On your mark, get set! That’s all our primary and secondary schools athletes have been hearing recently.
And the reason they have not been hearing the sound of the gun or getting the green light to move from the starting blocks and run their races at the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championships (BSSAC) and the National Primary Schools Athletic Championships (NAPSAC) is because there seems to be a new false start rule to disqualify them from competing.
All kinds of excuses have been made by the various parties involved in what has become a national disgrace with the unavailability of the National Stadium for the staging of the BSSAC and NAPSAC.
It is pointless to apportion blame now that the mid-March time line for completion of the National Stadium has been deferred to May.
What was shocking was that everything seemed to be on stream until the arrival of the Mondo officials, armed with their measuring tapes. Was there some structural or technical problems with the actual track?
When I visited the venue towards the end of January, the asphalt was already in place.
But all is not lost for our young athletes who will be extremely disappointed if they are not afforded the opportunity to compete. A solution must be found and a readjusted programme put in place to facilitate the staging of the two meets.
I believe the eliminations can be held at other suitable venues on a scaled-down basis with a limited number of spectators, leaving the semi-finals and finals for May when the Stadium, hopefully, becomes available.
It is my understanding that newly reappointed Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley and Minister of Education Ronald Jones will meet with all stakeholders next week. However, because of the urgency of the situation, such a meeting should be held at least by Friday (but I’m not privy to the engagements which the various parties may already have).
Anyway, let’s see how we can move forward by making a last-ditch attempt to have both NAPSAC and BSSAC this year.
After the Test match between West Indies and Zimbabwe at Kensington Oval from March 12 to 16, followed by a Super50 match between Barbados and the Windward Islands on March 21 and the four-day match from March 23 to 26, there is virtually a three-week window with no cricket at Kensington, until the Super50 semi-finals on April 18 and 19 and the final on April 21.
Hence, my proposal is to have the firsr day of NAPSAC zonal eliminations on March 28, followed by the other four from April 2 to April 5. Three days of BSSAC eliminations could be staged from April 8 to 10 when the athletes return from the CARIFTA Games in The Bahamas.
It is going to call for sacrifices from physical education teachers and other officials, but let’s do it for the children.
Failing this, the BSSAC committee should look at zonal preliminary qualifying meets. For example, the Central Zone comprising Combermere, Harrison College, Ellerslie, Lester Vaughan, St Leonard’s Boys’, Graydon Sealy and The St Michael School could compete at the Police Sports Complex, Weymouth. The venue would need some cleaning up, especially at the south-eastern end where there is overgrown bush.
The Northern Zone could comprise Alexandra, Alleyne, Alma Parris, Coleridge & Parry, Frederick Smith, Daryll Jordan and Queen’s College competing at North Stars.
The Southern Zone could see Christ Church Foundation, Deighton Griffith, The Lodge, Princess Margaret, St George, Grantley Adams and Parkinson at the picturesque Windward Club in St Philip, which could also be used as a venue for CARIFTA?Trials next weekend since it is currently in excellent condition. But has anyone journeyed to St Philip to inspect this private venue for possible use?
Field events could be contested at Harrison College.
Since the track is already laid at the Ryan Brathwaite Track at the Lazaretto, every effort should be made to broker a deal with University of the West Indies officials to use this facility so that the hurdles events could be contested.
I’m at a loss as to how the Lazaretto facility would’ve been available to stage the LIME Pelican Challenge last October and November but cannot stage at least one section of school sports that involves students who will be enrolling at the Cave Hill Campus in a few years’ time. Somebody needs to chat with Cave Hill Campus principal Sir Hilary Beckles because, from what I’ve seen visiting the facility, once the unsuitable areas are cordoned off and the necessary amenities and utilities put in place with appropriate security, school sports could be staged there within a couple of weeks.
Let the races begin!