The minister made the appeal during Tuesday’s launch of the event at the National Stadium in Kingston, which hosted the 49th Carifta Games that concluded on Monday.
“Between May 2 and 4 we will have the Eastern Championships at Stadium East to start us off, followed by the Central Championships between May 9 and11 at the GC Foster College, then the Western Championships at STETHS between May 12 and14 culminating with the grand finale, the inaugural staging of the National Athletics Junior Championships for Boys and Girls in the National Stadium from May 26 to May 28,” the minister said in outlining the schedule for the build-up to the championships.
“I am making an appeal to the private sector to provide sponsorship for these Championships in the same way support is given to the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships. There will be as many as 500 participating schools and so I am inviting the private sector to come on board now with support for the primary-level event.”
The minister said the government has invested a lot in the development of sports in the country but it is unable to go it alone, hence the need for additional support for the championship that has proven to be the crucible from which so many of Jamaica’s athletic stars have emerged.
“Over time, the Government has invested millions of dollars at the primary school level in track and field and (Institute of Sports) INSPORTS can take credit for laying the foundation on which the careers of many of our outstanding athletes have been built,” she said.
“Athletes the likes of World and Olympic 100m gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Olympic and World 400m hurdles champion Melaine Walker, Olympic bronze medalist, Warren Weir, 2008 Olympic 100m silver and 200m bronze medalist Kerron Stewart, CARIFTA Games Under-17 200m champion and record-holder Jazeel Murphy, and 2007 World Youth 200m champion Ramone McKenzie and many others.
“More recent stand-out athletes to have competed at Primary School Champs have been Christopher Taylor, Tyreke Wilson, Raheem Chambers and Brianna Lyston. In the just-concluded CARIFTA Games, Jamaica won a record 92 medals. It begins at INSPORTS.”
The 38-year-old Stewart takes the position as head coach, a year after signing with Buena Vista as an assistant coach for their Track & Field/Cross Country programs.
“I am elated to join this dynamic and evolving team that’s invested in developing and inspiring young men and women. I can’t wait to start this new position and contribute my wealth of experience and knowledge to growing and developing our student-athletes,” said Stewart, who won a silver in the 100m behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“With any new position, I know there will be challenges, but I am ready and committed.”
Stewart, who won a silver medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m team at the London 2012 Games, will be working with Coach Tim Mack as well as SPIRE’s Director of Track & Field Kibwe Johnson.
"I am thrilled to have Kerron join our coaching staff at SPIRE,” Mack said of Stewart’s appointment. “She brings a ton of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to our track & field program.”
Meanwhile, Johnson said Stewart completes the ‘Dream Team’ coaching staff at SPIRE.
"I'm incredibly humbled to be able to add a coach with the vast wealth of knowledge and experience that Kerron will bring to the student-athletes of the SPIRE Track & Field program,” Johnson said.
“It's one thing to be a coach with vast personal experience. It's quite another to also align with the principles of leadership and teaching that I expect from this coaching staff. We're happy to have her.”
Like most of us, there are many things she would love to get a second crack at, but the one that seems to have been stuck in her craw is the finals of the Women’s 100m at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011.
The two-time Olympic 200m champion had been having a great year in 2011. She ran a personal best 10.76 in Ostrava on May 31 and went into the World Championships in fine form.
“I think I was on pace to win,” VCB recalled during a recent YouTube interview with marketing consultant Tanya Lee.
Campbell Brown eased through the first round in 11.18, a time that was third fastest of the Jamaicans. Kerron Stewart, the 2009 silver medallist, and defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both clocked 11.12 and eased into the semi-finals.
In the semis, VCB clocked 11.06 to qualify for the finals. It was the fourth-fastest time behind the 11.02 from the USA’s Carmelita Jeter, 11.03 from Fraser-Pryce and 11.05 from Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago.
However, the draw was unkind to the 2007 100m champion and she ended up in lane 8.
From there, things did not go according to plan.
“I messed up so badly at the start,” VCB explained.
“I do not like to make excuses but when I think about that race, I did not hear the gun clearly. The starting system behind us was a weird one. They had speakers behind us but there was no speaker behind me so think I heard the echo of the gun so I started slow.”
Left in the blocks Campbell-Brown, fuelled by her indomitable spirit, raced through the field, getting by Stewart, then Fraser-Pryce and just squeezed past Baptiste. However, she ran out of real estate crossing the line second in 10.97s. Jeter won the gold in 10.90s with Baptiste taking the bronze in 10.98.
“I made up a lot of ground. I almost caught Carmelita but I was too late; so if I could redo that race I would and hope to react a little better, challenge Carmelita better and maybe the result would have been different.”
