The ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships (better known as Champs) is an annual

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispanio ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping even ...

meet held by Jamaica's Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association. The five day event, held during the last week before

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

in Kingston, has been considered a proving ground for many Jamaican athletes.

History

The Championships began as a standardized

sports day Sports days (British English) or field days (American English) are events staged by many schools and offices in which people participate in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes. Though they are often ...

for six of Jamaica's oldest high schools,

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(now Munro College), St. George's College,

Jamaica College Jamaica College (abbreviated J.C. or JC) is a public, Christian, secondary school and sixth form for boys in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established in 1789 by Charles Drax, who was the grand-nephew of wealthy Barbadian sugar planter ...

, the Wolmer's School, New College and Mandeville Middle Grade School. Originally known as the Inter-Secondary School Championship Sports, rules and staging of the event were managed by an Organizing Committee comprising the headmasters of the six boys’ schools and was first chaired by William Cowper, headmaster of Wolmer's. A cadre of volunteers consisting of coaches, sports masters and others served as timekeepers, starters,

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other ti ...

s and other meet officials. The first Boys’ Champs began at the

test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

ground

Sabina Park Sabina Park is a cricket ground and the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica. History Sabina Park was originally a Pen (urban residence and adjoining land of a wealthy merchant, shop ...

on June 29, 1910, in Kingston, Jamaica. Loosely modelled after the school athletic sports at British public schools such as Eton and Harrow, the event quickly gained popularity among the Jamaican public. Over six previous years, fans had attended a boys’ track meet in which athletes were given handicaps according to age, reputation and overall appearance – as in a

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

– but this format was discontinued in 1910 when new rules and a new trophy were introduced. There is evidence of a Girls’ Athletics Championships as early as 1914 in Kingston, but after re-emerging under different organizations in the 1940s, 1957, then 1961, the girls’ event had an unbroken run since being managed by the Games Mistresses Association (founded 1963), a national organization of

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

teachers. Only sixteen schools have ever won a boys’ or girls’ championship, with Kingston College (1962–1975) having the longest boys’ winning streak and Vere Technical winning the girls division the most times in a row (1979–1993). In its history, only Excelsior High School and St. Jago High have ever won both boys’ and girls’ divisions at Champs. The feat has never been accomplished in the same year. St Hilda's Diocesan High School in St Ann was the first school to win the girls championship.

ISSA and GMA

In 1999, after years of deliberation between the ISSA and GMA, and precipitated by shrinking revenues particularly at Girls’ Champs, the GMA ceded control of the girls’ event to ISSA. The two meets are now staged together over five days, beginning with field events and ending with all relays. The Games Mistresses Association (GMA) of Jamaica has been led by Presidents including Joyce Taylor, Barbara Jones and Joan Lloyd-Hudson. Lloyd-Hudson took over the Presidency from Barbara Jones and served for two years. She improved the operations of the championship and negotiated a sponsorship deal with MILO. The Presidents are selected by a national election, Jamaican physical education high school teachers gather in Kingston annually for the elections. Among the responsibilities of the GMA are management of girls' sports on a national level, including the physical education curriculum. The GMA merged with ISSA in 1999 after several years of discussion with the principals of the nation's high schools. Some supporters of the continuation of a GMA-led girl's champs thought the move was purely a financial one. Others believed the ISSA group wanted to have full control of both boys and girls champs which would allow more effective planning of the championships. The girls and boys championships are the biggest track and field event involving high school students anywhere in the world. These events are planned around high school students and often attract college coaches from around the world. Many of these students receive college scholarships (outside of the country) on the track during the meet. After the 4-day championship, the students in their home schools, prepare to go the Penn Relays in the USA where they often dominate all the sprint events. Those schools who may have lost a particular event at the Girls or boys championship look forward to a second opportunity at the Penn relays.

