Carifta return a relief for long-time official
Published:Tuesday | April 19, 2022 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
For long-time technical official Stephanie Rahming-Taylor, the absence of the Carifta Games for the past two years created a hole which was difficult to fill. This year’s return was not only a relief for the athletes, but for her in continuing her passion for the past four decades.
Rahming-Taylor, who is from The Bahamas, has been officiating at the Carifta Games since 1977 and has not missed the regional meet since. The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause to the event for the past two years. With Jamaica stepping in at the last minute to host the competition, Rahming-Taylor said the return was a relief for the officiating crew as much as it was for the athletes.
“COVID-19 did a number on all of us and I am happy to be out there on the field, on the track officiating the Carifta Games once again. You feel kind of lost, because every Easter is when the games are hosted. So wherever Carifta is, that is where I am. The past two years without Carifta, I was kind of lost. I didn’t know what to do with the time that I had,” Rahming Taylor told The Gleaner.
As Jamaica was slowly getting approvals to host meets again in the summer of 2020 and last year, Rahming-Taylor said that other territories, such as The Bahamas, were also putting on mini time trials not only for the athletes’ benefit, but to ensure that the officials did not lose their own professional standards.
“Most of the countries themselves tried as best as possible to host little time meets, whereas you don’t have as many rounds in an event, but you want to get the children the competition to keep ourselves active and to give the children some kind of competition that they would need,” Rahming-Taylor said.
The hiatus has not resulted in any lowering of the standards in Jamaica for this year’s staging as far as Rahming-Taylor is concerned. While fairly pleased with Jamaica’s overall hosting of the event, given that they took on the responsibilities five months ago, she is also hopeful of the future of athletic officiating, with the improvements in technology being a main factor to draw interested persons.
“Jamaica has done a great job, especially the technical officials. We have a position at the various competition areas and the level of officiating is very good. The events are being conducted technically sound. It’s been really moving smoothly over the past two days. I think that now because so many things are done electronically, the young people know that is what they are into. We should be able to attract younger minds to enjoy what we do,” Rahming-Taylor said on Sunday.
After four decades seeing the best junior athletes in the Caribbean, Rahming-Taylor says that she has no plans to step away from the sport for now, as she still has the same excitement and passion as when she started in 1977.
“I have a group of friends that are also technical officials from The Bahamas, and we usually laugh and say when we are 90-plus we will still be attending the Carifta Games where we are. So I don’t plan to give it up right now,” Rahming-Taylor said.