The 37th staging of the JAAA Puma Fuller/Anderson Development Meet is set for Kirkvine, Manchester, on Saturday starting at 8:00 am.

The launch of the event took place at the GC Foster College’s boardroom where former Holmwood Technical High School sprint star Michae Harriott was presented as the first recipient of a one-year, $100,000 scholarship in honour of two outstanding athletics administrators of the sport, the late Charlie Fuller and Pat Anderson.

Harriott qualified for the scholarship on the basis of her performance at the JAAA Puma Fuller/Anderson meet in previous years, and she was ecstatic.

“I am speechless. Thank you everyone. I appreciate it and this is a start for me and an encouragement for me to achieve more,” said Harriott, who won both the 100m and 200m at the 2018 Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

GC Foster College’s Athletics Director Chester McCarthy said his organisation has always been involved in the meet by supplying equipment and meet officials, and now the partnership has been strengthened with the scholarship.

“Any athlete who will be a recipient of this scholarship must be attending the Kirkvine Meet, not just one year. Michae has been participating at this for five years throughout her entire high school career,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile Maurice Wilson, chairman of the organising committee, highlighted that the history of the Fuller/Anderson Development Meet goes “very deep” having started in 1982 at Manchester High School by Fuller.

“He was responsible for Manchester High winning at least two championships in the 90s [1994 and 1995] and his influence was so great, but unfortunately, Manchester have not reproduce this form since that period of time,” noted Wilson.

“The meet has moved to Kirkvine since 1987 and it has grown to over 1,500 athletes at any given year and at least 100 institutions,” he added.

The event has stayed with five events – 200m, 400m, 800m, 3000m and 5000m.

Meet Director Jerry Holness said orgainisers will endeavour to be flexible in allowing each school 10 athletes per event.

“I am proud of this meet, especially the fact that I was one of the working members of the first edition of this track meet,” Holness pointed out.

“This meet is one which a number of athletes and coaches look forward to year after year to leave the city and get some fresh air,” he added.

“This meet, coaches are given a wider opportunity in order to enter athletes more than the norm. Most of the meets, the maximum number of athletes are four; and we are lenient over the year and allow six athletes. This year we are going to be even more lenient and move from six and will allow coaches to enter 10 athletes per class, per event,” Holness revealed.

Wilson, who is also head coach of Jamaica’s athletics teams, noted that the Kirkvine meet played host to a number of young stars in their development to world-class starting with the inimitable Usain Bolt, Jermaine Gonzales, Nesta Carter, Deon Hemmings, Elaine Thompson, Sherone Simpson, Lorraine Fenton, to name a few.

“To miss this event is to miss the event of the year. The only other event that can rival this meet is that of the Digicel Grand Prix that will take place at GC Foster College on March 21,” said Wilson.

— Howard Walker