With several developmental track and field meets across the island cancelled due to a lack of financial support, Maurice Wilson, meet coordinator of this year’s 44th staging of the JAAA/Puma Pat Anderson Meet, has expressed his gratitude to Team Jamaica Bickle for coming on board to support the event. Team Jamaica Bickle has sponsored this year’s meet to the tunes of US10,000 (J$1.6 million).
The meet, which was formerly held at the Kirkvine Sports Complex in Manchester, has been staged at G.C. Foster College in St Catherine for the past few years. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., with registration starting at 8:30 a.m.
“Everything is now on track because we would have received commitments in terms of sponsorship from Jamaica Bickle that will offset a lot of the cost, and we really wanted to do many things for the youngsters in western Jamaica, and even though we had the idea, we didn’t have the finances. And because of the additional support, we are able to do more,” Wilson said.
His comments come against the backdrop of several recent cancellations. The Western Relays, the Queen’s Grace Jackson Meet, and the Run for the Republic Development Meet, scheduled for Herbert Morrison Technical High School this Saturday, have all been cancelled.
Wilson has also outlined the structure and schedule for the meet and stressed the importance of punctuality as he stated that he is expecting over 1,500 athletes at this year’s meet.
“I would have spoken about the meet schedule, and I would have spoken about the adherence to time. We will start with the 3,000 and 5,000 metres and then we move on to the 400-metre hurdles. In hosting the meet at G.C. Foster College, we are able to facilitate more institutions even though sometimes we would have preferred that nice drive down to that cool part of the world, which, of course, is Manchester,” he said.
Wilson, who is the principal of G.C. Foster College, noted that middle- and long-distance events will feature prominently while seniors will also have sprint opportunities. Mark Martin, Micheal McIntosh, and Dr Carol Long will be this year’s honourees at the meet.
“We will have the 800 metres for all classes and you know the concentration for middle and long distances, but of course, we have infused the 60 metres for the seniors. Of course the seniors have World Indoors, so we are giving them the opportunity to showcase their skill set. And so they will be using this meet as a precursor for those upcoming meets that they will be participating in,” Wilson said.
According to Wilson, the 200 metres will be contested across all senior and junior classes, along with the 1,500 metres. He also noted that entry limits would be strictly enforced.
“Every single year when we are asked to facilitate a request, sometimes there is a conversation that is unnecessary – persons just need to listen to the instructions. It is two heats per class, one heat can go up to 18 and heat two 18 again, so we are making provisions. First come, first serve. After the 1,500 metres, we hope to close with the 400 metres in all classes, seniors and juniors,” he said.
Field events will include the long jump across all classes while the triple jump will be restricted to females, with a maximum of six participants allowed per entry.
Wilson said the support from sponsors and partners has been crucial in keeping the meet alive.
“The support has been overwhelming for us because it has been a struggle, and the JAAA has other meets that they have to support, and we understand the financial constraints. We are extremely happy and grateful for the support, and it will be passed on to the students,” he said.
“We gave scholarships for two years when we were much better, and we hope to get back there as soon as we organise our finances.”
