The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ 2020 season will swing into full gear with the first full-fledged track and field meet on Saturday as the T-Bird Flyers Track Classic is staged on Friday and Saturday at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Foster Dorsett, the T-Bird Flyers head coach and meet director, said they expect some exciting performances as they take advantage of the Majority Rule Day holiday weekend.

“This is the first regular meet for the year and we will have a lot of events on the schedule,” Dorsett said. “We know that the coaches will be taking advantage of the opportunity to get their athletes ready for the season.”

The meet will get started at 2pm on Friday with the field events taking priority along with the 100 metres and then on Saturday, starting at 1pm, Dorsett said they will stage a lot of events for the younger competitors.

“This is also a qualifier for CARIFTA, so we know that there will be a lot of athletes who want to make the standard early,” he said. “So we know that we can expect the competition to be very keen.”

The CARIFTA Games is scheduled for April 10-13 in Hamilton, Bermuda. Already one athlete has attained the qualifying standard. Stefan Farquharson did it in the under-17 boys’ high jump with a leap of 1.92 metres or 6-feet, 3 1/2-inches at the BAAAs Odd Distance Track Classic.

The classic, held on Saturday, allowed competitors to compete in field events either from standing position or a shorter approach, while the track events were shorter than the normal races ran like the 75, 150, 300 and 600 metres.

The Heats Athletics Track Club out of Grand Bahama are expected to be in town to compete, according to Dorsett. He noted that they are making some provisions to assist the club as a result of what they would have experienced with Hurricane Dorian last year.

“For the Heats Athletics and any of the other teams coming in from the Family Islands, we intend to provide some incentives for them,” Dorsett stated. “We want to make them feel very special when they come here to compete.”

Following the meet on Saturday, the BAAA is scheduled to hold their annual church service on Sunday at St Francis/Joseph Cathedral on West Hill Street, starting at 8:30am. All BAAAs executives, clubs, coaches and athletes are invited to attend.

The BAAAs calendar for the month of January will conclude on Saturday, January 25 when the DTSP Wolfpack Invite is staged at the stadium. The T-Bird Track Classic and the Wolfpack Invite are just a few of the local club meets on tap before CARIFTA.

The other two will be held next month and they are the Star Trackers Track Classic on Saturday, February 1 and the DLT Classic on February 15. The final CARIFTA trials is set for March 27-28.