By Daraine Luton, Staff ReporterAS PREPARATIONS heat up ahead of Saturday's staging of the Gibson Relays two of the dominant boys teams, Kingston College and Jamaica College, say they will be using the event as a trial ground for the big event, Boys and Girls Championships to be held in April.
Kingston College's sportsmaster Kevon Lewis said: "Our aim is not necessarily to go up against anyone in any competitive way. We see the Gibson Relays as a chance to further prepare our team for Boys Championships."
Similarly, Jamaica Colleges John Mair told The Gleaner "the Gibson Relays for me is like a trial meet to see how well our relay team will run at the boys championships.
Faced with the likes of Holmwood Technical, Calabar, Camperdown, Bridgeport and Tacius Golding, Lewis of KC said his team will not be going out to "compete against the other schools."
"Our focus will be to get the baton around, see how fast each team can complete the circuit as well as to see what legs to put each individual on. It is really a matter of fixing the team, getting it ready for champs," Lewis added
Mair said he had hopes of picking up medals.
"I am going into the Gibson Relays with a very positive outlook. I expect the boys to run well especially in the sprint relays but all I am asking is for them to give their best," Mair said. "I am going to the meet expecting to win a few events. A few of the 4X100 teams, especially Class 1, should do quite well."
KC are looking to shine in the lower classes.
"We are very competitive in classes 4 and 3. Those fellows are basically on par with those from the other schools so I figure that we could find ourselves with the best team or somewhere near the best," said Lewis.
KC will also be looking for strong runs from sprinter Andre Wellington in Class 2 and Kimani Williams in Class 1. Williams and Wellington who is expected to dominate the Class 2 sprints at April's Boys Champs are expected to run in both the sprint and 4x400m relays.
JC's Mair expects outstanding performances from a number of individuals.
"In Class 3 Winston Barnes and Marlon Richards are the leading athletes while in Class 2 Andre Pratt and Remalo Turner should do well along with Damion Forbes in Class 1. They have been doing well in all the meets this year and I think they will continue to do well," he added.
