WESTERN BUREAU:
LOCAL SPORTS history will be created this Saturday with the staging of the 25th Milo Western Relays at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall and every sports loving person should make it a point of duty to be a part of it.
Whether you are from the region or not, if you have the time and you love sports, you should not miss this opportunity to share in what could be a unique
experience.
For the first time in the long and storied history of sports in the island, a track meet will be staged on an artificial surface outside of the Kingston/Spanish Town area.
This track that was laid by the world-renowned Mondo company out of Canada, is identical to the one that was used at the National Stadium to host the World Junior Championships (WJC) in Kingston last July.
In and of itself that should mean that there will be fast times and world class competition being staged right here in western Jamaica.
If this is not enough, spectators will get the chance to see just about all the local-based members of the WJC team including triple medal winner Usain Bolt of William Knibb, 200m finalist Nickiesha Anderson of Herbert Morrison; 400m semi-finalist and Mile Relay lead off runner Davita Prendergast of STETHS; the Robinson twins of Manchester High; Anniesha McLaughlin, Shaunette Davidson and Sheryl Morgan of Holmwood Technical; 100m finalist Winston Hutton of Camperdown, Jermaine Gonzalez of Tacius Golding and Simone Facey of Vere Technical.
The only other place this array of talent will be on display will be the Gibson Relays in two weeks, the national High School Championships and national championships later in the year, all at the National Stadium.
If that line up is not mouth-watering enough then you need to go get your pulse checked as you stand a good chance of being the first dead person that can still read a newspaper.
Maybe I am gushing a bit but I am as excited about this meet as I was when it was a little meet staged to give the western-based athletes a chance to stay sharp for the Gibson Relays.
That this meet should have risen to the prominence it now occupies on the local calendar and in the hearts of the coaches from all corners of the country, speaks volumes to the commitment of the hundreds of officials that have toiled over the years for nothing but the love of the sport.
Of the many who have poured blood, sweat and tears into making the meet the success it is, one person stands out heads and shoulders above the rest, Aubrey Campbell, an icon in journalism and track and field administration in western Jamaica.
'Lacey' as he is known to legions of track fans, worked tirelessly to get the meet on the JAAA calendar and to a large extent, the success of the meet is due to his hard unstinting work.
In a fitting tribute, Campbell will be the patron of this year's meet.
In another good touch, the organisers have selected the girls 4x100m relay team that won the event at the World Juniors last year. The team included Sherone Simpson, Kerone Stewart, McLaughlin and Facey with Nadine Palmer who ran in the semi-finals. They will receive the Special Gleaner Award during the opening ceremony.
I don't know about you but this is one of the meets I would walk miles to go see.
