Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer WHEN DANIEL England first stepped onto the tracks at Penn Relays in 1988, it was for him an exhilarating experience. “You walk out on the tracks and you see the huge throng of Jamaican supporters shouting and waving the Jamaican flag, and you just want to win, to find something extra, to run the best race that you can,” he said. England was to compete three years in succession at the relays – 1988, 1989 and 1990. He was a member of the Calabar High School 4x400 team that lowered the record from 3 minutes 10 seconds to 3 minutes 9 seconds, setting the standard for the coming years when teams no longer saw 3 minute 10 seconds as the benchmark. Now a Penn Relays Hall of Famer, England, who is known as ‘Little Warrior’ in his high-school running days because of his height, said that he would not trade the experience of running at the Penn Relays for anything. “When you step on that track and see the Jamaican contingent of supporters, you just know that you had to do well. It is such a huge stage for student athletes. It gives you the sense of wanting to make the team and the fans proud, so you push to compete to the best of your ability,” he said. According to England, competing at Penn Relays was very exciting. “I am glad that I had the experience at competing at Penn against different high schools from all over. It set up the athlete for the transition to college,” he said. He said that Penn gave a taste of what it would be like to compete in the college track culture. SENIOR CATEGORY Still competing competitively, England recently took part in a 5K race on the senior circuit in Florida. He also recently took part in the Gibson Relays in Jamaica, running in the senior category. England’s athletic career began at Calabar. He first competed at Champs in the Class Two 200 meters and 400 metres, winning his races. He later moved to Class One, competing in the same two events. England recalls losing only once during the five years that he competed at Champs for his school.. He won three championships at Class Two in the 200 and 400 metres but lost one year in the 200 metres at Class One. In 1990, England left Jamaica on a track scholarship. He settled on attending Central Arizona College for two years, to hone his skills. From there, he went to Northern Arizona University. He said that many Jamaican athletes go to Central Arizona College to develop their talent before moving on to more elite universities. England is giving back to track and field, having worked as a coach in several schools, and currently coaches on a private level. For England and many others who have competed at Penn Relays, it is an unforgettable experience. 18 Penn Relays – an unforgettable experience EKLY GLEANER | APRIL 4 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com Daniel England PENN RELAYS FEATURE THE PENN Relays have become a marquee event in Caribbean culture with high-school athletes from Jamaica and several Caribbean countries making the annual trip to showcase their talent. It has also drawn huge support from the Caribbean overseas communities, with fans looking forward to making the journey to Pennsylvania to cheer on their favourite runners representing their alma maters. On April 21, 1895, the Penn Relays began providing a place for the new competition of relay racing to be run, creating a milestone in sports history. The annual event has become the longest running track and field event in the history of the sport. Within five years of its start, the relays had added junior high-school events as well as individual events, which included several of the great post-collegiate stars of the sport. The first team to win a Penn Relays championship was Harvard University men’s teamdefeating the University of Pennsylvania in the 4x440 yard relay. In 1910, the term Carnival was added to the name of the race to reflect the atmosphere created by the tent camps around the Franklin Field. In 1914, the relays became an international event when Oxford University crossed the Atlantic to compete. During the modern era of the relays, over 15,000 male and female athletes compete in high school, college, Olympic development and professional races. Across the three days of competition, over 110,000 fans travel to Franklin Field to watch the action. This was further intensified in 2000 with the first USA vs the Worlds race. The race has become a fan favourite on Day Three of competition, allowing fans to see some of the best runners in the world compete. The first Penn Relays was a smash success. Held in conjunction with the university’s Spring HandicapTrack and Field Games, the meet, now the longest uninterrupted collegiate track meet in the country, was a greater success than hoped for, drawing an attendance of approximately 5,000, the largest track and field crowd at that time in Philadelphia. At the dawn of the 20th century, track and field in the United States was centered around the three large eastern cities of Boston, NewYork and Philadelphia. So, it is evident that, in addition to being the largest track crowd in Philadelphia, it was immediately one of the largest ever in America. But, for all the event has done for the city of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, it is the change it wrought in the sport of track and field for which it is known worldwide. Frank Ellis, who conceptualised the relays, spoke in Paris some 15 years after the idea became reality: “As I look back now, I realize that the Relays we thus createdmade track training and competition not only more enjoyable but more significant as well. Now four runners join for a common purpose: team victory. Individual effort is still present but it is individual effort within and for the team. If the team wins, each runner wins; if the team loses, each runner loses. This is a great idea, the very essence of our American democracy, especially since this idea always ends in action, not in mere words. This is, I believe, the great value of relay running.” The relays is an event that has changed with the times, sometimes even leading the way. It was the first invitational track meet to prosper that welcomed all races and all schools from the outset and without interruption. The Penn Relays was the first invitational track meet with separate divisions for colleges, preparatory and high schools, to show any degree of success and continuity. This year, after a two-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the excitement returns to Franklin Field as fans, and athletes and especially Jamaicans, welcome the 125th staging of the Penn Relays. Penn Relays – a fixture in Caribbean culture
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