This Week in NACAC: NACAC Open Champions and World Championships 2023

EDITORIAL

It’s NACAC Time!

The foregoing is a very special theme for the several NACAC member federations that will be in attendance when the doors swing open for the official start to the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, USA. NACAC already boasts the best sprinters in the world and every one of the Area Association’s athletes, representing his/her respective national federations and countries, is committed to ensuring that we retain leadership on the track. Over the past several weeks our athletes have shown just how much time and effort have been put into their preparation for the big occasion. NACAC is particularly proud of its member, USA Track and Field (USATF) for the organisation’s first-ever hosting of the world governing body’s premier Outdoor Championships. An earlier commitment to host these Championships in 2005 was thwarted and shifted to Helsinki, Finland, in short order. However, this time around the USATF has made good on its commitment and the world will be focused on the competition in Eugene, commonly referred to as ‘Track Town’ in the US. NACAC President, Mike Sands, once a student-athlete at Penn State, has expressed his “immense pride that the Area’s largest member, USATF, has finally attained the honour and distinction of hosting the World Outdoor Championships, World Athletics’ biggest sporting spectacle. Congratulations to the organisation’s leadership!” The stage is set. The sporting world’s attention will be on the leading sport for individuals and the athletes will deliver as they walk, run, jump and throw themselves into World Athletics history.

NACAC Open Champions and World Championships 2023

Winners of individual events at the 2022 NACAC Open Championships, with the exception of marathoners, will, for the most part be treated as having qualified for the World Athletics Championships scheduled for Budapest, Hungary, in 2023. According to existing regulations, the World Athletics regulations state, “By virtue of the Finishing Position at designated competitions as follows (in these cases the athletes shall also be considered as having achieved the Entry Standard): The Area Champions in all the individual events (except for the Marathons). However, in the case of 10,000m, 3000mSC, Combined Events, Field Events and Road Events, the entry will be subject to the approval of the Technical Delegates, based on the athlete’s level. The Member Federation of the Area Champion will have the ultimate authority to enter the athlete or not, based on its own selection criteria”.  The NACAC leadership had been approached by member federations to address the aforementioned matter, since this was their understanding for some time. They merely wanted confirmation that the regulations had not been changed. Clearly, NACAC is anxious to have its best athletes at the Open Championships in Grand Bahama, 19 – 21 August. What better reason to be there than a guaranteed qualifying sport for the World Championships in Hungary.

NACAC Kids Athletics Training Camps organised          

Chester Morgan, NACAC Director of Coaches and Camps, has been leading the charge for the new World Athletics’ Kids Athletics programme in the NACAC Area. With the initial pilot programme in NACAC now completed, Morgan is busy organising the NACAC Kids Athletics Practitioner Training. This will be undertaken in two parts. Current planning shows the Programme for the English-speaking coaches is scheduled for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the period 23 – 26 August. The session for the Spanish-speaking coaches is scheduled for 26 – 28 August, with the venue to be finalised in the coming week. Morgan believes that the revised Kids Athletics Programme will be of great benefit to the NACAC member federations, and, if worked in tandem with the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework, will yield good results for the practising coaches.

