"We rising to the top," is how a song by popular dancehall artiste Busy Signal adequately describes Jamaica's status in the world of athletics, although we have a far way to go.

Jamaica has been rising steadily and 'knitting' a few brows from as far back as Herb McKenley and George Rhoden to Merlene Ottey and Donald Quarrie and now to Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell. Much of the success Jamaica has been enjoying can be accredited to the biggest secondary school meet in the Western hemisphere, the GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships.

Since its inception in 1910, 'Champs' has been steadily producing a contingent of top-class athletes who have stunned the world, arousing a sense of national pride among Jamaicans, both locally and internationally, and we are all left with a feeling of patriotism and exuberance much like a farmer reaping his harvest.

Athletes such as the late Herb McKenley, who was the world two-time 400m and one-time 100m silver medallist, was a member of the record-breaking mile relay quartet that landed gold at the 1952 Olympics in a time of 3:03.9 seconds. Now, Asafa Powell, the fastest man in the world, who clocked 9.74 to break his previous record of 9.77, and who is also known for his 33 sub-10 clockings, as well as sprint queen Veronica Campbell who was dominant from her junior days and now has transferred that dominance to the senior stage where she is World and Olympic champion, also came through the ranks of the GraceKennedy/ISSA Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships.

Being the biggest secondary meet in the Caribbean it has attracted scouts from the United States and Canada. These scouts are not only Jamaican nationals who want to put Jamaica on the map as a melting pot for athletes, but there are other coaches who are genuinely interested in our Jamaican talent and who are willing to recruit them for the collegiate system, which is one of the most competitive in the world.
The championship has become such a major event that it has risen to serve as a basic function described by the sociological theory of functionalism which is necessary for the proper functioning of society.

This function is one of integration and it is where members of the society become one. And this event does just that by uniting everyone, as it is a family event, though support is split between rival schools.

This year's championship was featured on IAAF.org, the official track and field website, bringing Jamaica's talent to the world. A true Jamaican spectacle is what this is, and its continuation is almost certain to continue the trend of upward mobility on the world stage of athletics.

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