Photo: Vere pair of Sasha-Gaye White and Britnie Dixon will try to help their school win the Digicel Athletic Grand Prix title.
There is an end to all good things and the end of what has been regarded by many track and field fans as a great initiative taken by Digicel to pump some money into high school track and field 2015, through its Grand Prix Athletic Series, will see its final meet, the GC Foster Classics this Saturday, March 14, 2015.
The meet which will be staged inside the National Stadium will see top eights competitors and relay teams from each qualifying region throwing it down for $1 million in gym equipment for their schools.
The five qualifying meets were the Anthrick Sports Management Corporate Area Development Meet, Western Championships, Central Championships, Youngster Goldsmith Classics and Camperdown Classics.
The qualifiers are ranked in age groups of U-16 through to U-20 for both genders. The events are 100m, 200m, 400m, discus, long jump, 800m, and 4x400m in Under-16 and U-19 age groups.
Defending Boys and Girls Champions, Calabar High School and Edwin Allen High are the leading teams in the points standing.
Calabar (110 points) is currently being trialed by the Dark Blues Jamaica College ( 84) and St Elizabeth Technical High School.
Hot on the heels of Edwin Allen is the Vere Technical team with both teams separated by a mere one point ( 77 to 76).
On the female side, some top name qualifiers are Shanice Love of Excelsior in the under 20 shot. Her main challengers should come from Edwin Allen pair of Rochelle Frazer and Paula- Ann Gayle, who are ranked second and fourth respectively.
The fiery Vere Technical sprinter Renee Medley will try to lead her team past Edwin Allen as she enters the U-20, 100m as the leading candidate. She will come face to face with the likes of Shauna Helps of Wolmers Girls and Holmwood Sasha Lee Forbes.
Kishauna Smith of Herbert Morrison Technical will lead the Western charge in the U16 Girls, 100m against the talented Shanique Rowe of Edwin Allen High.
Chantai Smith and Junelle Bromfield, both of STETHS, will take the field in the Under-19 800m.
Another STETHS pair in Jevaughney James and Shamar Salmon will be the ones to watch in the 800m based on current form.
Vere Technical will have Britnie Dixon and teammate Sasha Gaye Whyte going all out in the U17, 800m.
Edwin Allen will also look to top qualifier Annia Ashley in the Under-17 long jump, in the 100m with Aaliyah Hopkins and in the Under-20 long jump with Danique Bryan to press home their charges.
With St Jago High not eligible to compete at the classics, the Michael Dyke-coached team are favourites in the 4×400 standings with the best time of the year, 3 minutes 39.00 seconds.
On the male side Calabar will have top athletes in Michael O’Hara and Edward Clarke who currently lead the Under-20 100m standings at 10.33 and 10.45 seconds, respectively.
Carifta trials superman Christopher Taylor set a world youth record of 45.69, Dejour Russell, Micheal Stevens Anthony Carpenter and Tyreke Wilson completes a Calabar line up.
Other names include Andre Beckford and Warren Barrett first and second in the discus at 50.30m and 49.58m. Travis Riley and Julanie Walker are first and third in the long jump.
Kingston College will lay down their challenge through the likes of quarter miler Twayne Crooks and middle distance runner Miguel Morrison who is the Grand Prix Under-20 800m leader.
The male 4x400m will feature the Western top two in STETHS and winners Petersfield going in as favourites for that event, but will have KC to do battle with on Saturday.
Again the boys’ team from St Jago was a strong contender for the top spot, but will have to watch from the side lines.
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