Carifta Games and the Jamaican dominance

Jamaica has perhaps the strongest array of active and aggressive students’ alumni in the entire Caribbean. They do not abandon their alma maters.
On average, for example, more than 30 educational institutions in Jamaica now attend the annual Penn Relays in the USA, a competition open only to such organisations. Many of those from Jamaica who attend are supported in one form or another by their respective alumni associations.
The annual Boys and Girls Champs (the Inter Schools Competition) now spans several days, two each for the boys and the girls. Nowhere in the Caribbean is there such an exciting event supported by thousands of eager supporters sporting the colours of their former and present educational institutions.
The atmosphere at the arena during the Boys and Girls Champs is sheer electric and the rivalry on the track just as intense.
Admittedly some of the rivalry extends beyond acceptable limits.
Coaches and administrators alike often appear to do all that seems necessary to win and sometimes at all costs.
It is against this backdrop that one must understand that it is often the case that some junior athletes attain records at the Bys and Girls Champs that are better performances than what is achieved at the Carifta Games or even the world championships.
By the t
ime the annual Carifta Games comes around the Jamaicans are the best prepared and it is all a matter of national pride.
It is a matter of showing the rest of the Caribbean that Jamaica can produce the best athletes in the region.
It is about sowing the Jamaican populace that they can rest assured that the rich legacy of athletics is being maintained and that the future is in good hands.
Indeed through the Carifta Games the Jamaican youths are able to show the world that the athletics culture of Jamaica is alive and well in every respect.