From October 15 to 19, the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Athletics Championships will be held at Stadium Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Paroi, Seremban, in the state of Negri Sembilan.
It is important to note that the Negri Sembilan Schools Sports Council (MSSNS) Athletics Championships took place last month.
As a seasoned athletics teacher with 35 years of experience in Negri Sembilan, I want to draw attention to the shortcomings of this state meet.
The organizers will need to purchase new sets of starting blocks for the MSSM meet since various types were used at the state meet.
The technical manager should ensure that the steeplechase pit is filled with water, unlike on August 21 when runners jumped into a pit that was only half full.
The meet must adhere to a schedule and not take place too early in the afternoon, considering the extreme heat of the weather.
After Malaysia League football matches, the Seremban City Council (MBS) workers should clean up the stadium.
The toilets, shower rooms, and dressing rooms must undergo repairs and receive a fresh coat of paint.
Due to MBS restrictions, throwing events cannot be held on the grass field at the stadium. Therefore, MSSM organizers must either construct throwing areas outside the stadium or establish them nearby to ensure easy viewing for spectators and athletes’ families.
Furthermore, the warm-up track outside the stadium is in a deplorable condition and urgently needs resurfacing.
The calling room judges must also ensure that athletes report at the specified time mentioned in the programme, not earlier or later.
Zi Xuan and her coach Teh at Stadium Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Paroi last month.
Over the past decade, it has been observed that the stalls outside the stadium only sell cordial, carbonated, energy, and cold drinks, as well as burgers, keropok lekor, banana fritters, and similar snacks.
I hope that during the MSSM meet, there will be food trucks offering nutritious options such as rice, bread, noodles, sandwiches, and hot drinks like coffee, tea, and chocolate, catered towards schoolchildren.
At the state meet, the Seremban 2 team emerged as champions with an impressive haul of 32 gold, 21 silver, and 12 bronze medals. Jempol secured second place with a tally of 26-24-28, narrowly surpassing third-placed Seremban 1 with 25-32-29.
Jempol district’s Leow Zi Xuan, honored as the Best Overall Female Athlete, earned four gold medals.
She set a new record of 13.45s (previous record 13.48s) in the Girls’ Under-12 100m sprint. Additionally, she led her 4 x 100m relay team to a record-breaking time of 55.3s (previous record 55.9s).
Zi Xuan also triumphed in the long jump with a leap of 4.29m and attained first place in the 4 x 200m relay with a time of 1 minute 59.40s, while achieving second place in the 200m with a time of 28.9s.
Coached by retired SJK Chi Wen Bahau teacher Teh Eng Eiau, Zi Xuan represents a potential medal contender for the upcoming MSSM meet.
The host team must undergo centralized training at the stadium in Paroi, capitalizing on their home ground advantage.
They must give their best effort, as last year, Negri Sembilan delivered their poorest performance in MSSM history, winning only a solitary bronze medal, placing them 15th overall, just ahead of last-placed Labuan.
The October MSSM meet will be the fifth largest athletics meet hosted at the stadium, which was constructed in 1992 and served as the main venue for the 1992 Malaysian Athletics Open, 1994 and 2004 MSSM Athletics Championships, as well as the Sukma X Athletics meet in 2004.
Michael Cheng
Seremban
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
