WHILE admitting some tweaks to the scheduleare needed, ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) Committee Chairman Richard Thompson says extending the event to six days doesn’t seem to be a possibility in the near future.

High school’s track and field showpiece ended on Saturday after five days of competition which saw Kingston College and Edwin Allen High crowned boys’ and girls’ champions, respectively.

However, the Jamaica Observer learnt that some stakeholders were unhappy with the timing of certain events, such as the heats of the 4x100m relay which took place immediately after the 200m heats on Thursday.

Over the years there has been a debate about incorporating a sixth day for Champs in order to address scheduling issues but Thompson says five days are sufficient — though adjustments may be necessary for upcoming editions.

“[Six days are] unlikely to happen any time soon, to be honest,” he told the Observer. “We are, however, mindful of some of the concerns [regarding] where the events are placed. We normally consult our technical committee and take that preliminary schedule to our coaches’ meeting, and once they are credible suggestions and credible alternatives and adjustments then we normally respond. There were opportunities, even before the championships began, for coaches to give their input; some did, and some adjustments we were able to make. Other adjustments would have thrown off other areas so we had to strike a balance, and that’s what we came up with.”

One change that won’t be made is moving the 100m finals back to Friday from its current day two, as Thompson says it’s been a success.

“For the 100m on a Wednesday, I believe that was an important decision because it achieves multiple things,” he said. “One, it allows the athlete to complete the 100 before the 200 — last year we would have a record broken, and we want to ascribe it to that.”

Thompson says that ISSA wants to ensure fans get their money’s worth by making the schedule more appealing.

“People buy a season pass and there’s five days of championships so we have a duty to create a fan experience over the five days and invite our patrons to come out and be guaranteed of excitement right across the days. [With this arrangement] there’s a chance to balance the reason for shifting the schedule around the technical aspect of Champs and the fan experience of Champs. Both areas combine to create what we now call Champs.

“We can have Champs without all the fluff and fanfare — just have things on the track — but we know when we put the fanfare and fluff around it, that’s what creates the experience around the event.”

Regarding attendances, Thompson has downplayed concerns about ticket prices but says ISSA will focus on extensive marketing efforts to ensure that each day of the championships is a memorable event.

“There’s this complaint that ISSA has priced themselves out of the market,” he said. “Many times [when] people talk about pricing, they talk about Saturday grandstand or a season pass, but in order to watch the 100m all you need is $1,000. Students are able to enter the stadium at a lower rate than that if they buy through their schools.

“But there’s an opportunity to look at different strategies to get more persons in the stadium and greater interest around individual, specific matchups, offering greater opportunities for schools to come to the Champs. If we get the support of our principals in allowing more of our students to come in, we create an experience around those days for those students to enjoy, then we could see greater excitement around the five days instead of waiting for Friday and Saturday for that excitement.”