By PAUL A. REID, Staff ReporterPhiladelphia:
AFTER WINNING JUST one relay event last year, the Jamaican high school girls will hope to start making amends when the 110th Penn Relays carnival gets underway tomorrow morning at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
One bit of welcome news will be that the weather would seem to be co-operating with the Caribbean athletes as the Philadelphia area is enjoying unseasonably warm weather and will be a departure from the mostly very cold temperatures that has been characteristic of the opening day in the last 10 years or so. After heavy rains last weekend, the average temperatures have been in the mid-70s and expected it will continue that way for at least the next two days.
Edwin Allen were the only Jamaican high school Championship relay winners last year when they won their first event, the 4x800m and along with former winners Holmwood Technical will lead the charge tomorrow.
Eligibility concerns
The Jamaican high school girls will take part in four relay events tomorrow, the heats of the 4x800m, the 4x100m and the 4x400m plus the finals of the Distance Medley. Edwin Allen are the only Jamaican entrants in the medley and will enter a strong team of Jodian Richards on the opening 1200m leg, Sherine Pinnock on the 400m leg, Champs double gold medal winner Lorraine McKenzie on the 800m leg and Kayann Thompson on the 1600m anchor leg.There is, however, some concerns about McKenzie's eligibilty.
Edwin Allen who will have the same four girls who won the 4x800m last year and who have won all three times they have competed over the distance this year, will start favorites for the event that will see the final on Friday afternoon along with the 4x100 and 4x400m.
Former winners Holmwood Technical and Tacius Golding are also entered in the 4x800m. Despite being beaten all three times by Edwin Allen this season, at the Alpart/STETHS invitational, Milo Western Relays and Gibson Relays, Holmwood who has not run under 9:00 minutes this season, could stage a challenge to the Michael Dyke coached Edwin Allen.
Dyke stated earlier that Holmwood are no threats and his focus will be on the record set by Vere Technical set in 1991 but Holmwood's coach Maurice Wilson has hinted he could be bringing in one of his many 400m runners to add some speed to his line up.
After failing to win a single event last year, for the first time since their first win in 1998, Holmwood Technical who were second twice last year, in the 4x100 and 4x400m to the California school, Long Beach Poly, are expected to return to their former glory.
Holmwood's Class 1 team has run under 45.00 seconds in the 4x100 three times this season and with CARIFTA Games Under 17 triple gold medal winner Shillione Calvert available after sitting out Champs, they will be a definite threat for the gold watch.
Holmwood has a season best 44.26 seconds run at Champs and Long Beach Poly or any other contender must come good if they are to get to the finish line before Holmwood.
Gunning for a win
Twelve other schools including 13 time champions Vere Technical with the outstanding Simone Facey who will be competing for the last time in the Vere colours will be gunning for the win. Vere have also run below 45.00 seconds this year, clocking 44.77 seconds at Champs and will be a factor with a good combination of their Classes 1 and 2 teams.
Holmwood with their 3:37.43 in the Mile Relay at Champs will go into the 4x400 as strong contenders and will lead eleven other Jamaican teams into that event. Again Vere Technical and Edwin Allen could be factors as well as St Andrew High.
The Jamaican girls will also take part in six individual events but Star has learned that pre-meet long jump favourite Peta-Gaye Beckford will not make the trip due to a stomach illness.
Beckford's 6.23m at Champs had established her as a firm favourite and it will now be up to the outstanding St Jago class 2 jumper Tamara Francis who posted a Champs record 6.02m and a season best 6.17m at CARIFTA Trials who will lead the charge. Also in the event are-Rene White of Wolmers who was just beaten into second in Class 2 at Champs by Francis, St Jago's Nadina Marsh and St Andrew High's Ana-Kay Campbell.
Wolmer's Girls' Tamilee Kerr will be the only Jamaican in the javelin after Champs record holder Shaneka Parkes was dropped from the Holmwood team.
Holmwood's Althea Duncan leads the triple jump entries while Nadia Alexander will line up in the Shot Put event.