Boys' Champions

A list of the winners of the Boys' Champs. * 1910: Wolmer’s Boys * 1911: Jamaica College * 1912: Jamaica College * 1913: Jamaica College * 1914: St. George’s College * 1915: Wolmer’s Boys * 1916: Jamaica College * 1917: Wolmer’s Boys * 1918: Jamaica College * 1919: Jamaica College * 1920: Munro College * 1921: Jamaica College * 1922: Jamaica College * 1923: Jamaica College * 1924: Wolmer’s Boys * 1925: St. George’s College * 1926: Munro College * 1927: Wolmer’s Boys * 1928: Jamaica College * 1929: Wolmer’s Boys * 1930: Calabar High School * 1931: Calabar High * 1932: Calabar High * 1933: Calabar High * 1934: Munro College * 1935: Munro College * 1936: Calabar High * 1937: Kingston College * 1938: Wolmer’s Boys * 1939: Wolmer’s Boys * 1940: Jamaica College * 1941: Wolmer’s Boys * 1942: Kingston College * 1943: Munro College * 1944: No Competition * 1945: Munro College * 1946: Calabar High * 1947: Munro College * 1948: Munro College * 1949: Wolmer’s Boys * 1950: Kingston College * 1951: Kingston College * 1952: Jamaica College * 1953: Kingston College * 1954: Kingston College * 1955: Calabar High * 1956: Wolmer’s Boys * 1957: Kingston College * 1958: Calabar High * 1959: Jamaica College * 1960: Excelsior High * 1961: Calabar High * 1962: Kingston College * 1963: Kingston College * 1964: Kingston College * 1965: Kingston College * 1966: Kingston College * 1967: Kingston College * 1968: Kingston College * 1969: Kingston College * 1970: Kingston College * 1971: Kingston College * 1972: Kingston College * 1973: Kingston College * 1974: Kingston College * 1975: Kingston College * 1976: Calabar High * 1977: Calabar High * 1978: Calabar High * 1979: Kingston College * 1980: Kingston College * 1981: Calabar High * 1982: Clarendon College (Jamaica) * 1983: Kingston College * 1984: Clarendon College * 1985: Clarendon College * 1986: Calabar High * 1987: St. Jago High * 1988:Calabar High * 1989: Calabar High * 1990: Calabar High * 1991:Jamaica College * 1992: Jamaica College * 1993: St. Jago High * 1994: Jamaica College * 1995: Jamaica College * 1996: Calabar High * 1997: Calabar High * 1998: Jamaica College * 1999: Jamaica College * 2000: Jamaica College * 2001:Kingston College * 2002:Kingston College * 2003:Kingston College * 2004:Kingston College * 2005: Kingston College * 2006: Kingston College * 2007: Calabar High * 2008: Calabar High * 2009: Kingston College * 2010: Wolmer’s Boys * 2011: Jamaica College * 2012: Calabar High * 2013: Calabar High * 2014: Calabar High * 2015 Calabar High * 2016: Calabar High * 2017: Calabar High * 2018: Calabar High * 2019: Kingston College * 2020: Cancelled due to the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

* 2021: Jamaica College * 2022: Kingston College

Girls' Champions

A list of the winners of Girls' Champs."Boys and Girls Champs winners", ''Jamaica Observer'' 25 March 2014 https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Boys-and-Girls-Champs-winners_16328724 Retrieved 10 August 2021. * 1957: St. Hilda’s High * 1958-60: No Competition * 1961: Manchester High School, Jamaica * 1962: St. Andrew High School * 1963:

Titchfield High School Titchfield High School is a secondary high school in Port Antonio, Jamaica, in the northern part of Portland Parish. The school was established in January 1786, and is the fifth-oldest high school in the country, after Wolmer's Boys', one of the W ...

