Dion the people to push cycling forward?"

Orson Butler
"Well yes I believe we're the people to push cycling forward. If you check at cycling before this current executive takeover, we use to have races that was only elite and female use to race on cross country, junior use to race on cross country. However now, when you watch our calendar, whenever we have a race for our elite, we have a separate race for junior, we have a separate race for females."

The election is set for Saturday at the UWI Center.

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