With the 53rd national schools championships now over, our reporter Treiston Joseph looks back at the event, its highs and lows and what can be done to make 2014 better
After four days of hard, intense and tough competition at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, defending champions North Georgetown (District 11) retained their title in a close finish with Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani (District 10) that saw them becoming the most successful district with 14 titles. With the championships now over, it is time to put the event into retrospect.
Competition and crowd support
The championship, the competitive atmosphere and the individual rivalry all added to the event that was brilliant in the final three days, as the athletes definitely made the 2013 edition of the championships a success.
This was amplified by the close race for the overall title between North Georgetown and Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani as the athletes ran with a sense of urgency and determination.
However, it was unfortunate that such competitiveness was only witnessed by a handful of people who flocked to the stadium, especially on days two and three.
More needs to be done by the organisers to enthuse the public into attending the event and the public should become more interested in their athletes; after all, should one of these athletes win Olympic gold, it would not just be the sporting nation’s pride, but that of all Guyanese.
Organisation and judging.
The organisers had only about four weeks to put together the event, which was not to be hosted this year. However, with the limited time to prepare, the organisers did a good job, especially on the final three days of the meet at the stadium.
Other than a confusing first day with events being held simultaneously at various venues, the event was smooth flowing without many hitches compared to previous years.
The area of judging nevertheless, needs to be improved. A clear case in point was the close finish between Hamzah Eastman and Paul DeNobrega in the cycling road race. While video and photographic evidence revealed that Eastman was clearly ahead, the race was deemed a tie.
Such mishaps must be stamped out for the event to reach its pinnacle.
On track, judging seemed fairly acceptable, except for some occasions when the call room was moving a bit slow in getting events on the track, which at times caused a lull in proceedings.
There should also be a clear ruling on how athletes are allowed to celebrate after winning events since it has caused some districts to feel that judges are biased when a ruling of sort does not go their way.
However, despite some issues with identifying records the track judging on the final three days for the most part always seemed accurate and fair.
Memorable moments and standout performances
The most memorable moment that will be etched in most people’s minds would be Jason Yaw’s 4×400 metres final leg run. The 6’ 3”, 16-year- old came from approximately 20 metres behind to run past a talented 400 metres runner in Arinze Chance. Yaw clocked 48.1s on the final leg that brought the stadium to its feet.
Yaw’s remarkable comeback crowned a sprint treble as he had earlier crowned record breaking performances in the Boys’ Under-18 200 and 400 metres.
Tirana Mitchell’s hamstring pull left the stadium in shock when the 200 metres Carifta bronze medalist grasped at her leg 40 metres into the race and fell to the ground in the Girls’ Under-18 100 metres.
Mitchell’s picked up the injury in September, but obviously tried to make a comeback too early and pulled the right hamstring. Hopefully, the talented 16-year-old recovers fully and returns to peak form in 2014.
Jevina Sampson was a class act as she looked to be her usual explosive self, returning to form. Sampson won all three of her sprint events in the Girls’ Under-16 category and capped it off with a brilliant 4×400 metres final leg to win the relay for North Georgetown.
Jamal Johnson of Linden broke two middle distance records in the Boys’ Under-16 800 and 1500 metres.
Johnson is a bright star and prospect, and after basically going unnoticed for the past couple years, his performances at “nationals” definitely caught the eyes.
Fascinating fact
With North Georgetown winning again this year, it is now 23 years since any district besides North Georgetown or Upper Demerara/Kwakwani that has won. The last time another district won was in 1990 when East Coast Demerara (District Four) lifted the title.
Against this backdrop, it is safe to conclude that more needs to be done to enable the other districts to compete more meaningful at the premier schools championships.
Moreover, the sport needs an injection of new life and the Education Ministry must collaborate more with their counterparts from the Sport Ministry in order to get the best results out of the event, that has become one of Guyana’s main staples in sport.