* 1964: Titchfield High * 1965: Manning's School * 1966: Manning's School * 1967: Vere Technical * 1968: Vere Technical * 1969: Manning's School * 1970: Excelsior * 1971: Excelsior * 1972: Excelsior * 1973: Excelsior High * 1974: Vere Technical * 1975: Vere Technical * 1976: St Mary High School, Jamaica * 1977: St Mary High * 1978: Queen’s School, Jamaica * 1979: Vere Technical * 1980: Vere Technical * 1981: Vere Technical * 1982: Vere Technical * 1983: Vere Technical * 1984: Vere Technical * 1985: Vere Technical * 1986: Vere Technical * 1987: Vere Technical * 1988: Vere Technical * 1990: Vere Technical * 1991: Vere Technical * 1992: Vere Technical * 1993: Vere Technical * 1994: Manchester High * 1995: Manchester High * 1996: St Jago High * 1997: St Jago High * 1998: St Jago High * 1999: St Jago High * 2000: Vere Technical * 2001: Vere Technical * 2002: Vere Technical * 2003: Holmwood Technical * 2004: Holmwood Technical * 2005: Holmwood Technical * 2006: Holmwood Technical * 2007: Holmwood Technical * 2008: Holmwood Technical * 2009: Holmwood Technical * 2010: Holmwood Technical * 2011: Holmwood Technical * 2012: Edwin Allen High * 2013: Holmwood Technical * 2014: Edwin Allen High * 2015: Edwin Allen High * 2016: Edwin Allen High * 2017: Edwin Allen High * 2018: Edwin Allen High * 2019: Edwin Allen High * 2020: Cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic * 2021: Edwin Allen High * 2022: Edwin Allen High

Champs Today

The merged Champs is now a five-day event, featuring thousands of Jamaican athletes competing in four age classes for girls and three for boys as follows:
Boys
Class 1 : under 19
Class 2 : under 16
Class 3 : under 14 Girls
Class 1 : under 19
Class 2 : under 17
Class 3 : under 15
Class 4 : under 13 Competitions takes place in 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 3000 m (girls only), 5000 m, 4 × 100 m, 4 × 400 and medley relays, hurdles – 110 m, 100 m, 70 m (girls only),

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down t ...

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ...

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by t ...

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wo ...

and the

heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...

. Numerous students who have competed at the Champs meeting have gone on to global success. Triple Olympic/World gold medalist and world record holder

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight-tim ...

first came to the fore in 2002, after failing to win any events in the Class 3 age group. Olympic champions Veronica Campbell-Brown, and

Shelly-Ann Fraser Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce OD, OJ (née Fraser; born December 27, 1986) is a Jamaican track and field sprinter competing in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. ...

suffered defeats in the lower age groups at the meet before finally winning for their school teams. Three-time 100 m world record-holder and World/Olympic gold medalist (4 × 100 m)

Asafa Powell Asafa Powell, CD (born 23 November 1982) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres. He set the 100 metres world record twice, between June 2005 and May 2008 with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds. Powell has consisten ...

competed, but never became a household name at the high school level because he was disqualified in the Class 1 100m final. The 2016 Double Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson also competed, only ever finishing fourth in the 100 m at the Class 2 level. Other top performers at Champs who have gone on to excel on the world stage include Michael Frater, Bert Cameron, Melaine Walker,

Winthrop Graham Winthrop Graham (born 17 November 1965 in Westmoreland, Jamaica) is a retired athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres hurdles. He won two Olympic medals and three World Championship medals. His personal best time was 47.60 seconds, achie ...

, Beverly McDonald, Maurice Wignall, Juliet Cuthbert, Sandie Richards and Raymond Stewart. Although the high school competition developed world-class talent such as Olympic stars

Arthur Wint Arthur Stanley Wint OD MBE (25 May 1920 – 19 October 1992) was a Jamaican Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during the Second World War, sprinter, physician, and later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Competing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympi ...

and

Herb McKenley The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM (10 July 1922 – 26 November 2007) was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals. Born in Pleasant Val ...

, Una Morris and Vilma Charlton, then Lennox Miller, Donald Quarrie and

Merlene Ottey Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is ran ...

, Champs was virtually unknown to mainstream international media until the emergence of a disproportionate number of world-class sprinters from Jamaica in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

and IAAF World Championships in Athletics. American college coaches in particular were very aware of the richness of the competitor pool, since they annually traveled to Kingston to scout for junior college and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleg ...

-level talent. Several top performers at Champs such as British high jumper Germaine Mason are former Jamaican high school stars. Jamaican-born American sprinter Sanya Richards competed at the meet for Immaculate Conception High School before migrating to the US in 1997.

References

{{Reflist National championships in Jamaica Recurring sporting events established in 1910 High school sports Youth athletics