While everyone is busy with the centennial celebrations of the boys championships, the girls of the corporate area are lurking in the shadows as they prepare to fight for places against their more dominant central counterparts.

With a championship-winning coach at their helm, the Cecelia Road-based girls are no different and are aiming to topple the ranks at this year’s championships.

After a ninth place finish at last year’s championships, the Lecroft Bolt-coached girls are looking to better their position this time around. Bolt’s relatively young team is being built around the field and sprint events and the coach of over 13 years believes his team possesses enough talent to climb up the ranks of the girls championships.

While conceding that his team will not win the girls title, Bolt is quite sure that his girls will cause upsets in many areas and steal vital points that will eventually decide the winner of the championships.

The girls have only competed in three developmental meets so far but with recent results at the Youngster and Goldsmith track meet, Bolt believes his team is peaking at just the right time. St Andrew’s are expected to gain most of their points from Class One and leading that charge is former Carifta representative Kathie-lee Laidley. The ‘queen of the jumps’ at St Andrews, Laidley will also be looking to be fruitful in the Heptathlon.

The other significant expectant point-bearers are Natasha Powell, Shanice Lee, Denneil Shaw and Kaydian Jones, while the young Sherricka Barnett and Megan Simmonds are expected to cause some upsets.

St Andrew’s Watch List

Kathie-lee Laidley

Class: One

Event: Long Jump, High Jump and Heptathlon

Personal best: Long Jump: 5.60m; High Jump: 1.70m

Most memorable moment: Carifta 2007

Role model: I have many.

Rival:I am afraid of no one.

Kaydian Jones

Class: One

Events: 400m, 200m and 4x400m relay

Personal best: 200m: 24.53s

Aim: To win all my events at Champs

Most memorable moment: Placing third at the Gibson Relays

Rival: The clock

Denneil Shaw

Class: One

Event: Long Jump, Triple Jump and 4x100m relay

Best: Long Jump: 5.43m

Triple Jump: 11.70m

Rival: Teammate Kathie-lee Laidley and Jeanelle Facey (Wolmer’s Girls)

Role Model: Tricia Smith

Natasha Powell

Class: One

Event: 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay

Personal best: 100m: 11.71s

Role Model: Asafa Powell

Highlights of preseason: First in the 100m at Jamaica College developmental meet and second in the 200m at the Douglas Forrester track meet.

Aim: to run 11.50s in the 100m

Future Stars

Megan Simmonds

Class: Two

Events: 100 Hurdles and 4x100m Relay

Personal best: Hurdles 14.46s

Aim: To win the hurdles event

Role Model: Samantha Elliot and Brigette Foster-Hylton

Rival: Osheen Erskine (Holmwood)

Sherrika Barnett

Class: Four

Event: 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay

Aim: To win the 100m

Role Model: Brigette Foster-Hylton

Highlight of preseason: Winning the 100m at the Douglas Forrester Track meet.

Rival: None