No delays anticipated for Camperdown Classic
Published:Tuesday | January 31, 2023 | 12:19 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Camperdown Classic Committee chairperson Camille Allen-Walters has given the assurance that the problems that caused some senior athletes to be unable to compete in the evening session of the Queens/Grace Jackson meet will not occur when the 18th staging of the Camperdown Classic takes place on February 11.
Allen-Walters spoke at yesterday’s press launch for the event at the Camperdown High School. The meet will take place at the National Stadium, where the meet has attracted an average of 1,200 student-athletes and elite seniors
The seniors were in the spotlight on Saturday as members of the MVP Track Club, who were scheduled to run the 200m and 60m during the evening session at the Queens/GraceJackson Meet, pulled out of the events on the direction of head coach Paul Francis because of a 30-minute delay. The delay caused the 200m senior events to be scrapped, and only two 60m heats were completed.
Allen-Walters said they would ensure that all junior and senior athletes would be able to compete promptly.
“Our meet manager, Anthony Davis, along with our Roster Athletics team, I’m sure, will ensure that this doesn’t happen,” Allen-Walters said. “We discussed it, and we will discuss it in our planning meeting this week, and I am sure that everything will run smoothly.”
The Gleaner understands that adjustments will be made if necessary to ensure that the senior athletes run at their designated times.
A new feature of the meet will be the inclusion of the 60m invitational, an event that was added at the request of one of the senior coaches for athletes in preparation for the indoor season. Allen-Walters said that she foresees the 60m being a staple for future meets to attract more elite seniors to open their seasons.
“I think it can be (a regular fixture in the future) because it was requested by one of the coaches. So I think so,” Allen-Walters said.
The meet got financial support from the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) to the tune of $600,000 as well as from other sponsors. SDF general manager Denzil Wilks said it is important that meets like the Camperdown Classic get assistance, with it becoming a staple in the local athletic calendar.
“In earlier days, the schools would have had to organise meets amongst each other. Now, things have reached the stage where you have development meets being sponsored. That is in keeping with where we are now internationally. This represents a part of the cornerstone, and so we have to give it support. Because that is how we reinvest and ensure that there is continuity,” Wilks said.
The deadline for entries is February 6, with no late entries accepted, according to Allen-Walters.