The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations smash in the middle of their 2013 season, the Ambassadors Athletic Club is getting ready to host the sixth Florida’s Natural/Fritz Grant Track and Field Invitational.

The meet, scheduled for Saturday in the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, is being held in honour of the Ambassadors’ head coach Fritz Grant and is once again sponsored by Asa H Pritchard.

Under the theme, ‘Celebration of 49 years of service to Athletics,” the meet is scheduled to begin at 10am and will feature competition in all age groups.

“This event promises to be very, very exciting,” Grant said. “We are looking at a number of athletes from the primary schools, the junior high schools, the senior high schools and even the elite athletes to compete in this event, which will also be used as one of the qualifying meets for the upcoming CAC All-Age Championships, the CAC Senior Championships, the World Youth Championships, the Junior Pan Am Championships and of course the World Championships in Russia.

“We are expecting great competition among the club athletes and we do have some of our senior athletes that will be opening up for the first time, namely Andretti Bain, who is a member of the Ambassadors Athletic Club, as well as Adrian Griffith, who will be competing in the 100 metres, as well as some of our senior athletes who have been competing over the past few months.”

Among some of the match-ups to look forward to is the men’s high jump between Ryan Ingraham and Jamal Wilson, who are both attempting to qualify for the World Championships in Moscow, Russia in August.

Additionally, sprinters Carmiesha Cox and Devynne Charlton, who are both heading to Purdue University in August, as they contest the women’s 100 metres.

“This event is shaping up extremely well,” said Grant, noting that already they have between 600-700 athletes already signed up to compete. “I’m looking forward to some exciting competition and the Ambassadors Club is grateful to Asa H Pritchard and Mr (Garvin) Collins and Mr (Jeff) Saunders for sponsoring us once again with Florida’s Natural, the best fruit drink in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.”

With Mother’s Day on Sunday, Grant encouraged all of the mothers to come out and enjoy the competition and who knows, they might just receive a surprise.

“This year, we are really going to have our colours out. Our uniforms will be sharp, our sponsors have provided the medals with Florida’s Natural on it, so we have definitely improved the qualify of the meet, so we are looking for the performances to be very exciting,” Grant said.

Collins, the general manager at Asa H Pritchard, said they’re just glad to be involved in a sporting event where they can promote their juice.

“These medals are just fantastic,” he said. “The gold, the silver, the bronze, to have the brand logo in the middle is just fantastic. We’re proud to be the sponsors of this event once again.”

And Saunders, the brand manager for Florida’s Natural, said having a chance to watch the thousands of athletes train at the TAR Stadium, it was not a brain teaser for the management and staff at Asa H Pritchard to get on board and sponsor the meet.

“I’m really lost for words because it’s been a great ride so far,” Saunders said. “Everybody knows Fritz as an international coach and to have an international brand associated with an international coach, it’s really a great thing for us here at Asa H Pritchard.”

One of the highlights of the meet will be the heats and the finals in the 100 in the under-18 and open men and women divisions.