The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH some of the top local athletes opted not to compete, the DTSP Wolfpack Track Club’s second annual track and field meet was termed a success at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday.

This year’s meet, held in honour of veteran coach Peter Pratt, saw the T-Bird Flyers Track Club emerge victorious with a total of 339 points. The Roadrunners came in second with 307 and the Star Trackers got third with 278.

Hurry Murray Athletics picked up fourth place with 252 and host DTSP Wolfpack completed the top five with 243.

DTSP Wolfpack’s head coach Larry Clarke said while they missed some of the top athletes who participated, they were also understaffed in terms of officials from the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials, who were in attendance.

That, according to Clarke, pushed the meet behind schedule.

“I just hope moving forth that people would understand that this is a business and people want value for their money,” said Clarke, as he expressed his displeasure in how the meet was run.

“But the persons who were here today did a fairly decent job. We’re disappointed that on the same day that we are having our meet, they have a meet in Grand Bahama and some of the officials went there to help them.”

As for the performances, Clarke said with their meet coming on the heels of the New Providence Primary Schools Track and Field Meet last week and just before the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s National High School Championships this week, they didn’t have full participation of the government primary school athletes and some of the top high school athletes. “It took away from the full participation of the athletes, especially in honouring a man like coach Peter Pratt, who has done so much to help so many athletes,” Clarke said. “We should have had more athletes competing.”

Pratt, a former national team triple jumper turned coach, said it was good that the DTSP Wolfpack decided to honour him in the way that they did. He didn’t expect the kind of reception that he got.

“I didn’t know they were going to be blasting it the way they blasted it,” he said. “They did a very good job and I am very appreciative because this is the first time that a club has done something like this for me.”

Pratt said he would have been delighted if he had seen some of the top athletes, who opted not to compete, come out and participate.

He felt it would have made the meet that much more competitive.

In 1973, Pratt made history as a triple jumper when he became the Bahamas’ first reception of a medal in his speciality at the prestigious CARIFTA Games.

He went on to attend Mankato State University, now known as Minnesota State University.

During his tenure, he went on to win the North Central Conference indoor titles in both the long and triple jumps for four years. He eventually became a three-time All-American NCAA Division II outdoor champion.

In closing out his collegiate career in 1976, Pratt won the outdoor triple jump title.

For his efforts, he was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 1991 and 2015.

On completion of college, Pratt went on to represent the Bahamas in a number of international competitions where he won medals.

He also started his coaching career while still competing.

Well liked and respected around the world, Pratt has elevated himself to become a Level V IAAF Diploma coach and has worked with the Bahamas national team as well as countries in the Caribbean, US and Saudi Arabia.

He is founder of the Bahamas Scholastic Association, served as second vice president of the Bahamas Parent Association for Track and Field Athletes and as the head clinician for the National Scholastic Athletic Foundation, based in the US.

• A full list of the reports from the meet will be published in another edition of The Tribune this week.