Track and field on the rise in the east
WHILE ST Mary High and Titchfield High reigned supreme at Eastern Athletics Championships, they have struggled to make their marks at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs). Despite this, coaches Dwayne Williams and Kerron Grant say track and field in the east is on the rise.
As St Mary High secured their eighth straight hold on the top title, Williams said this year’s team is one of the strongest he had coached.
St Mary were dominant in the girls’ relay events, breaking four of the six meet records. After their showing last weekend, Williams expects his team to be competitive at the Gibson McCook Relays next Saturday.
“Well, we have some strong relay teams and this championship was our first time running the relays so hopefully we can put up a better showing at the Gibson McCook Relays,” he said.
Williams explained that within the team, there are athletes who train to compete at Eastern Champs while there are athletes who train to compete at Champs.
This model, according to Williams, gives his athletes targets to aim for, even if they will not be competing at Champs.
While he has faith in his team to be competitive, he admitted that they would not be favourites as the quality at the national championships is much higher than in their region.
“At St Mary High, we have different athletes in terms of standards. We have Champs quality and we have Eastern Champs quality. This is our championships meaning that some athletes in the eastern region will not go to the bigger championships so we use [Eastern Champs] as their championships while we have athletes on a different level and will be the ones to represent at Boys and Girls Championships,” Williams said.
This is a sentiment echoed by Grant at Titchfield High. While Grant said there have been improvements in the quality of track and field in the east, the region still struggles to compete at the national level.
“Eastern championships is just a stop in the journey to national championships. So this just shows that we’re on the right path for the athletes that are going to compete at Boys and Girls’ Champs.
“We’re not in a position to chase any national championships, right now we’re just going to get a few points in specific areas from specific persons. Titchfield and the eastern region overall, we’re trying to get our programme up to the level where we can compete against the best in the country and be the best. I’m hoping as the time goes by, we can be a force to be reckoned with,” Smith said.
Titchfield and St Mary High were title winners at the national level in the past. The Port Antonio-based Titchfield claimed back-to-back girls’ titles in 1963 and 1964. St Mary High were girls’ champions in 1976 and 1977.
While those days are past, Grant hopes that Titchfield can see improvement over the next few years and place themselves among the nation’s best.