Holmwood, Vere head Kirkvine event

Reigning high school girls' champions Holmwood and former many-time champions Vere Technical head the entries for today's annual Puma/Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) development track and field meet at Kirkvine Sports Club in Manchester.

Apart from Holmwood and Vere, the Manchester Amateur Athletics Association (MAAA) development meet which started in 1982 and is hosted at Manchester High, is expected to attract several top schools from central and western Jamaica.

Former girls' champions Manchester, the improving Edwin Allen, St. Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) and Glenmuir should also provide good competition.

On the boys' side Holmwood, Manchester, Claude McKay, Central High, Munro, Cornwall, Vere and Edwin Allen should provide the spectators with some real excitement.

Meanwhile, the Stephen Francis-coached Maximum Velocity Performance (MVP) Club, and G. C. Foster College are among the clubs and institutions down to take part.

Over the last four years the meet, which started out with mainly central Jamaica schools, has an average of over 125 schools and institutions participating with over 2000 athletes each year.

marks made by prominent athletes

Some very prominent athletes made their mark at this meet in years gone by, athletes such as Deon Hemmings, Veronica Campbell, Lorraine Fenton, Winthrop Graham, James Beckford, Danny McFarlane, Sherone Simpson, Aleen Bailey, Chris Williams, Omar Brown and Inez Turner.

Some of today's most prominent ones are Schillonie Calvert and Anastasia Le-Roy of Holmwood, who are expected to blaze up the track this weekend.

Like previous years, the Windalco/MAAA will honour persons who have contributed to the development of the meet.

Clinton 'Red Man' Clarke, who served as marshall for several years and veteran coach Maurice 'Porus' Westney, are the two persons to be honoured this year.

The events to be contested are: 100m, 400m, 800m, 3000m (women), 5000 (men), distance medley (Penn Relays qualifier), and javelin.

- Anthony Foster

Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.

Holmwood's Schillonie Calvert