First Blue Chip meet set for Saturday

Not to be overlooked this weekend is the first throwers meet of the season, and given the stable of athletes he has in tow, Blue Chip Athletics Head Coach Corrington Maycock expects a strong start.

Maycock has produced some of the best junior throwers in the region, and despite setbacks from COVID-19 as it relates to training, practices and gym use, he is looking for the 2020-2021 season to be his most productive in terms of the results of the athletes and qualifiers for the CARIFTA Games.

The first Blue Chip Athletics Throwers Meet is set for this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. Athletes of all ages will compete in the javelin, shot put and discus events.

“This is basically just a see-where-you-are meet – a meet where coaches could gauge the condition and fitness of their athletes,” said Maycock. “I’m expecting a grand season. Our athletes haven’t been in the weight rooms because of what’s been going on with COVID, but I have a good group of kids. I’m looking for about four to five qualifiers from this meet alone. Despite what’s been goin’ on with COVID, I’m optimistic that they will have a great season.”

The meet will be held just prior to the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ (BAAA) Odd Distance Track and Field Meet, which is on tap for the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium on Saturday. That meet gets underway at noon and is expected to run until about 6 p.m. The Neymour Athletics Christmas Odd Distance Track and Filed Classic is also set for this weekend – at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Jumpers and throwers usually engage in unorthodox approaches and techniques in respect of the odd distance meet, and once again, that will be the case, but regular instruments and increments will be used. There will be four throws allowed per athlete as opposed to the regular six attempts.

“This is a running time meet, so we want to start on time and be done on time,” said Maycock. “It’s an ongoing battle, but right now, this is probably the strongest group of athletes we’ve had in quite some time when it comes to junior track and field. There is a lot of young talent and they are going to do extremely well. I’d like for the other clubs to come out and join us and see how best their athletes could compete. Hopefully, we’ll have a very successful meet.”

Maycock, a level two World Athletics (WA) certified coach, has huge aspirations, looking for 11 of his 12 throwers to surpass the qualifying standards for the CARIFTA Games at some point during the season. The most qualifiers he has ever had in any one season is five, which was in 2017 in Willemstad, Curaçao.

One of his protégés, Rhema Otabor, is a two-time CARIFTA Champion, CARIFTA record holder in the under-17 girls division, and is aiming for the under-20 girls record next year. She finished third in voting for The Nassau Guardian’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year a year ago.

The CARIFTA Games, arguably the most popular and prestigious junior athletics meet in the region, is tentatively set for the Easter holiday weekend, April 3-5, 2021, at the Bermuda National Sports Centre, in Hamilton Bermuda.

For the meet on Saturday morning, athletes are invited to come out to the track from as early as 7 a.m. to register, and compete as members of their respective clubs or unattached.

“The bottom line is we need more bodies. We need more coaches. We have to be able to develop coaching in that area if we are to progress in the region and in the world,” said Maycock. “We have to be aggressive because the talent is certainly there. That’s the only way we are going to progress.”

Maycock said that social distancing measures will be in full effect on Saturday, and all guests and patrons are asked to wear a mask and bring along a towel and sanitizer. The meet is certified by the BAAA, and results will count toward the remainder of the season.

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