Schools’ Athletics in Full Swing
On 28 February, Vincentians will witness the commencement of the Preliminaries (Heats) of the annual Inter Primary Schools Athletics Championships (IPSAC). There will be four of these Preliminaries. These will be followed by the two days of Preliminaries of the Inter Secondary Schools Athletics Championships (ISSAC).
The Finals of the IPSAC and ISSAC will be run on 29 and 30 March respectively.
But the Athletics season began in the first term of the current 2022/3 academic year as some principals were eager to use their annual sports day to identify their potential teams for the IPSAC and commence systematic training for a longer period of time. The idea was that with longer training the athletes would be better prepared and so perform better at both the Preliminaries and Finals of the IPSAC.
Admittedly, the first term in both Primary and Secondary schools is used for the sport competitions in football and netball. However, schools with a keen interest in doing well at the IPSAC and ISSAC, know the value of long-term preparation of their track and field athletes and would have had their physical educators and coaches working diligently to make good on their achievements of last year’s Championships.
The competitive season 2023
The track and field competitive season is now in full gear. The national governing body for the sport, Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines, began the season with Development Meets, Throws, Jumps and Relay Classics, all of which were intended to facilitate athlete preparation and assessment of where they were on the path to the pending IPSAC and ISSAC competitions.
Greater engagement
Since the start of the year, we have witnessed increased use of the sporting facility at Diamond. Despite the limitations of the ancillary facilities at Diamond, the fact is that the track is being heavily utilised, if only because we are into the competitive season.
Mention needs to be made of the use of the facility and TASVG competitions held there, by schools that are bent on improving their performances at IPSAC and ISSAC this year. We have seen students from the Pamellus Burke Primary, Brighton Primary, Questelles Government and the CW Prescod Primary, participating in TASVG competitions with a fair measure of regularity.
Of course, students from the Secondary schools are accustomed to using the facility since many of them also have broader interest in making national representative teams like the CATIFTA Games and the NACAC U18/U23, scheduled for April and July respectively. Additionally, some physical educators usually take teams to Grenada to contest the annual Whitsuntide Games.
Athletes aged 11 – 14 inclusive, are also eligible to represent St Vincent and the Grenadine sat the Biennial NACAC Age Group Championships scheduled for the Dominican Republic in July.
Generally, there has been a significant increase in participation in the competitions being hosted by TASVG at the Diamond Facility. This certainly augurs well for the sport and indeed, we should see better results throughout this period.
Another welcome feature thus far for this competitive season is the number of parents and other interested persons attending the competitions. The challenge would therefore be for TASVG to find creative ways of sustaining the interest now being shown and build upon it such that the sport can move even farther ahead as the nation’s most successful sport. This is consistent with one of the pillars of the World Athletics World Plan, that of getting more people involved in the sport, at different levels.
The impact of the new track
For many athletes the new track is an incentive, in and of itself.
Last year, when many of the athletes went onto the synthetic track for the very first time they took the time to reach down to get a feel of it. As soon as they donned competition spikes the new experience and the comfort they felt led them to improved performances.
One year later, it is expected that the athletes would be better prepared to make good use of the surface to showcase their immense potential.
To some athletes, the track invokes a sense that we have reached another milestone in the broader development of track and field athletics. The surface places athletes in a good place in that is allows them to feel more confident in competition. They are, after all, competing on comparable surfaces as their opponents and with TASVG’s equipment being constantly upgraded, their performances are more in sync with athletes of their age around the region and farther afield.
In the competitive season, having a synthetic surface instils confidence amongst athletes and coaches and of course, yields better results for schools and clubs, and, ultimately, the nation.
While several schools did not participate in the Inter Schools track and field championships last year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, almost all of them are on board for this year’s competition.
But the increased participation is not the only major change this year.
Several schools have opted to host their individual competitions at the Diamond Facility, allowing their student athletes o benefit from the available synthetic track. Many schools have also sought the use of the electronic timing system in an effort to be in step with global trends.