Around NACAC

BAH – Grand Bahama preparing for NACAC Open

As The Bahamas celebrates its 49^th anniversary of Independence today, the Local Organising Committee for the NACAC Open has officially launched the website for the mega track and field event. The website is: www.nacacopenchampionship2022.com The BAAA, governing body for the sport of athletics in The Bahamas, has been granted rights to host this year’s NACAC Open Championships. Grand Bahama, one of the larger islands that make up The Bahamas, will play host to the Championships. Although the designation of a host for the NACAC Championships was late, Grand Bahama is nonetheless eager to showcase its capacity to be good hosts of the athletics spectacle and already the people are energized about the prospect of seeing the best athletes of NACAC match strides with the best of The Bahamas, before their own people. Overtures are being made to have their Olympic Champions, Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, headline the event. NACAC officials joined with the regional leadership of MONDO to pay a visit to Grand Bahama to examine the state of the track facility for the NACAC Championships. While in The Bahamas, the team also examined the track in Nassau, New Providence, where the BAAA will host the 50^th edition of the prestigious, Carifta Games. The Government of The Bahamas, is excited about the country’s hosting of back-to-back athletics championships in 2022 and 2023, given its commitment to sport tourism, but also because a Bahamian, Mike Sands, is the first citizen to be elected to the office of President of NACAC. The Bahamian government is also making a bid to become the next host of the World Relays, as a prelude to wanting to be the event’s permanent host, a position it once adopted. Finally, the Bahamian Government is also contemplating a commitment to establishing a Permanent Headquarters for NACAC such that the materials and archives of the organization would not  have to be relocated each time there is a change of administration. Grand Bahama is intent on showing all of NACAC that it is not only capable of producing outstanding athletes but that it can be remarkable hosts of track and field events for years to come. Athletes will stay at the Grand Lucaya Hotel Resort, an expansive property with the capacity to  have the athletes and team officials, technical officials and VIPs in one place, though appropriately separated in accordance with track and field protocols. Even as Grand Bahama is excited about hosting this year’s edition of the NACAC Open Championships, consideration is already being given to closer collaboration with NACAC , through the BAAA, regarding the hosting of other events on the organisation’s annual Calendar, in the future.

ISV – records tumble at Nationals

Michelle Smith (St. Croix Track Club) chose the Virgin Islands National Championships to continue her winning and record-setting ways when they were held over the last weekend in June (24 – 25). The Championships continue to be of much interest to Virgin Islands track and field athletes who are keeping the name and flag of the country in full view of other NACAC member federations.

Michelle set a new VI National Junior Record in the 400mH, with a time of 58.11. Readers may recall Michelle Smith’s outstanding performances at this year’s Carifta Games, held in Kingston, Jamaica, over the Easter Weekend. Already qualified for the World Athletics U20 Championships, she is now in full preparation for this big event scheduled for Cali, Colombia, 1 – 6 August, 2022. Not to be outdone, Maia Campbell established a National Championships record in the Shot Put with a throw of 16.54m. Leading male athlete, Malique Smith, set a facility record of 53.24, when winning the 400mH. He also claimed the Championship title in the 200m. National Champions 2022: Akyra Joseph, St. Croix Track Club, 100m and 200m Raynier Charlery, Cheetah Track Club, STT, 100m and Long Jump Malique Smith, St. Croix Track Club, 200m and 400m Hurdles Charlise Morris, Jolly Rogers Track Club, STX, 400m Mikaela Smith, St. Croix Track Club, 800m Makari Matthew, Jolly Rogers Track Club, STX, 400m and 800m Michelle Smith, St. Croix Track Club, 400m Hurdles Katelyn Jones, St. Croix Track Club, 1500m Croix Benton-Higgins, Jolly Rogers Track Club, STX, 1500m Yashira Rhymer-Stuart, Team VI, High Jump Maia Campbell, Team VI, Shot Put Jordan Vaughn, St. Croix Track Club, Shot Put, Javelin and Discus The National Championships were organised and administered by the Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation in collaboration with the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation at the St. Croix Educational Complex Track and Field facility.

Eduardo Garcia to represent VI at World Outdoors 2022

Eduardo Garcia, probably the top marathon runner in the Caribbean today, will represent the Virgin Islands at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The record holder for the Virgin Islands in cross-country, road running and long distance on the track, Garcia will contest the World Outdoors’ Marathon on Sunday 17 July at 6:15 am. NACAC’s leadership extends sincere congratulations to the local federation for its commitment to the sport and the progress that is being made at this time. Full results can be found at the VI Track and Field website: https://vitrackandfield.com/competitions/

Nicaragua celebrates Olympic Day 2022

It was a cool morning that allowed the Nicaraguan Athletics Federation to join forces with the Nicaraguan Olympic Committee to organise and administer the XXIX Annual Olympic Day Race.

The relationship between the national federation and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) has been excellent for many years. Athletics continues to grow in importance in the affairs of the NOC, in a country where Baseball is the premier sport. President Larios is convinced that the decision to host more events each year will ultimately facilitate significant growth in interest and performance standards. Anxious to benefit from the continuing athletics activities of the Federation, 350 runners (150 women and 200 men) began the race at 6:00am, in the Plaza de las Victorias, on the road to Masaya.