The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ 27th Track and Field Championships going to the Queen’s College Comets, Senator Greg Burrows said the excitement has soared going into the Ministry of Education’s National High School Track and Field Championships this weekend.

By dethroning the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine, who had held the title for the past 26 years, dating back to the inception of the meet in 1988, Queen’s College is now considered one of the favourite teams to watch in the meet this weekend. Like the rematch between QC and SAC, there is also a lot of interest between the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s champions CV Bethel Stingrays and perennial champions CR Walker Knights.

The nationals, featuring more than 50 schools, will get started on Wednesday evening at 7pm with the march passed of athletes during the official opening ceremonies at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium before the action gets started on Thursday at 9am and run through Saturday.

Mr Burrows said: “What I believe is this will build a better stage for SAC to show its power and to be able to bounce back and win a few of the divisions that are there to be won by many schools.

“I believe because of the upset by Queen’s College and the schools coming in, the opportunity to win is wide open.

“The good thing is that one of the principals from Grand Bahama, on hearing the news of QC beating SAC, they are confident that they can come here and put on a much better performance and carry most of the divisional titles back to Grand Bahama. This is all good. This is what makes sports so interesting.”

Mr Burrows, who heads the local organising committee that includes Leroy Archer, Jeff Beckles and Anton Sealey from the National Sports Authority and Mike Sands, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, former organisers of the meet, said it will be interesting to see how the coaches step up and get their teams ready to compete.

“We have about 58 schools registered to compete,” he said. “That’s the most that have ever been registered in the meet.

“We have a small group coming from Mayaguana, a small group from Acklins, so the southern islands will be represented and Grand Bahama will be bringing a total of 11 schools, while Abaco have about three schools coming in from the north.

“From the central islands, Eleuthera is also coming with about three schools and we will have schools competing from just about all of the major Family Islands. All of the schools, both private and government, will be competing from New Providence. So I am pleased that we are going to push this meet even more.”

During the opening ceremonies on Wednesday night, the local organising committee will be honoring nine principals, whose schools have been among the top contenders in the nationals in the past or have won the BAISS and the GSSSA titles. Principals from Grand Bahama and the Family Islands will also be honoured.

The meet director is Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming and both the BAAA and the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials are all involved with the local organising committee and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, in making the event a success.

“The whole meet is centered around the athletes and their successes,” Mr Burrows said. “The coming together of all of these entities will help to make it possible. We have to start focusing on paying attention to national events and so I think this will be the start of more national events to be held in all of the sports where we get all of the schools involved.”