Another emergent trend is that the St Vincent Grammar School has finally shifted to going it alone, breaking the long-held practice of combining with the Girls High School. This year the Grammar School will host their annual track and field Championships on a Saturday, 25 February, hoping for greater attendance by past students and parents of the students of the institution. This could be a literal game-changer for school sports as it comes against the backdrop of innovations undertaken by the Bethel High School and the Barrouallie Secondary School.
Shoes
Far too many children continue running without appropriate footwear. This phenomenon was bad when the competition surface was grass. It is incredibly worse where the synthetic surface is concerned.
The nature of the synthetic surface at the Diamond Facility will easily cause the athletes to bleed. That is the nature of the material that has been used to construct the track.
Already, some athletes have bled at their respective school athletics competitions, unaware of the dangers of not having appropriate footwear.
Parents, teachers and coaches should be advised that it is unacceptable for the children to run barefoot at the Diamond Facility. They do so at the peril.
TASVG has been seeking support at the local and regional levels, for the procurement of shoes for children whose parents can ill-afford.
While it is not the best of practices, some schools and clubs have been getting athletes to share shoes in an effort to maximise their points whilst protecting the athletes.
Appeals need to be made by schools to get their past students to assist with the provision of reasonably priced competition shoes.
The story of athletes starting out with nothing and emerging as elite athletes is all too familiar. This can be the experience of several Vincentian children, but they need help in getting the equipment needed to attain success.
Thanks to The Khensus, Yemi and Jabari, we were able to provide Vincentian youths with 100 pairs of running shoes. We hope others would step forward and generously help those willing, young children who join our Kids Athletics Programme in the hope of one day being a Vincentian elite athlete.
Great rivalry
The IPSAC and ISSAC should, in this year, 2023, unleash some exciting friendly rivalry amongst athletes and the schools they represent.
Amongst participating schools in the IPSAC, the Stephanie Browne Primary of Union Island is expected to continue to press home the advantage they have had over the past several years. The preparation of the school’s team and performances at the competitions reflect the commitment of an entire community, eager to show that they are as talented as any other athlete engaged in the competition.
Student athletes from the Questelles Government mounted a sterling challenge as also did those from Calliaqua and the Kingstown Preparatory and CW Prescod schools.
Last year we saw major improvements in the performances of students from the Pamellus Burke Primary school as compared with previous years. There was also evidence of a determined spirit in the athletes from Sandy Bay.
Amongst the ISSAC participating schools the competition began in earnest with the Cross Country which was held on the old airport site at Arnos Vale. The rural schools dominated the event with the Barrouallie Secondary taking top honours in the Girls’ Division and Troumaca Ontario winning the Boys’ Division ahead of the Georgetown Secondary School.
In the Road Relay competition, returning after an absence of approximately 10 years, the Barrouallie girls won easily, while amongst the boys, the Georgetown Secondary came with a strong challenge on the final leg to snatch victory from the Barrouallie Secondary School.
With the track and field competition set to start next week, patrons and enthusiastic students and parents are all in tune with the interesting matchups.
Last year the Barrouallie Secondary took hold of the champions title for both the male and female overall categories. They dethroned the St Vincent Grammar School, which had a fairly long run as male champions.
Recent performances at TASVG competitions seem to suggest that the St Vincent Grammar School is set for a major comeback attempt. Led by the 2022 double Carifta Games medallist, Keo Davis, the challenge is definitely on. However, what matters is the performances of all of the athletes on the day of the finals.
The Troumaca Ontario Secondary School has already shown that it is in an aggressively progressive mode and willing to mount a major challenge on the more established institutions.
The St Martin’s Secondary does have some athletes with the potential to upset the favourites in some events.
Live coverage
The increase in live coverage of the IPSAC and ISSAC has served to popularise both events and this year is no exception.
VC3 has provided yeoman coverage and is once more expected to be in attendance. There has also been an increase in the number of individuals showing interest in coverage of the athletics competitions. This should ultimately yield heightened support for the sport in the future.
TASVG is embarking on a strategy that would bring more athletics action here at home to our Vincentians in the Diaspora. Hopefully this would inspire Vincentians at home and abroad, to contribute to our young athletes. The more live Vincentian athletics seen through live streaming and other media coverage, the better for the sport in SVG.
