Girls operating on the opening day of the 130th staging of the Penn Relays will mark one of the highlights at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Thursday.
In 2023, the organisers of the relay carnival introduced a rotational format for high school teams so the girls would have the opportunity to feature their stronger events on Saturday, alternating the space with the boys each year.
There continues to be mixed reactions to the change, even now.
Edwin Allen will be defending their title in the Championships of America Girls 4x100m relay, and head coach Michael Dyke is happy to see the schedule for females back to the usual first two days.
“It is good that the girls are getting to feature on the final day, which normally has good weather and a large turnout of fans. However, it is a lot of pressure for them competing in the preliminary round of the 4x400m relay on Saturday morning and then returning to run the finals later in the day, along with the 4x800m finals, where some of the same girls are involved,” said Dyke.
“Also, competing on the regular first two days, it will be more time for relaxation for the girls on Saturday, as they can do their shopping and are able to watch the boys competing on that final day,” he said.
At last year’s staging, fans saw some exceptional performances from the girls, with Hydel winning the 4x400m title for the fourth year in a row and, in the process, breaking their old record of 3:32.77 with a new mark of 3:30.42.
Kelly-Ann Carr of Edwin Allen recorded a magnificent 400m relay split of 50.68s, with Sashana Johnson of Hydel clocking 52.37s and Sydney Sutton of Bullis High 52.45s.
Fans were also treated to a second carnival record for the girls on the final day, with Union Catholic out of New Jersey recording an impressive 11:24.53 for a new record in the distance medley relay, the second-fastest time in high school history.
The new head coach of Kingston College, Richard Smith, who has guided the team to four Championships of America 4x400m titles and will be seeking to make it five in a row, does not have the same problems Dyke is plagued with.
“For me, I have no problem with this as it is more of a gender balance and does give the girls a chance to showcase their talents on a Saturday, which normally has a large turnout of fans,” he said.
“Last year, with the hype surrounding Bullis High and the Jamaican teams in the 4x400m relays, there was a large turnout on Friday and the girls benefited from this. At first, I didn’t like it, but it is just about planning differently, as you know ahead of time about the change.
“I actually love it as nothing has changed since, as we have continued to win the 4x400m, irrespective of the day when the finals are being contested,” Smith said.
David Riley, head coach at Exceelsior, who coaches girls and boys, doesn’t have an issue either.
“On the matter of the rotating schedule, as a co-ed team, it doesn’t affect us much as we have to activate on all three days. Giving the girls the spotlight on Saturday is novel and we support the initiative.”
