Athletics fans to invade Linden this weekend for Classic

Aug 14, 2014 Sports

By Rawle Welch
The Linden community is widely identified as being one of the most supportive districts of sporting activities in the country and this credential is anticipated to remain intact this weekend when the 5th Annual Boyce/Jefford

Massive crowd support is expected at the MSC this weekend for the Classic.

Athletic Classic is staged, at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.
With a number of regional and US-based stars lined up to compete in the event which will be staged over two days under floodlights, a massive outpouring of fans are expected to descend at the community Mecca to witness the locals attempt to defend home turf against the foreign invasion.
The community, riding high with celebrations after witnessing resident school Christianburg / Wismar make it a 3-peat in winning the Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Tournament and in the process capture the trophy outright, have shown its loyalty towards the Classic since its birth and the feedback to date has been encouraging.
The other relevant aspect is that the Organisers from the first year had pledged their allegiance to the fans, assuring them that the Classic was there to stay in the community and after five years that vow remains intact.
Yesterday Kaieteur Sport solicited a conversation with Co-organiser Edison Jefford about the plans for this year’s edition and what the fans could expect.
“Every year we try to make the event bigger in terms of participation and the quality of athletes and I can safely say that while we have not been able to attract some of the big names in the Region to date, we still have a high quality of stars that we feel will produce some stunning performances for the fans,” Jefford said.
He pointed to athletes coming from Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and the United States of America as testimony to the Organisers seriousness about developing the local athletic landscape and at the same time increasing the reach and status of the Classic.
Jefford reminded also that every year they’ve sought to increase the total and individual prize monies specifically aimed at making participation more meaningful for the clubs and athletes.
The Classic, the brainchild of former Athletics Association of Guyana President Colin Boyce and Jefford was conceptualised five years ago to augment the work that was being done by the local governing body and at the same time lift the standard of competition and according to the latter in is his humble opinion that they’ve managed to do just that.
The Classic’s emergence as a top flight competition on the athletics calendar is by no means a coincidence; rather it is as a result of astute planning and unrivalled marketing aided by strong support from the corporate sector.
The Classic apart from the National Schools Athletics, Swimming & Cycling Championships is unquestionably the biggest event on the local athletics chart and come this weekend this reality will be witnessed.