Best athletes expected at BSSAC 2017

The best of Barbados’ secondary school’s athletes is expected at this year’s edition of the Powerade Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships (BSSAC).

These were the sentiments expressed at the official launch of the athletics series by Assistant Director of BSSAC Andrew Brathwaite at the St. Michael’s School. This series includes the individual school sports and culminates with BSSAC on March 30th and 31st at the National Stadium to end the school athletics season.

“This time of year we see the competitions at the various schools and then we move to the big competition at the stadium where we hope would bring out the best in the athletes this year.”

Once again this year’s championships will feature the zonal format where the schools will be divided into two Zones which will compete up until the finals. The schools will compete amongst each other in the Zones and then the top athletes from the zonals will go forward into the finals. The Frank Blackman Zone will go first this year on March 21st and 22nd and it includes Alexandra, Codrington High, Coleridge and Parry, Daryll Jordan, Deighton Griffith, Frederick Smith, Lester Vaughan, The Lodge School, Princess Margaret, Providence, Queen’s College, St. Michael’s and St. Winifred School. Unfortunately there is a clash between the second day of these Zonal Prelims and the National Primary Schools’ Athletics Finals, but at this time nothing can be done about the clash. In the Esther Maynard Zone, Alma Parris School, Alleyne, Christ Church Foundation, Combermere, Ellerslie, Grantley Adams Memorial, Graydon Sealy, Harrison College, Parkinson Memorial, Springer Memorial, St. Leonard’s Boys, St. George Secondary and the Ursuline Convent will compete on March 23rd and 24th. There is a small change to the Championships where the 400m semi-finals will be run on a separate day – March 29th. Some events were rearranged in order to help ensure that 400m runners would not have to run more than one 400m in one day as some of the competitors also run the sprints as well as the relay.

This is the second year of a three-year sponsorship by title sponsors Powerade. The new Chairman of the BSSAC Organising Committee, Orson Alleyne thanked all the sponsors for their support and also the schools’ admin staff.

“We also thank our many sponsors for their continued commitment and support and we are still in negotiations with many of our sponsors to make sure that financially we are good. We also wish to thank valuable contributions by the Principals, Physical Education teachers, coaches and officials.”

Alleyne also stated that there would be no BSSAC 2017 without the talented students and from the excitement that has been coming out from the individual school’s Inter-House sports it is hoped that it would translate to a competitive and successful zonal championship and also the finals.

For the events, the entrances will be the Front entrance, Lumber Company entrance and the Scotia Bank Entrance to the National Stadium. Meet Director Dave Small also assured the public that after the committee met with the engineers regarding the safety of the patrons and students at the National Stadium, they were reassured that there would be minimal risk involved. The seating arrangement for spectators remains the same, just shy of catering for 2 000 patrons, and once again will be under tents on the cycling track.

The tickets for each section of BSSAC are slated to go on sale at each of the schools and Esso Black Rock at the beginning of March. (AS)

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