This Week in NACAC: NACAC to Strengthen Brand at World Championships

NACAC to Strengthen Brand at World Championships

The stage is already set for big things to happen for NACAC, in whose Area, the prestigious World Athletics Outdoor Championships will be held, at the Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 15 – 24 July 2022.

NACAC, which is launching its new Brand, this year, is excited at the fact that its member, USATF, will, for the very first time in US history, host the premier event of the international federation for the sport, World Athletics.

“We are confident that the USATF will put up an excellent show, in terms of the meticulous preparation of the facilities to welcome the best athletes in the world, the delivery of services and most exciting competition”, said Mike Sands, President of NACAC.

Sands also noted that the historic nature of the event for both USATF and NACAC, serves as additional motivation to the Area’s athletes who have already shown the international community that they possess the best athletes in the global Athletics Family.

“We are at home,” Sands stated. “We can expect our athletes to be supported by all of NACAC, in and outside the competition arena. It will not be easy to beat us in our house!”

About the pending new Brand, Sands said, “We have a fresh, appealing new brand that will be more deliberately aligned to that of World Athletics and leave none in doubt as to who we are and what we stand for…NACAC as an Area Association, will be recognised by its brand, at every major athletics competition in the world, going forward”.

The Brand is being supported by a structure in NACAC that has placed athletes at the core. They are first. They are the reason for our existence. Significant work is being undertaken through the NACAC Athletes Commission in this regard.

There is also pride of place being given to gender equity where our girls and boys, women and men stand side by side at every level of our sport. The NACAC Gender Leadership Working Group is conscientiously promoting the NACAC Brand by their work. This Commissions works hand in hand with the Athletes Commission. Evidence of this will be witnessed in Org=egon and again at the NACAC Open Championships in Grand Bahama.

Around NACAC

El Salvador

The Salvadoran Athletics Federation held the III Olympic Track and Field Tournament for the season over the weekend.

The competition took place at the athletics track facilities of the University of El Salvador (UES), and at the Armed Forces Transmission Support Command (CATFA), in San Salvador.

A total of 267 athletes representing 24 clubs and national teams, including athletes from the El Salvador Paralympic Committee (COPESA) and Guatemala, contested the 30 events, much to the delight of federation officials and the athletics fraternity of the country.

Competition was in the U9, U11, U13, Seniors and Masters categories.

One (1) new national record was set in the Senior category, in which René Navas, Samuel Ibáñez, Esteban Ibáñez and Pablo Ibáñez produced a time of 3:12.63 in the 4 x 400m relay. The previous record was 3.15.71, established 21 years ago by a team comprising, Alejandro Navarro, César Arias, Edgardo Serpas and Roberto Cortes.

Jamaica

Jamaican athletes are showing a significantly impressive level of preparation leading up to the JAAA’s National Championships and the World Championships that would closely follow.

At a recent meet in Rome in the past week, 100m Olympic Games bronze medallist, Shericka Jackson, won the 200m in impressive style, relegating fellow Jamaican, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith to second and third respectively.

Jackson who, only a year ago stepped down from the 400m to the shorter distances of the 100m and 200m respectively, has been rounding into form in a manner that serves an ominous warning to all her opponents.

In Rome, Jackson also dispatched World Athletics 200m Indoor gold medallist, Shaunae Miller- Uibo, of The Bahamas. Her time of 21.91, achieved with some measure of comfort, left her elated at what is possible in short order at home and again in Eugene, Oregon as well as Birmingham, England (host of this year’s Commonwealth Games).

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye produced a wind-aided 11.12 to win the 100m at the cla PTS Meeting in Samorin, Slovakia. He victory comes in the wake of a her victorious run at the Irena Szewińska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the previous week. Trinidad athletes were in winners’ row at the annual Whitsuntide Games in St George’s, Grenada. Mauricia Prieto won the 100m in 11.87 and completed the double with victory in the 200m in 23.82. Omari Lewis won the 100m in 10.44 (wind-aided). Nathan Farinha was third in 10.60. Farinha clocked 21.40 in capturing silver in the 200m. Tamia Badal was second in women’s 100mH.

USA

Last Olympics 800m female teenage Olympic gold medallist, Athing Mu, showed no ill-effects of her covid-19 experience when she easily won her pet evet at the Diamond League during the past week. Her time of 1:57.01 with a 400m split of 56.42, places as the world leader and revealed just how well she is in her preparation for the World Championships in July.
Following the pacemaker through the bell in 56.42, Mu cruised down the back straight before pulling away from her rivals seemingly effortlessly in the final 200m.

Another American, Fred Kerley, an athlete who, like Jackson of Jamaica, stepped down from the

400m to do the shorter sprint, easily won the 100m in 9.92, throwing down the gauntlet to his peers around the world in preparation for what promises to be a most exciting 100m in Oregon.

Patrons at the stadium in Rome were more than a little disappointed when it was learnt that last year’s Tokyo Olympic Champion, Marcell Jacobs did not show up for the start of the event.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Vincent track and field athletes and officials who have gained selection to national teams for this year’s Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe in July and the Commonwealth Games in July-August, will benefit from communications workshops organised by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee, scheduled for 18 – 19 June.

The Workshop will cover such topics as Message & Messenger, Assessing Skill Level, Upskilling the Messenger, Personal Messaging, Team Image Messaging, The Games Environment, The Media Environment, Creating & Communicating the Message, The Tools of Communication.

Much emphasis will also be placed on Team SVG as: sports and national ambassadors, professionals and fair play advocates.

Finally, the workshop will feature, Redefinition; Mission 2022, Attitude and Image, Traditional/Conventional Media and New/Social Media 2022.

The track and field team members will participate alongside the selectees from other sports in which the country will be represented at the aforementioned Games.

In competitions during the past week Vincentian athletes enjoyed mixed results.

At the NCAA Finals, Mikeisha Welcome finished ninth in the triple jump with a leap of 13.22m. This was her second consecutive NCAA Finals in the event.

In Jamaica, Vincentian student athletes participated in the JAAA All-comers Meet on Saturday last. Handal Roban finished second in the 800m in 1:48.31, with fellow Vincentian, Akani Slater, in third (1:52.28). Verrol Sam placed fourth in the high jump with a leap of 2.00m.

Mc Kish was second in the 100m in 10.59, while Sage Primus finished 10^th in the 200m in 21.65 In the U20 category, Nellie Ambriton was third in the 800m in 1:56.62; Amal Glasgow was fifth in the 400m in 47.62 and ninth in the 200m in 22.03.

Athletes Commission begins educational series

The NACAC Athletes Commission hosted the first in a series of educational workshops for athletes of the Area. This activity, which took place on 29 May, featured a spirited presentation on the theme, Personal Branding from an Agent’s perspective.

Bruce James of Jamaica was the lone presented in the workshop with an attendance of more than 60 participants.

According to the Athletes Commission, the objective of the workshop was to bring awareness of the importance of personal branding to the development of our athletes. Emphasis was placed on the fact that athletes must be conscious that while they strive to promote their brands, they must take note of how others perceive the brand image that is being crafted and projected.

The Commission was pleased with the turn out as well as the discussions surrounding how athletes should establish themselves with the fans and work more deliberately on attracting sponsors.

The Commission plans a series of workshops going forward in the latter part of the year.