What Scotland could learn from Jamaica's schools athletics c

[Sir X]

What Scotland could learn from Jamaica's schools athletics championships

Susan Egelstaff
Sports columnist
Thursday 19 March 2015
HOW many Scottish sporting events could regularly attract 30,000 spectators?



The Old Firm derby, a few international football and rugby games, maybe, but not much else.

In Jamaica, crowds of this size will gather in the national stadium for five days from next Tuesday to watch what is, effectively, a school sports competition. Jamaica's secondary schools' athletics championships is known as Champs, and is the most popular and best-supported athletics event in the country. When author Richard Moore visited the island to witness the competition last year, he described it as the best and most raucous athletics event in the world.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...hips.121104063

[Mosiah]

What Scotland could learn from Jamaica's schools athletics championships

Susan Egelstaff
Sports columnist
Thursday 19 March 2015
HOW many Scottish sporting events could regularly attract 30,000 spectators?



The Old Firm derby, a few international football and rugby games, maybe, but not much else.

In Jamaica, crowds of this size will gather in the national stadium for five days from next Tuesday to watch what is, effectively, a school sports competition. Jamaica's secondary schools' athletics championships is known as Champs, and is the most popular and best-supported athletics event in the country. When author Richard Moore visited the island to witness the competition last year, he described it as the best and most raucous athletics event in the world.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...hips.121104063

I used to say that about Champs for years. Now, everybody has caught on. I guess if yuh nuh name Alberto Juantorena, Donovan Bailey or Richard Moore, it don't mean nutten.

Oh well!

[Mosiah]

If this is true, then I may not even be close in my assessment of how bad it has become. Reckless transfers could be the least of our worries.

As a former teacher at a Jamaican sec school Champs was an incredible experience but it is the back-story that is most instructive.
Talent is spotted at the Primary level and nurtured all the way through via scholarships even from Primary to Sec level.
Schools DO have PE teachers but bring in former students to coach athletics (like Calibar). However these coaches will sign up students as early as 12 on contracts with future revenue clauses built in.
Athletics is a cultural industry, well funded & quite a business ( even specialist agents/lawyers) even at school level, then college on scholarship , though now this is being discouraged with athletes remaining in Jamaica for 'training'.

[Sir X]

Ohh my lawd can I delete the article ?

[HL]

Champs-ISSA



"Long overdue...the need to better understand, further develop and market Champs.

A Parochial event it is, with a tremendous international appeal. It needs to be marketed as such.*

Amazed that this conversation has not been front and centre for sometime.*

Management of Champs is beyond ISSA.*

We need to maximize benefits from the event while staying true and sensitive to the amateurism(high schoolers) of the event.*

Expanding the revenue catchment net and having a more equitable distribution of proceeds amongst the participating schools could bolster the performance of the mostly under funded track and field high school programs.*

ISSA has had a revenue vehicle that has not been fully exploited for the greater *benefit of the schools.*

Sponsorship of such gargantuan event needs to far exceed the " beverage refreshment package" *currently afforded the event.*"


http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/...ntity_18696233
Victor A. Lowe

[Gamma]

Watch di ride....