by Cherolyn Moss

Don’t be surprised if you some new faces officiating at upcoming track and field events around The Bahamas this coming year.

The Bahamas Association of Certified Officials (BACO), recently held its official training and at the end of it all, 21 talented individuals joined the prestigious certified officials club!

And BACO who fully supports ‘buying Bahamian,” ensured that the training was conducted by qualified local talent; Mrs. Stephanie Rahming-Taylor would be one of the persons selected to certify the officials. Rahming-Taylor said she was very pleased to conduct training and felt the officials did a wonderful job. “I am very pleased with the amount of persons that successfully completed the course. The participant’s advised that the knowledge gained would help them to officiate at various meets and become better at their jobs.”

The training which was a level one certification was very comprehensive and did not only focus on track and field events but also those ‘out of stadium’ events such as race walking, cross country and marathon races. According to lecturer Rahming-Taylor, “the course also included a theory section and practical so whatever they learnt in the classroom, they had to go out and put into practice in the practical session.”

As this course is also IAAF certified, these new national technical officials, are also authorized and qualified to officiate at any IAAF sanctioned international meets.

So our 2017 track and field season promises to be a great one especially in terms of officiating. Of course with so many track meets scheduled, there can never be enough officials. “We can always use more and it’s going to be extremely busy. We are always looking for persons to come and volunteer,” says the proud facilitator.

Bahamas Athletics congratulates Mrs. Stephanie Rahming-Taylor, BACO and its newest certified members.