WITH the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships fast approaching, the newly laid synthetic track at the National Stadium has become a major talking point among the country’s coaches.

The track, which is being replaced for the first time since 2011, now features the national colours of black, green, and gold. While the new surface is expected to enhance the competition, coaches have mixed views on what to expect from it.

Corey Bennett, head coach of Hydel and Calabar high schools, expressed some uncertainty about how the track will perform, comparing it to the unpredictability of a cricket pitch.

“No one knows how the track will operate in terms of running; it is almost like a cricket pitch, because sometimes you assume that it is going to be a fast pitch or you assume that it is going to be a slow pitch. When people hear about a new track they assume it is going to be better, but I don’t know. We haven’t run on it yet,” Bennett said.

He also pointed out that the track is being laid on top of the existing surface, adding to the unpredictability of its impact on performances.

“By all indications it looks like a good track but, in terms of its effect, I don’t know. It would have been nice to have at least one meet on it before Champs but that is not to be, and so we are just hoping for the best,” he said.

For Excelsior’s Head Coach David Riley, the new track represents progress and an opportunity for athletes to compete in a safe and certified environment.

“A new track is a new track, so there is nothing wrong with having one,” Riley noted. “The whole point of a track surface is to provide a safe environment that is certified so that performances can be recognised, so I don’t see any problems with getting a new track.”

Riley also dismissed concerns about adjustments to the surface, and according to him athletes regularly compete on different tracks worldwide.

“Just imagine if you were to go to a different location to compete — it can’t be a negative thing. Newness also suggests better, so it can’t be worse than the track that was there before,” Riley reasoned.

“For me, colours mean something. In 2011, when the track was changed to blue, JC [Jamaica College] won on the boys’ side, so they might have drawn inspiration from that and done it,” he added.

Michael Carr, head coach for Wolmer’s High School for Girls, welcomed the new track but raised concerns about the markings for relay races.

“We have been to track meets across the world where the track was just laid probably a week before the start of the competition so I don’t think there is anything to worry about,” he said.

However, Carr has taken issue with the relay exchange zones being marked in yellow, noting that it could impact how athletes practise for international events.

“I notice the relay boxes are all in yellow and, to me, that takes something away from the relay exchanges. Normally, relay changes are a key part of the event, and where you make the exchanges is critical,” Carr said. “When they go overseas they won’t have any yellow boxes to work with, and that is my problem with the track.”

“They should not have the boxes marked out in different colours as it takes something away from the relay exchanges, as far as I am concerned,” he emphasised.

The first scheduled track and field meet at the venue on the new track will be Velocity Fest 16, which takes place on Saturday, March 22 from 4 pm to 8 pm.

The ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships will be held at the National Stadium from March 25-29. Kingston College and Edwin Allen High are the respective boys’ and girls’ champions.