The impressive displays from the athletes during the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships are often a sight to behold, but the sound of the stadium announcers’ voices help to guide and engage those inside the National Stadium.

Over the five days, the team of Celia Ffrench-Sanderson, Donald Smith, Ricardo Chambers and Dean Smith provided commentary on races as well as other important announcements including event results, points standings and changes to the schedule.

Ffrench-Sanderson’s journey started at a Meadowbrook Prep sports day in 2007 but she desperately wanted to be a part of high school’s biggest showpiece.

“I asked in 2011 and the person came back and said they didn’t need anybody else,” she said. “But I still insisted so in 2012, I called Garth Gayle [the current Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association president] and he said, ‘Yes, I know you, you’re not bad’.

“So, they had a meeting the day before Champs and said he’d call me back and let me know. He called me back and said yes you can come and I jumped up and touched the sky, I was very happy!”

Donald Smith started announcing in 2013 and has since gone onto announcing at international events including the World Athletics Championships. However, the uniqueness of Champs forced him to always be in a state of readiness.

“Handling this responsibility is based on my three core principles: plan and research; learn how to take constructive criticism, and how to use that to improve what you do; and never be too hard on yourself. It’s how you recover from those not-so-good ones that will help you be a better professional, whatever you do,” he said.

Ffrench-Sanderson isn’t concerned about the pressure Champs brings, but is often wary of the negative reaction from the crowd.

“Sometimes you talk a little foolishness and you’re afraid to come out of the box,” she joked. “Some of the people are very critical and will send you to hell and back, so it’s very hard when you make mistakes but then you say, ‘you’re human, you can make a mistake, nothing wrong with that’,”

For Smith, the positives far outweigh the negatives and he is proud that something he said is now a staple.

“I think one of the things that is possibly now a feature at Champs or any major meet is one of the phrases that I think I have now taken as my own when a record is broken; that is, when I am able to declare: ‘WE HAVE A NEW RECORD!’”

Smith also stated the importance of teamwork amongst the announcers to help make Champs special.

“It certainly helps when we are all friends and that is what makes the job easier. It allows us to be in sync, knowing when to pitch in and knowing how to keep each other honest. Announcing is a team effort and if you get the chance to see us in action, you will see that it is more than taking up a microphone to speak. Good thing is that, while we remain professional throughout the assignment, we ensure to have fun in the process,” he said.

After starting from the ground up, Ffrench-Sanderson now feels accomplished in her role.

“It gives me great pleasure as a woman — I’m accepted as an announcer. It also gives me great pleasure when the children say they love my voice, ‘You always a call me name,’ so that gives me a bit of joy. Using the talent that God gave me, I’m using it to the best of my ability,” she said.