MONTEGO BAY, St James – In the mid-2000s a group of sports-loving people, including sports administrators from western Jamaica, thought there was something missing from the track and field landscape, particularly for the pre-high school age group.

While primary school athletes had the opportunity to compete at the Western Relays in just the 4x100m relays and at the Social Development Commission (SDC) parish championships and the Blue Cross events, there were no local competitions.

As now, there were severe restrictions — financial and others — and not too many of the schools were able to take part in some of the meets, and so in 2009 when the first Western Primary Championships was held at Cornwall College, it opened the doors for a lot more schools and students to get their first exposure to “real competition”.

Western Primary Champs offers individual competition in track and field in various classes, and according to founder Albert Ferguson, “Looking back over the years since then, we are more than pleased with what we have been able to accomplish.”

“It was never easy and it is still not easy as we lack the corporate support to do what we really want to do, but when we look at some of the students who had their first exposure at Western Primary and where they are now and what they managed to accomplish, we know we played our part and gave them that start,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

At the very top of the list of athletes who have competed at Western Primary Championships is World Athletics Championships men’s 400m gold medallist Antonio Watson, who competed with Duncans Primary out of Trelawny.

World Championship finalist Lamara Distin, then of Corinaldi Avenue Primary, Champs gold medallists Aaliyah Foster of Mt Alvernia High and Jauavney James of St Elizabeth Technical are also some of those he recalls, who competed at Western Primary Champs.

In the first year, 14 schools from all four western parishes competed, and since then he said a total of 32 schools have attended the meet at least once, and Ferguson said, “When we watch the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) Western Champs and the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, we see so many of our alums and it makes us proud.”

“It is a great feeling, one of accomplishment, that we were able to provide hundreds of young people with this opportunity to showcase and develop their talents.”

Western Primary Champs has been affected by a variety of incidents over the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic and a last-minute cancellation last year, but Ferguson points out that it is still a major “feeding ground” for schools from all over Jamaica who he says sends scouts and coaches to recruit.