All Schools track and field qualifiers pushed back

Runners in the U7’s 400m race head out to the course during the 2017 PSS/McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships at the Hopwood Middle School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Northern Marianas Athletics has moved the schedule of qualifying events for the 2018 McDonald’s/PSS All Schools Track and Field Championships to give participants more time to prepare for the competition.

NMA officials decided to push back the start of the qualifiers to next week since classes had only resumed yesterday after the spring break. The qualifiers for elementary students were originally scheduled to start tomorrow, April 4, at 4pm at the Oleai Sports Complex and should have run up to Friday, while April 9 to 13 are set for middle and high school students. With the changes, the new schedule of the qualifiers would be from April 9 to 11 and April 16 to 18 for elementary and middle schools, and April 12 and 19 for high schools also at the track oval at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Public School System athletics program director Nick Gross is helping the NMA disseminate information about the new schedule of qualifiers, which will determine the participants in the 2018 McDonald’s/PSS All Schools Track and Field Championships set from May 9 to 12.

NMA official Elias Rangamar has scheduled the coaches’ organizational meeting on Thursday, April 5, at 4pm at the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium to discuss the changes and other concerns by each school representative.

Rangamar has also advised the coaches of Tinian and Rota schools to email their concerns so he could share them to the group since they won’t be able to attend the Thursday meeting.

“Just email me your concerns, Tinian and Rota. I shall share and address them in the meeting. I will then email you the minutes of the meeting along with the responses to your concerns,” said Rangamar.

The qualifying meet is for high jump, long jump, discus, javelin throw, shot put, and softball throw in the field events, and in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m runs.

Elementary school students (Under 7, U9, and U11) will start their qualifying on April 9 and 10 for the 60m, 100m, and 200m runs, and long jump, while April 16 and 17 are reserved for the 400m, 800m, and 1500m runs, and softball throw.

Middle school students will have their qualifying dates on April 11 (60m, 100m 200m, javelin throw, and long jump) and April 17 (400m, 800m, 1500m, and 3000m runs, and discus throw, shot put, and high jump).

April 12 (60m, 100m, and 200m runs, and javelin throw, and long jump) and April 19 (400m, 800m, 1500m, and 3000m runs, and discus throw, shot put, and high jump) are for high school students or those in the U15 and U18 age group.

Schools are allowed to have as many as three students in each of the events lined up, while there is no limit on the number of entries per school in the middle (800m and 1500m) and long distance (3000m) runs. All schools also automatically qualify for the relay events.

Green Meadows School, Northern Marianas International School, and the Saipan Seventh-day Adventist School are the new schools that will join Saipan Community School, Gregorio T. Camacho, William S. Reyes, Agape Christian School, Grace Christian Academy, Oleai, Kagman, Koblerville, Saipan International School, San Vicente, Garapan, Mt. Carme School, Tinian, and Sinapalo in the elementary division.

Chacha, SCS, MBA, SIS, ACS, Francisco M. Sablan, Hopwood, Dandan, Tanapag, GCA, SDA, NMIS, and MCS are entered in the middle school and junior high school divisions, while the high school championship will be contested by Marianas, Kagman, Saipan Southern, ACS, MBA, SIS, MCS, and GCA.