On Wednesday, the largest high school track and field competition in the Caribbean begins with Jamaica's top junior athlethes coming out in full force, you would either have to be extremely brave or extremely foolish to pick a winner before the final race is run.

Natasha Ruddock of St Jago High should put out a good showing in the 100m hurdles.

The GraceKennedy ISSA Boys' and Girls' Championships (Champs) is this year likely to be one of the most keenly contested battles, not only in recent Champs history, but of all time. With the top schools coming out in full force, you would either have to be extremely brave or extremely foolish to pick a winner before the final race is run.

Most track pundits agree that this year's Boys' Champs will be as close as last year's, which saw Kingston College (KC) staving off a late surge from Calabar to win by one and a half points.

To many, Calabar High's track team seem to be the firm favourite to dethrone six-time defending champions KC. Calabar has what could be called the strongest squad in years - with the likes of Warren Wier, Garfield German and Andre Thomas in Class One. Their Class Three athletes are also of good quality, but their Class Two is by far the best of their squad and probably the best of any school going to Champs. Boasting the likes of Javon Hardware, Earl Lee and the young sprint phenomenon Ramone McKenzie, few would bet against them. Calabar has looked in fine form from the beginning of the season and overworking of athletes shouldn't be a problem, as they have been showing huge numbers at track meets.

Perennial winners and self-proclaimed 'Kings of Champs' KC, however, do not look as if they are going to give up their crown without a fight. KC lost some senior athletes last season, including Leford Green and Alain Bailey, who both contributed a lot of points to last year's triumph.

The 'Kings' have kept their cards close to their chest this season, but armed with an arsenal of Carifta selectees led by National Junior record holder Kieron Stewart, Carifta silver medallist Donohue Williams and 2006 Class Two long jump champion Tarik Batchelor, the resilient men from North Street will certainly be in all out attack mode.

The other schools that will be fighting for the remaining top spots are Camperdown High - with the ever-dangerous Remaldo Rose and St Jago High - with the likes of Nickel Ashmeade, Ryker Hilton and the exceptional Yohan Blake. Mannings High and Herbert Morrison Technical have been proudly carrying the flag of the County of Cornwall and will be in the running for top five spots.

Unlike the boys, this year's Girls' Champs seems to be much more predictable. Four-time defending champions Holmwood look to make it five times in a row. Although they lost athletes like Jerine Bolt and superstar Sonita Sutherland, they have more than enough athletes remaining that can do the damage.

Schillonie Calvert, Bobby-gaye Wilkins, Anastacia Leroy and Keno Heaven are strong enough to ensure Holmwood's win. With these girls leading the charge, Holmwood are firmly in pole position.
Edwin Allen, Manchester High and to a lesser extent St Jago High will prove to be the main challenges for Holmwood and should keep the Christiana girls true to themselves.
The corporate area will be well represented by the usual suspects in St Andrew High, Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) and the Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha).

Champs, however, will not only be about top schools, as some individuals are coming out to shine. This is going to make for some interesting match-ups in several events.
In the girls' section, the Class One 100m hurdles will be a keen battle between Natasha Ruddock of St Jago High and Shermaine Williams of Alpha. Williams has been in the shadow of Ruddock for a few years, but this year Williams has stepped up her game and with a smart 14.10 seconds at the Carifta Trials is favourite to win, especially since Ruddock hasn't been in form all season.

The Class Two sprints should also prove very good to watch as two top athletes will battle it out. Carrie Russel, World Junior bronze medallist (100 metres) from St Thomas Technical, who moves up from Class Three this year, will be a favourite, but will be pushed all the way by defending sprint double champion Danielle Jeffery from ICHS.
Possibly the tightest race of Girls' Champs could come from the 400m hurdles. At least four athletes have gone below 59 seconds this year, and all are in prime shape to perform at Champs. Andrea Sutherland of Edwin Allen looks the best, but she will be accompanied on the home stretch by Shana-gaye Tracy and Judith Riley from Manchester High. Andrea Reid from Holmwood will also be a major factor.

Other athletes to pay attention to are Misha-Gaye DaCosta (ICHS) in the Class Two High Jump, Natoya Goule (Manchester) in the middle and long distances and Salcia Slack of Holmwood in the multiple events.

The boys' section should also prove to be competitive. The Class One 110m hurdles is lining up to be a cracker with the likes of Akeem Smith (Wolmer's), Warren Wier (Calabar), Andre Collins from Jamaica College (JC) and national junior record holder Kieron Stewart (KC). All are top class athletes and the only thing that is sure when it comes to this race is that at least one top class hurdler will go home without a medal.

Another fierce battle is shaping up in the Class Two 200 metres with a group of phenomenal, truly out-of-this-world sprinters, including Ramone McKenzie (Calabar), Dexter Lee (Herbert Morison) and Darrion Bent (Mannings). These boys have what it takes to break the Class Two 200m record and could make the race one of the most spectacular at Champs.

In the Class One middle distances, Theon O'Conner of Campion College should come out victorious. He will be made to work, however, by the likes of Andre Thomas (Calabar), Bengallo Morrison (JC) and Danzeto Cephas (KC).

Possibly the most anticipated race of Champs will be the Class One 100 metres, where arguably the two most talented juniors Jamaica has ever seen will go head to head. Remaldo Rose of Camperdown and Yohan Blake of St Jago are expected to put on the biggest race of the year. There has been no greater anticipated clash since the Gatlin vs Powell. The good part is that this time there's no drugs. Expect fireworks after this one because they are both going to literally blow up the track. Other athletes that are worth watching are Donohue Williams in the Class Two middle distances, Waqaur Dacosta (JC) in the Class Three middle distances and Julian Reid (Wolmer's) in the Class One jumps.

All in all, Champs this year will prove to be one of, if not, the best in recent years. It is definitely on and the hype is there. The next few days are going to be unbelievable. Oh, and just a word to the KC and Calabar fans, keep calm and don't get overworked because Champs this year might cause severe heart problems.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World