MEMBERS of the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA), organisers of high school track and field competitions in western Jamaica, have requested that ISSA waive some qualification standards for the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships set for March.

Part of the qualification process for athletes for the annual five-day championships are that students must have a minimum attendance and academic records from the previous term, which would have been September to December.

Coaches from COCAA have, however, asked that given the widespread disruption in the wake of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in late October, that the national governing body for high school sports waives some of the requirements for athletes from western schools.

Claude Grant, head coach and vice-principal at Herbert Morrison Technical, requested that ISSA uses standards achieved by the athletes from last year as qualifying marks for Champs, given they will have limited chances this season to get new marks.

He shared an experience of washing mud and debris from a classroom, along with students, when those pupils who lived in the nearby Catherine Hall community — that was flooded after the storm — “started acting erratically”. It was later found out the, “students were having flashbacks to the trauma when they homes were flooded by up to eight feet of water”.

Andrew Henry of Mt Alvernia High echoed Grant’s request and also asked that event places at Champs be reserved for athletes from the affected areas in western Jamaica.

In a virtual meeting held on Friday and chaired by Champs Committee Chairman Richard Thompson, the principal of Titchfield High School, a grim picture was painted of the destruction and disruption the storm caused, with several coaches reporting they were yet to see most of their athletes return to school.

While not making any promises, Thompson told the meeting that he would take the suggestions and requests back to the ISSA executive to “see how best ISSA can assist”.

Keith Wellington, president of ISSA and principal of St Elizabeth Technical — which was also badly damaged — said, “ISSA is very concerned about the damage to schools around the island, particularly in western Jamaica, and it is important that ISSA try to assist the schools.”

He said that a number of schools had lost equipment and even competition gear, which will be very expensive to replace.

It was heard that because of the damage to infrastructure, most schools had only allowed students sitting external exams to return to classes — and in some cases students up to thhe 10th grade would not be accommodated until January.

Manning’s School coach Courtney Hughes says that they had not even been able to start training as their efforts were being concentrated on providing “psychosocial” support for the students, some of who he said had lost their homes.

Petersfield High, which has produced a number of national representatives including 2023 World Athletics Championships men’s 400m gold medallist Antonio Watson, is in danger of not being able to compete even at the development meet level as the school is still housing over 100 persons whose homes have been destroyed.

Lacovia High’s coach Kamille Ennis says that in addition to seeing only a handful of her athletes turning out for training, their female dormitory had been severely damaged, including losing it’s roof.

Michael McIntosh, the head coach and vice-principal of Green Island High in Hanover, said he is thinking of moving training from the school to locations closer to where his athletes are living.

He said with most of the hotels in the area closed until next year, it is difficult for parents who worked in the industry to find the means to send the students to school regularly.

Herbert Morrison’s Deandre Daley (second right) wins the Class 1 boys’ 100m at the COCAA Western Champs held at STETHS in February 2023. (Photo: Paul Reid)

ISSA President Keith Wellington (Photo: Joseph Wellington)