Barbadian reigns victorious in regional sound clash competition
Shawn Gittens without a doubt represented Barbados when he recently competed in the 2023 Island Beats competition held on February 18 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Beausejour, St. Lucia.
Gittens who was one of two Barbadian participants, reigned victorious, walking away with the title after taking the first position in the advance 2 category of the competition.
I just entered the competition and took on the venture mainly to gain experience. I wasnt expecting to do so well far less dominate my category.
In an interview with Loop News, the 40-year-old revealed that this was not only his first competition outside of Barbados, but his first competition in general.
“It was my first time representing Barbados in this competition. I also never entered any competitions in Barbados.”
“The sport isn’t as popular and widely appreciated by locals [Barbadians] as it is in St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada,” he also explained.
Gittens who entered the competition with his 2015 Suburu Impreza which he brought to the island by boat said however this venture was merely to gain experience.
“I brought my car over by boat on the 14 of February. To be honest, I just entered the competition and took on the venture mainly to gain experience. I wasnt expecting to do so well far less dominate my category.”
“The competitors are placed into categories according to the levels of equipment and speakers in your vehicle. The category I was placed in is Advance 2. Points are awarded for Sound Pressure level (SPL) and Sound Quality (SQ). I scored a SPL level of 119.3 db and a sound quality score of 75, giving me a total score of 194.3 and therefore winning my category. The competition was hosted by St. Lucia Auto Sound Club (SLASC) and the judges present were official representatives of the International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA).
Leading up to the competition, Gittens who is also the Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of Sweet Life Auto Sales admitted that it was “challenging” preparing for the competition and running a full-time business simultaneously.
“I was training for about a month leading up to the competition. It was challenging managing both the preparations and my business but time management and the passion for the sport was the driving force behind getting it all completed!” he professed.
Currently, the CEO is on cloud nine, following the outpouring of love he has received leading-up-to and after the competition.
“It has been overwhelming! My daughter Krishaunya Gittens who is 14 is probably my biggest fan. She said she knew I would win even before I left. My friends were also very supportive. They spent hours with me while I was building the project.”
He added:
“My sound technician and installer Paul Grant of Custom Fit Autosound and Security was also very supportive and integral during the whole process.”
