By Carlena Knight
With discussions continuing over the rules and regulations that will be implemented at YASCO once it is refurbished, the issue of allowing schools to hold Sports Day events at the track has come up.
Many have weighed in suggesting that rules be added to ban schools from hosting their events at the lone track and field facility, while others, like the Deputy Director of Sports, believes that with proper planning and scheduling, schools can be facilitated once the track is refurbished.
One school principal, Dr. Colin Greene of the Princess Margaret School (PMS), added his voice to the conversation in favour of schools being allowed to compete at YASCO.
Greene who is known for his love for sports, went further to suggest that with the permission to host events at YASCO, schools should now look at getting their meets sanctioned.
“I absolutely believe that that should be the case. In fact, I absolutely believe that each of these Secondary meets should be sanctioned. So, whatever time you run, it gives you the opportunity to qualify for other activities. I think our children need to be given more opportunities to run under those qualifying conditions rather than the hit and miss.”
The sports enthusiast and educator went on to speak on avenues that the Ministry, as well as schools, will have to take in order to regenerate interest in track and field as it has been three years since the final staging of the Inter-Schools Track and Field meet.
One of those meets would add more events to the calendar.
“They need to have added events. I am waiting because I would like to put on a Princess Margaret School relay, and bring all the schools together into a relay field. I think there is an opportunity for much more meets, more fundraising, and much more activities to generate interest in the sport. YASCO will have to be used in a competition point of view to generate new interest in the sport and attract new people to track and field, because when we start, they are going to have to almost start over, because if we [at PMS] have difficulty generating interest, and we have been doing well, then what do you think is going to happen with other people? Even the presence of athletes will have to reignited because they didn’t have any competition to run and interest has waned.
Dr. Greene was speaking on the Good Morning Jo Jo Sports show last Wednesday.