- Sheldon Longley
- Jan 3, 2024
- 0
The track and field year is expected to get started with a bang this weekend with the staging of the 32nd Annual T-Bird Flyers Track and Field Classic.
The meet is set for Friday and Saturday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. It gets underway at 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“Usually, coaches want to see where their athletes are at and what kind of condition they are in at the beginning of the track and field season and this meet provides an opportunity for them to see that,” said Dorsett. “We expect a good turnout with this being the first meet of the year. Also, we believe that a lot of the junior athletes would want to qualify for the CARIFTA Games early this year. This is a good opportunity for them to do so. We see that there have already been some qualifiers in the field events so hopefully we could add some track athletes to the list after this meet. We’re looking forward to a great meet.”
All of the conventional events in track and field will be contested and age divisions will range from under-seven to under-20. It’s the first local track and field meet of the year.
“We had over 500 athletes take part last year and we are expecting to have more this year,” said Dorsett. “We have extended the deadline for registration to tomorrow night (Wednesday night) because we want to be able to accommodate as much as possible. We believe that the kids are going to be competitive, turn in some decent times and produce some fantastic results. At the end of the day, we just want them to come out and have fun and do their best. We are asking for families and friends to come out and support the athletes. It’s going to be a fantastic two days of track and field.”
The entrance fee for the meet is $15 per session. On Friday, the short hurdles, 100 meters (m) events, 400m events, 1200 and 1500m events will be contested on the track. On the track on Saturday, the relays in all divisions, the 200 and 800m, the 400m hurdles, and the 3000 and 5000m events will be held. The field events will be spread over the two days of competition.
At this year’s meet, the opportunity exists for persons, clubs or companies to sponsor events. All 100 to 400m events will run at a cost of $150 per event and all 800m and up events will cost $100 per event.
“What we are doing is offering clubs, persons or companies an opportunity to have an event named after a particular person or company, thereby honoring that person or company,” said Dorsett. “All of the heats in that particular event will be named after the person, club or company being honored.”
Dorsett said the initial date of the meet was set for next weekend, but with some of the schools having their inter-house meets that weekend, it was decided to move the two-day meet up to this weekend.
The meet will be officiated by the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials (BACO).