By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN their effort to help improve the level of officiating in the Bahamas, the Star Trackers and its sponsors Baker Concrete and Greyco Limited have made a major donation of an electronic starter gun to the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials.

Star Trackers’ founder and head coach David Charlton said the gun, which was presented to BACO yesterday, will be christened during the 13th annual Star Performers Track Classic at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday. The new gun will sound off for the first time at 9am.

“The guns are very expensive, to the tune of some $5-600 apiece and they don’t last very well,” Charlton said. “So when Ray Hepburn (president of BACO) asked us for assistance in securing this gun on behalf of BACO, we brought this to the attention of Mr (JR) McDonald and he agreed to be a part of it.

“This gun will be a major part of track and field in the Bahamas. I’ve travelled to meets throughout the Caribbean and I can comfortably say that we are the only country that has this piece of equipment.”

JR McDonald, president of Baker Concrete and Greyco Limited, the sponsors of the meet since its inception, said they are delighted to be able to make the contribution to BACO because the gun will definitely make a difference in the way the meets are ran, especially with the false starts that are administered by the starters.

“This will eliminate all of that and help our races go quicker,” he said. “It’s going to be better for the kids and it will take a lot of pressure off the starters who have to be replacing the blanks. When in Rome, you do as the Romans tell us what to do. So we work around those things.

“This is the future of track and field. Everybody at some point is going to be using them, so I’m really happy that we in the Bahamas are the first to use them in the Caribbean. I am really anxious to see how it works. Reading the literature, it says it has two sounds, one sounds like a gunshot or you can set up to sing a song for you. So we are very proud for you and the club and for BACO.”

BACO president Ray Hepburn said ever since September 2011, it has been extremely difficult to bring in the blank shots that they use for the guns to start the races. As a matter of fact, Hepburn said Winchester, the company that makes the guns, only make the gunshots once a year, so they have to plan in advance to ensure that they don’t run out.

“As a result of that, I approached Mr Charlton about purchasing this starter pistol, which is similar to what we used at the IAAF World Relays,” Hepburn said. “He was more than happy to assist us. So on behalf of BACO, we were extremely excited when Mr Charlton said they are purchasing this for us. The Bahamas is the first to be doing what we are doing right now, so I’m very happy about it because we will take officiating to the next level.”

As the gun is an electronic one, Hepburn said they don’t have to worry about loading or cleaning the gun because all of those features are gone.

And Charlton said BACO won’t have the worry of taking the new gun through the security at the Lynden Pindling International Airport whenever they have to travel to any of the Family Islands to officiate at their local meets.