National Stadium reopens gates for Youngster Goldsmith Classics

One of the most sought-after development meets on the JAAA calendar is the Youngster Goldsmith Classics, and it will be no different when the 27th staging of the meet gets under way inside the National Stadium on Saturday — the first meet to be held inside the Stadium this season.

The National Stadium has been closed for renovations since the start of the year.

There have been a few changes to this year’s staging, and meet director Raffic Shaw, who has been at the helm organising this meet for more than 20 years, spoke about these changes and what to expect throughout the day.

“We have gone for more open events, unlike previous years when entries in this area were restricted. We have also partnered with Jamaica College to have some field events at their venue, as they will host all female high jumps and throws. We want to ensure that athletes are not rushed in completing their events so we can get quality performances, and we appreciate this gesture by Jamaica College,” stated Shaw.

Many coaches have recently complained about the high cost for their athletes competing at various development meets, and he defended this. “Keeping the meet inside the National Stadium comes at a high cost, as we want the athletes to compete at a quality venue ahead of the Boys and Girls’ Championships. This is a dress rehearsal for them before that championship. Rental for the stadium is $1.8 million, and we are in negotiations with SDF (Sports Development Foundation) to see if we can get a reduction,” shared Shaw, who stated that their charges are around the same as those at other meets held on grass and dirt tracks.

He also spoke about possible rebates to teams.

“The organising committee, led by Mr Dave Myrie, is contemplating rebates to teams. This is something we will be looking at, and at the end of the meet we will decide what will happen and how we can help,” he shared.

“Having the steeplechase and pole vault also comes at a big cost; and besides paying for the venue, we have to ensure that officials are paid stipends for running the meet. A big thanks to the JAAA for offering help by assisting with equipment,” he continued.

According to Shaw, coaches love this meet.

“Coaches always look forward to this meet, as athletes are given the chance to complete their full rounds both in the field and on the track. This is the only meet where we have preliminary rounds and finals in the sprint hurdles in all classes for boys and girls,” he shared.

He expects the usual big turnout of athletes on Saturday.

“Based on what I have seen and heard so far, we expect the usual large number of participants, as the top male and female high school teams will be present — which is over 2,000 competitors,” he said.