Kingston-- Every year in Jamaica the population stops to honor their children. For four days, in the last week of March, fans gather at the National Stadium in Kingston to scream, wear the colors of the schools they support and celebrate with friends and family. This year, the 100th anniversary of the Boys' Inter Secondary School Sports Association championships will be held, or Champs as its known by locals. It's the 53rd staging of Girls' Champs. The meet is one of the oldest youth track and field competitions in the world. And most every Jamaican track and field athlete from Merlene Ottey to Usain Bolt has had to run at the event.
Pedestrians walks the streets wearing purple and white or green and black for dominant schools, Kingston College and Calabar High. Cars are covered with the respective school flag and the female athletes wear the most creative hairstyles. I know the schools based on the colors and glitters of their hair: Holmwood Technical girls feature maroon and gold cords, St. Jago High and Vere Technical crown themselves with yellow and green cords.
But watching the meet at the stadium can be deceptive. I lulled in my seat basking in the wind from the Caribbean Sea. My eyes constantly strayed from the track as I tried to follow the outlines of the different mountains in the background, including the Blue Mountain at 7,400 feet. The clouds would filter over and once there was even a downpour but the runners continued at full flight. Several times the announcer had to tell the crowd that someone’s car window was left open and their vehicle was flooded.
Ah the life. But those were the early days and the atmosphere changed on the third day and will certainly be out of control for the last. On Friday, fans were yelling and playing the drums so hard I could feel the stadium vibrating. I got goose bumps from the noise and for the last hour of the meet had to stand up because I couldn’t see any races sitting down.
Jamaicans and track lovers from all over the world are in attendance. So are Lauryn Williams and Ato Boldon. Boldon is a national hero of Trinidad and Williams’ father was born in the calypso capital so maybe their Caribbean heritage helps them to understand the celebrations even better. The only people who weren’t partying were the athletes. Every placement counts, whether it’s first or last place, an athletes school receives points based on where he or she finishes. So they run, throw and jump not just for themselves but because their participation contributes to the teams performance.
Today is the day when the entire stadium will be filled. Everyone will attend to see the final races. Some class records have already been broken by Natoya Goule of Manchester High in the Class One 1,500m final at 4:27.28. And the field events are also impressive. First and second place winners in the Class Two discus, Sasha-Gay Marston and Kellion Knibb of Edwin Allen and St. Jago High, broke the old record (43.42m) at 45.65m and 43.65m.
But the favorite races of the day are the relays. So far Calarbar High leads Champs with 106 points, Kingston College has 85 and Wolmers’ Boys have 83. But the relays changes destinies, as it did on the first night, when several big school dropped the baton in the 4x100.
Tonight, the only party that’ll be worthy of attending will happen at the National Stadium. Reggae and dancehall will blast from the speakers and there will be no louder shouts of joy than the students for their schoolmates.
--Connie Aitcheson
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