A number of top Jamaian high school coaches have poured cold water on a suggestion that the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) should allow athletes who have exceded the age limits, but who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to be given an extra year to compete.

The pandemic had resulted in the suspension of schools and the cancellation of a number of events, including the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at which it was expected performances would have helped in a big way to assist athletes in procuring scholarships at American institutions.

Champs was, however, cancelled two weeks before it was due to start on March 24, and a number of coaches had protested the decision, saying they were not consulted in the process.

Michael Dyke, head coach of national champions Edwin Allen High, Dave Anderson of former champions Holmwood Technical and Neil Harrison, the head coach of Jamaica College, were among the coaches who disgareed with the suggestion.

Reynaldo Walcott, the head coach at St Elizabeth Technical had suggested some weeks ago that given the cancellation of Champs and the two SAT exams set for May and June, the final-year student athletes would be disadvantaged if they were not given another chance under the current extraordinary circumstances.

The STETHS coach had based his position on a suggestion in the United Kingdom that final-year high school students should not be forced to sit their final exams in the uncertainties created by the pandemic, but should be allowed to return if they choose to and complete their high school education in better conditions.

Last week the NCAA, the organisation that organises sports for the majority of the thousands of universities in the USA, agreed to restore the spring semester to final-year students after cancelling this semester’s entire sports schedule.

Dyke told the Jamaica Observer that while he has no issues with overage students being allowed to return to school to sit exams, he drew the line at their being able to compete in the age group competition.

“As it relates to the exams and the fact that we understand everything that has been affected by the virus, as far as I am concerned, I would have no problem with the students getting the chance to do their exams,” he said.

“But as for as coming back to compete at Champs, I would be totally against that.”

Anderson supported the stance by his collgeague Dyke.

“Looking at it, I would not agree that overage athletes should return to high school just for Champs purpose, because we would have seen they would have had other opportunities at other meets to get a mark and matriculate to universities or college,” he said.

Pointing out that his athletes at Holmwood Technical would not be solely relying on results at Champs to catch the eyes of recruiters, he said: “The SAT [exams] would be the only factor here if they had not done it as yet, but some would have done it in December.

“Champs in a sense is the major meet [during which] many of the athletes normally would have put on their best performances, but at the end of the day, most of the athletes would have already given credible performances that could be used as a platform for them to move on – whether to the US or local colleges.”

Harrison, meantime, said even in the best of times, there were situations that would see student athletes missing out on scholarship opportunities.

“Athletes, on occasion, do not fare well with SATs and other examinations and are subsequently denied the opportunity to participate in college athletics,” he noted.

“I do not share the sentiments of those who believe that final-year athletes should be afforded the opportunity to compete in a Champs 2021 solely as a means of capitalising on scholarships and the chance to be seen,” Harrison said.