The Ona Glinton Primary School from Grand Turk took home the Turks and Caicos Amateur Athletics Association (TCAAA) Inter-Primary Track and Field Championship in style.
The event held at the National Stadium in Providenciales, saw some blistering performances, with Ona Glinton athletes responsible for most of them.
Physical Education/Classroom Teacher, Acasia Downer, who heads the coaching department at that school, was near tears after witnessing the determination her charges displayed on the track and in the field. She believes that the Ona Glinton Primary School won the competition against all odds.
Unfortunately, were not able to perform the way we would have liked to perform, because we only got three weeks in, really because the tracks were taken away from us- they are fixing the lights, so, we did not get to use the Parade (Ground), and so, we had to be on the road for our 100m races, and we ran around the pond for our longer distance training,” Downer said.
“Honesty, we never thought in a million years that that little training that we had – on the roads, not able to see lanes – would have made us so victorious. So, we are really, really happy,” Downer added.
The victorious coach said, based on her athletes not being able to use the Parade Ground for practice, she told them to just go out there and have fun, but she said their performances blew her away.
This year the organizers changed the leaderboard format from points standing to medal count. Winners were determined by quality of the medal and not points.
And Ona Glinton won 19 medals, with a whopping 10 gold, four silver and five bronze. Their closest rivals, the Oseta Jolly Primary in Providenciales, finished with 10 medals – five gold, two silver and three bronze. And despite the Enid Capron Primary School from Providenciales finishing with 12 medals, they were placed third by virtue of them amassing fewer gold than Oseta Jolly. Enid Capron won three gold, four silver and five bronze.
Eliza Simons Primary of Grand Turk was placed fourth, winning two gold, one silver and two bronze. Iris Stubbs Primary School from South Caicos and Richmond Hill Primary from Providenciales tied for fifth four with identical two gold, one silver and one bronze.
Elite School from Providenciales ended with one gold, one silver and one bronze for seventh place. Ianthe Pratt of Providenciales mined nine medals, but they had to settle for eighth position after winning seven silver and two bronze.
Alpha Christian Academy of Providenciales, with their three medals of two silver and a bronze, ended in ninth position. International School of the Turks and Caicos Islands from Providenciales also ended with three medals, but they had to settle for 10th position after mining one silver and two bronze.
Adelaide Oemler from North Caicos ended in 11th position with two medals – a silver and a bronze, while the Thelma Lightbourne Primary from Providenciales finished the meet with a silver, to round off the top 12.
The event was attended by Sports Minister Hon. Rachel Taylor, and Edith Skippings, President for the TCAA, who both lauded the athletes for the fierceness with which they had competed, also thanking the PE teachers who conditioned them, and the community who supported the individual schools, as well as the sponsors for their undertaking of the event.