Anthea Sutherland, the mother of Carolyn, Andrea and Henry, Jr., ages 13-17, and the wife of Henry Sutherland, Sr., was born and raised in Belize City. She is the daughter of the late Percy Eagan, one of Belize?s most enthusiastic sportsmen. She discovered her athletic talent while she was in Standard 6 at St. Joseph School, and she continued racing at Belize Junior Secondary School (BJSS) #1 (now Edward P. Yorke High School), competing and excelling in the 60 m, 100 m and 400 m races. She told us that it was while she was in first form at BJSS#1 that she first began to compete in cycling races. ?I did 8 laps and finished 1st,? she reminisced. She continued competing in sports at BTC, but she had been on hiatus since she left the college in 1986. ?What made me get back into cycling is because I heard Sheena Lizama was in cycling. I used to run with her, and I said that if she could do it, I could do it also,? Anthea said. Anthea has had to make some changes in her lifestyle for cycling, but she says she doesn?t ?stress? over it. ?I just do it.? But doing it meant, for Anthea, changes in both diet and exercise: ?I had to make some adjustments in the way that I eat. I never used to like oats, but that is my number one food now, [and] lots of fruits and vegetables. I have to drink lots of fluids and go to bed on time. I have to get enough rest,? she shared. She starts her cooking in the evenings, gets up 4:30 in the morning and trains between 5:00 and 6:30 a.m. She says that she juggles her sport with being a mother and wife, as well as a supervisor at Hofius. Apart from her family and friends, she is supported by her trainer, Mr. Stans Bowman. Her only teammate is Alicia Thompson – a rookie, who, she said, rode for the first time this year and took third place. This Mother?s Day race, on May 8, was Anthea?s second, and she reports having placed 5thin last year?s race. ?I made up mind from before the race started that I would win the race. I told my teammate we must could get 1stand second this year. It almost came through. We got 1stand 3rd?? she told us. ?I had a spill and I got back up quickly and got back in the race. I relaxed for the first couple miles ? I decided, when I saw one of the foreigners [a Peace Corps] from Cayo, that there is no way any one of them will win. I saw Shalini Zabaneh run for a station prize and I ran right after her and I got away from them?? Beyond physical conditioning, psychological conditioning has evidently shaped Anthea?s winning spirit: ?When you get into a race,? she advises, ?you have to look at everyone as a winner. You just have to be smart to know when to move and what to do when the time comes?? ?If you have a strong mind, a strong heart and two strong pair of legs, you can get out there and do it?and have fun doing it. ?Cause I think cycling is fun?? she enthused. Anthea does plan on defending her Cross Country title in 2006, for those who care to know.
