Given that many schools consistently finish in the bottom half of the standings at BSSAC (Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships), should the championships be structured under a two-tier system to allow the weaker schools a chance to compete for a trophy?
Haydn Gill (top left):
FOR WANT of a better term, several schools simply make an “appearance” at BSSAC.
It is often a forgone conclusion which six schools would be vying for honours, and an easy solution to generate more interest for those which finish as “also-rans” is to create a new structure that splits the championships into two tiers.
In spite of some merits of such a system, I respectfully submit that it will be counterproductive to the development of track and field. While it has potential to offer intrigue to spectators and give athletes from the weaker schools a sense of satisfaction, it will do little to lift the standard of the sport.
My view is that if schools are not up to scratch, they need to put systems in place and devote adequate resources to ensure they can compete with the big guns. If “C” class athletes are competing among themselves only, I hardly believe they will reach “A” class standard.
To divide the championships into two to give some schools a chance to shout about something is an acceptance that there is place for mediocrity. The existing format works for me. It doesn’t work for some schools, but the onus is on them to fall in line.
Mike King (top right):
THE TWO-TIER system is the way to go.
Let’s us face it: some schools languish in the lower half of the boys and girls standings every year, and surely it has to be deflating to their morale to endure disappointment after disappointment.
I am not promoting elitism or segregation by any means – far from it. But the truth is, it can’t be business as usual. The high school championships lack depth because there are too many schools that are not competitive as a result of having weak physical education departments.
Last year, the girls at Princess Margaret secured one point while the boys at Ellerslie, a school that has produced Brian Benn and the Patterson brothers, collected just four. That’s not good enough. Let’s chart a new way forward.
Excellent performances at the Inter-School Championships are the fruits of a solid sports programme, good coaching and the commitment of the coaching staff, and clearly that is not the case at some of the rural schools.
Success in sport never comes by accident and the reason why Springer Memorial, The Lodge School, Queen’s College, Lester Vaughan, The St Michael School, Harrison College, Foundation, Combermere and St Leonard’s are doing well is because they have a programme that involves all and sundry, with the principal supporting the physical education department to the maximum.
Look for the QR code in today’s Sunday Sun to watch the discussion.
