All is now set for Camperdown Classic
COURTNEY BROOKS, Camperdown Classic committee member and chief official, says the unavailability of the Stadium East as a warm-up area for this year’s meet will pose some difficulties for the annual event, but assured that they have plans in place to ensure that the meet will run as smoothly as possible.
Due to renovation work, which began at the facility in early January, the Stadium East complex will not be in use for the meet, which is set for tomorrow. Brooks says that they have made alternative arrangements so that athletes can get sufficient time and space to warm up.
Specific areas will be set aside for warm-up but Brooks said that if teams failed to cooperate and follow guidelines, it could lead to things getting chaotic at the venue.
“Things are shaping up (for the meet). It was slow at first and we had to extend the closing date. The closing date was last Sunday, but we extended it to midnight on Tuesday. The only drawback we are having is that we are not able to use the Stadium East. Everything has to be done inside the Stadium and the warm-up area is limited. That’s the obstacle we are facing now,” he said.
Organisers have appealed to the coaches to assist them to keep things in order because of the limited space.
“Sometimes there are more than a hundred athletes for heats, and if all of these athletes are using the warm-up area at the same time, there is going to be chaos. So we are pleading with them (coaches) to just send down the representatives for each class at the appropriate time and not all at once,” Brooks said.
The warm-up areas will be located in the area above the cycle track beyond the finish line and also in the area just below that. There will be also be another warm-up area to the north of the National Stadium from the 200 metres start around to the 100 metres start.
“We will use those areas to do the warm-up. I don’t know if they will give us permission to use the inner field itself. I am not sure as yet. But it is something we will try to avoid because you don’t want to damage the football field,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brooks said that British sprinting star Zharnel Hughes’announcement that he would open his season at the meet has given them a massive boost, and organisers hope that that will motivate other stars to attend the meet.
“Hughes is coming out and it has generated some interest. His participation will draw out some other big names. But we are also expecting some big names from Racers, Akon, and Sprintec Track Clubs. Last year we had a contingent from India. This year, we have a group coming from Cayman. Jordan Byles, who has done quite well in the US (junior level), will be coming, and there is a 12-year-old athlete (Adriana Kalymialaris) from Finland who will participate in the 100m and the long jump. Top local high school athletes, including Calabar High’s Christopher Taylor and De’Jour Russell, should also compete, so we are expecting a good meet,” Brooks said.