2025 Schools’ Track and Field – the look back

The official 2025 Schools’ Track and Field season is done and dusted.

Winners, and top individual performers were decided in both the various Inter-house championships as well as the nation-wide expose, namely the Inter-Primary Schools’ Athletics Championships (IPSAC), and the Inter-Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships (ISSAC).

Beyond them, there was also the SVG Community College’s Championships, which too, brought elevated levels of excitement, interest, and competitiveness.

In general, it was a good season, as there was the conspicuous use of marketing tools and social media to promote the respective internal events.

Added, the involvement of past students and engagement of the corporate sector in St Vincent and the Grenadines, helped immensely in giving the schools’ Track and Field season that public lift and national visibility.

As a consequence of the additions, one saw the emergence of new talent, whilst the already known athletes continued in their vein of dominance.

These were evident at both IPSAC and ISSAC, as the competition intensified and prowess came into sharp focus.

It was also refreshing that some schools came to the fore at the finals, who in previous years were oblivious.

Undoubtedly, the rise in Track and Field here in St Vincent and the Grenadines has spurred that spark, created the buzz, and unearthed latent talents.

Seemingly, things are catching on, and the hosting of a semi-final at IPSAC proved good, as it meant only the best of the best entered the finals.

Hopefully, we can see in the 2026 editions, that ISSAC does the same.

Hence, this column is calling on the authorities to have a re-look at IPSAC and ISSAC, with the view of making the necessary changes to enhance the overall product.

As proffered before, the ISSAC must go more than one day. The one- week break from the heats to the finals does not fit into what obtains regionally or internationally.

The current setup, which has been around for many years, must be revisited with some urgency as it does not help the growth of our athletes when they venture out.

Of note too, is the bug bear of running our athletes to the ground on the day of the finals.

Hence, there must be limitations of the number of events an athlete should enter. This suggestion also holds even when there are multiple days for ISSAC.

This column therefore calls for two flat races, one relay and one field event over two or more days.

In so doing, athletes can excel at the events at which they are more adept.

It is also the view of this column that entry standards for events be enacted, which can only serve to ‘up the ante’.

Some may argue that with the small population, several athletes will be denied the opportunity to represent their institutions.

But on the other hand, it can also be advanced that athletes will strive to make the threshold, to be in the best shape.

Also worthy of the attention of the organisers, is the tightening of the production, especially that streaming is part and parcel of the marketing strategies.

Being time sensitive must be given priority in the planning and execution of both the IPSAC and ISSAC components.

With the nuances addressed, coupled with an up-tick in performances from our athletes, then with the increments, we can move seamlessly and fully commercialise ISSAC.

The above-mentioned thoughts are not far-fetched, but shared in the hope that they will fall on the right ears of conscientious stakeholders whose focus is excellence, and not the run of the mill administration.