Track Is Back: Resumes In Florida At All Levels

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Florida’s track and field season shut down three months ago as student-athletes were just about set for Spring Break. Little did they know that break would put a permanent halt to competition. As the state starts to open up, plans to host live meets aren’t just being talked about, they are happening.

This Saturday, June 27, two meets will take place in the Sunshine State. The second Annual B3R Invitational is set for Santa Fe High School in Alachua County with age divisions ranging from six and under to 18 years old. According to the meet website, extra precautions due to COVID-19 will be enforced, including temperature checks, staff and officials wearing masks and gloves, as well as easy access to hand sanitizer stations.

Eli Sunquist, Founder of the Jacksonville Athletic Club, doesn’t just have one meeting planned, but a whole summer track series.  First up is the JAC Golden Southeast Classic held at the Providence School in Jacksonville. Much like the B3R event, it will be conducted with specific guidelines in mind.

“Our coaches and meet management staff are thrilled to be able to host track meets this summer and we are confident we can do it in a safe and responsible way,“ Sunquist noted.

Florida has become a coronavirus hot spot the past two weeks, with the number of active cases surpassing 80,000 -- the fourth-highest of any state.

Three more competitions are slated for July, including a combined events qualifier. The final events, which includes a Beach Vault on August 1, will end with the JAC Summer Closer on August 16.

Recently the AAU Junior Olympic Games announced they would be relocating from Virginia to Florida’s Space Coast. 

"Because of the COVID-19 situation up there, they did not want to hold it. Because of the short time frame, there was nobody else able to take this on. Brevard County stepped up. We agreed to provide some funding," Peter Cranis with Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism said.

Not only is this a major draw for track and field athletes from around the country, but a huge and much needed economic boost to the area.

Pros Return To Track

While youth meets are likely to kick off the summer slate in Florida, many of the professional athlets who call the state home could see some competition on home turf. Maicel Uibo recently competed in a virtual multi-event for World Athletics, but head-to-head competition isn’t out of the picture.

Track and field fireworks are planned for July 4 when area training groups Pure Athletics (Noah Lyles, Shaunae Miller-Uibo), Star Athletics (Justin Gatlin, Sha’Carri Richardson), Empire Athletics (Tamari Davis, Stevie Gardiner), Coach Rana Reider’s group out of Jacksonville (Andre DeGrasse, Trayvon Bromell, Christian Taylor), and a possible group coached by Mike Holloway (Grant Holloway, T.J. Holmes), could all converge in Clermont for a professional showdown featuring a host of the best athletes in the world.

Sources close to the meet say that the 100, 200 and 400 meters would be the only events contested with the 100 being at one location and the 200 and 400 at another to help maintain social distancing.

The IMG Academy in Bradenton will be one of the hubs for the Inspiration Games, a virtual competition July 9 that will feature athletes competing around the world. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor has confirmed he will be jumping from there and Sandi Morris said in a recent video interview that she would be vaulting from Florida as well.