Only wide smiles could be seen on the faces of athletes, their coaches and parents when the 2014 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic Championships (BSSAC) Awards ceremony was held at Harrison College yesterday.
Although the lion’s share of prizes went to champions Springer Memorial and Queen’s College, as well as The Lester Vaughan and The St Michael School, both St George Secondary and The Lodge School would have been proud to carry home $1 500 each, compliments of the Teachers’ Cooperative Credit Union for copping the Most Improved Male and Female Team awards, respectively.
The afternoon ceremony also saw former BSSAC chairman Catherine Jordan hand special awards to former meet director David Oxley and former secretary Marcia Farnum, who contributed a combined 30 years to the annual athletics meet.
In addition to record-breaker Sada Williams of Coleridge and Parry picking up a joint first place in the Under-20 Division with Danielle Scantlebury of The St Michael School, CP copped the Most Oustanding Distance Male Athlete award through Jonathan Jones. Elizabeth Williams won the female equivalent for Grantley Adams Memorial.
The newly laid track at the National Stadium saw 11 records being set. The record breakers were Shonita Broome of Alexandra, Under-15 Girls’ 400 metres; Williams, Under-20 Girls’ 400m; Ashley Williams of Lester Vaughan, Under-20 Girls’ shot put; Levi Cadogan of The St Michael School, Under-20 Boys’ 100m; Tristan Evelyn of Springer Memorial, Under-17 Girls’ 100m and 200m; Jaliyah Denny of Christ Church Foundation, Under-13 Girls’ 100m; Tremaine Smith of The Lodge School, Under-15 Boys’ 200m; Andre Callender of Deighton Griffith, Under-15 Boys’ long jump; Rivaldo Leacock of Lester Vaughan, 400m hurdles; and The St Michael School Under-20 Girls’ 4x100m relay team.
Repeat queens Springer were rewarded for their capture of the Under-15 division with 93 points and the Under-17 with 115.
Lester Vaughan took the Under-15 Boys with 79 points and the Under-17 with 87. Foundation dominated the Under-13 Girls with 74 points while boys’ champions Queen’s College garnered 83 in the Under-13.
St Michael’s girls scored the most points, 124.50, in the Under-20 while The Lodge School were equally superior in Under-20 Boys with a whopping 133 points.
