‘Restrictions retarding development of middle distance athletes’

HEAD COACH OF St Jago High's girls' track and field team, Keilando Goburn, wants the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) to remove restrictions on the participation of Class Four girls in track events longer than 200 metres.

Goburn said the restrictions which prevent the athletes in the lowest class from competing in the 400m, 800m and 1500m at the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships (Champs) is retarding middle distance development in Jamaica.

"I think ISSA must take a look into this rule as not allowing Class Four girls to compete in middle distance events is definitely killing the development of this discipline in the country," said Goburn.

"When you look at the Insport Primary and Sagicor all-island meets for primary school athletes, they compete in the 800m and 1200m but yet when they come to the high school system there is no continuity," Goburn said. "Class Three boys are allowed to compete in either the 800m or 1500m but data has shown that girls develop much faster than boys," he added.,

"It is unfair for a girl who comes into high school and has two years in Class Four and cannot compete until she reaches Class Three in these longer events. Two years ago I nearly lost one of my talented athlete who had two years eligibility in Class Four as the parent wanted her to return to primary school because of the frustration of her not getting the chance to compete in these longer events although she has been training for them.

"I had to plead to her to allow her child to stay," said Goburn who stated that the young lady has gone on to represent the country at the Carifta Games with success in the 800m and 1500m in back-to-back years.

"Data has shown that sprinters visit the physiotherapist more regularly than middle distance athletes so there is no record to show that these athletes get injuries more often than sprinters and ISSA needs to revisit this rule. Rules are made to be changed and those in charge who can make these adjustments," Goburn said. He added that he would like ISSA to produce the scientific data which shows that girls at this age group get injuries more regularly than boys.

He said the rule against young female athletes doing events longer than 200m is opening the door for the influx of middle and long distance athletes coming to local high schools from Africa. This can be stopped, he said, if ISSA allows local young athletes to compete in middle distance events early.