“Bigger, bolder and more competitive than ever”
S. W. Isaac-Henry meet organisers promise top performances
Published:Monday | February 3, 2025 | 5:01 PMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter - -
Expectations are high for the St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) sporting body as they begin their countdown to the ninth annual staging of the S.W. Isaac-Henry Track and Field Invitational set for February 15 at the National Stadium.
Speaking at the meet’s press launch yesterday at the S Hotel Kingston, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee Leroy Cooke drummed up the excitement for the track and field meet.
“The S.W. Isaac-Henry Invitational meet returns for its ninth thrilling staging, bigger, bolder and more competitive than ever,” Cooke stated. “With 66 events – 38 track events and 28 field events –we anticipate an electrifying showdown featuring somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 athletes this year.”
The track meet, which has become a staple in Jamaica’s athletic calendar, is named in the honour of Stafford Wycliffe Isaac-Henry, a former STATHS principal who served the school from 1969 through to 1990.
While the majority of the races will be focused on junior athletes as they continue their preparations for the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, the meet will also include events for senior athletes.
Worrell Hibbert, principal of STATHS, said the current format of the meet is an amazing achievement as the event was formed from very humble beginnings.
He explained that the track meet was formed from the ambition of developing the school’s track and field programme and building a platform for their students to compete on.
Eleven years and nine stagings later, the S.W. Isaac-Henry meet has snowballed into a highly anticipated event in the track and field season.
“When this track meet was conceptualised, it really was focused on two things. The first one was that we needed to expose our youngsters to the particular experiences related to having and developing and maintaining an effective track programme,” Hibbert explained.
“The track meet came out of that discussion, but it also was formed with the view that we didn’t want to just expose students from STATHS, but we also wanted to expose students from other high schools islandwide and we really wanted to give them that exposure.”
Cooke stated that the meet would open at 8 a.m. with the 400m hurdles events and is scheduled to close at 5 p.m. with the Boys’ 4x400m.