The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN the words of Clara Storr, “let the games begin.”

Storr, the education officer for high schools in the Ministry of Education, was among the speakers during a press conference yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to reveal plans for the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s annual track and field meet that is scheduled to take place from Wednesday to Friday.

Keith Saunders, the assistant director of education at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, said the meet will begin at 9am and should be completed at about 3pm each day.

Saunders said the opening ceremony is set for 9:30am on Wednesday and will be just as competitive with the rivalry between the CH Reeves Raptors and AF Adderley Fighting Tigers in the junior division and the CR Walker Knights and the CV Bethel Stingrays in the senior divisions.

Each school flag will be displayed and their banners will be mounted to show their patriotism.

Their school’s mascot will also participate in the festivities.

During the medal presentations, the winning school’s song will be played and their flags hoisted.

GSSSA president Varel Davis said the schools are all primed and ready to compete and she encourages the spectators to come out and watch three competitive days of competition, especially her Raptors, who are looking forward to taking the title back to CH Reeves.

Tina McKay, the principal at CR Walker, who represented Virginia Rolle, the president of the New Providence Principals Association, said her Knights are looking to shine once again. But she sent out a strict warning to the students as they come out and cheer on their respective schools. As the three days will be regarded as regular school days and rostered taken, McKay advised students that they are required to only wear their school shirts and jeans. No dresses, no shorts and no skirts will be allowed by students attending.

And with the exception of the student-athletes competing in the meet, McKay informed the students and spectators that they will not be allowed to bring any bags inside the stadium.

“We want to encourage the parents to ensure that your children follow these rules,” she stated, adding that security will be strictly enforced by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the National Sports Authority.

NSA general manager Quinton Brennen, a former middle-distance runner for CR Walker, said the goal is to get the GSSSA meet back to the competitive level that it was in the past.

Brennen said the fans can definitely expect to see some of the upcoming track and field athletes as they prepare to represent the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Games in Hamilton, Bermuda, over the Easter holiday weekend.

“We have seen this meet over the years take a nose dive, but with the partnership that we have forged, we feel that we can rekindle that formula when the meet featured the Magics of Government High, but now it’s the CR Walker and CH Reeves,” he said.

Brennen said they anticipate that this will be the best GSSSA meet ever held.

Meet director Fritz Grant said the reason they decided to stack the meet over three days was to allow the competitors, particularly those who participate in the middle and long-distance events, to get enough recovery time to compete from one event to the next.

For the meet, according to Grant, all signs are good with all of the entries completed, the numbers selected and they are just waiting for Wednesday for the meet to get underway.

Storr said as the games begin, their students have worked hard and the coaches have prepared them and the charge has gone forth.

“Congratulations to all teams. Thank you to everyone who has invested in our students,” she said. “I will say, let the games begin.”