Odd Distance Meet Begins BAAA 2009 Season

 

Although the events contested at The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) annual Odd Distance Track and Field meet may not be those traditional events at a normal tack and field meet, in recent years local athletes especially at the high school level have been taking the competition seriously.

 

Two days before the registration deadline there were 220 athletes registered for the competition.  The deadline to register had been pushed back a week to Tuesday January 13th.   The competition was originally set for January 10 but was rescheduled for Saturday the 17th in honour of the funeral service for beloved sportscaster the late Phil Smith.

 

When the BAAA begins its season on Saturday afternoon fans should expect to see very aggressive running especially in the sprints and middle distance events like the 150m dash, the 300m and the 500m dash.  Also expect to see very keen competition in the field events.

 

Athletes and their coaches use the odd competition to gauge where they are in terms of strength and endurance early into the season.  The events at the odd meet cover those distances usually used in training sessions.

 

For those athletes competing in the jumps and the throwing events like the long jump, shot put, triple jump, high jump, and the javelin throw, they would be given a shortened distance for an approach forcing them to rely more on technique and strength.

 

This year’s odd distance competition will feature athletes from the under-nine age group to the open division.  There is also a possibility that some of the Masters athletes would compete.  

 

Athletes from around the country including Grand Bahama, Andros, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera are expected to be in town for the competition that is set to begin at 3pm.

 

National High School Relays hosted by the federation on January 31st will follow the Odd Distance competition.

 

The high school relays are always exciting although the 2008 season saw some of the top schools in the capital and some of the Family Island schools pull out for various reasons.  

 

This year the BAAA plans to ensure that the relay meets are made attractive to athletes and fans.

 

For more information on future competitions athletes and coaches can e-mail their entries to the federation’s office at bahamastrack@hotmail.com or fax it over at 242-325-4433.