JC won the Most Gold, But KC Wins the Title – Winning CHAMPS is About Points -

Did you know that your high school could win CHAMPS without winning a gold medal in any event? A recent social media debate ignited by Jamaica College’s (JC) gold medal count at the 2024 ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships (CHAMPS) has prompted us to offer a clear explanation of how the championship’s scoring system operates for those new to this event. Despite Jamaica College (JC) securing 16 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze medals, compared to Kingston College’s (KC) 9 gold, 15 silver, and 7 bronze medals, KC emerged as the overall champion with the most points. This was mainly due to KC’s strategy of ensuring their athletes qualified and participated in the finals of many events. This seemingly paradoxical outcome highlights the importance of depth and points accumulation at CHAMPS, where strategic placement and consistent performance across multiple events are key to securing victory.

In the world of Jamaican high school track and field, CHAMPS is the pinnacle of competition, showcasing the talent and dedication of young athletes. However, success at CHAMPS is not solely determined by the number of gold medals a school wins. Instead, it hinges on the ability to amass points through a combination of individual, relay, and medley events. This nuanced approach stands in contrast to the Olympics and other international competitions, where the focus is primarily on gold medal count.

Let’s delve deeper into how these points can make a difference using KC and JC as examples:

Relay Athletic Events:
- Winning a relay event earns the overall team 12 points, 10 points for 2nd place, and so on.
- Example: If KC wins the 4x100m relay (12 points) and JC comes second (10 points), KC gains a crucial 12 points over JC in that event alone.
Medley Athletic Events:
- Similar to relay events, but with a different format.
- Example: If KC excels in the medley events, securing 1st place (12 points) and JC finishes 2nd (10 points), KC gains a crucial 12 points over JC in that event alone.
Individual Athletic Events:
- These events award 9 points for 1st place, 7 points for 2nd place, and so on.
- Example:If KC has 2-3 athletes in a finals event, they do not need to win gold to get the maximum points. While JC could win the event with only 1 athlete, KC would get the most points with 3 athletes in the event as they accumulate points for all athletes placing in the top 8.

These examples illustrate how Kingston College’s strategic approach, focusing on accumulating points across various events through depth and consistency, can lead to overall victory despite fewer gold medals. Jamaica College’s dominance in gold medals showcases their individual talent, but KC’s overall team effort and depth prove crucial in the context of the CHAMPS scoring system.

It’s a valuable lesson in the intricacies of scoring systems, reminding us that in sports, as in life, it’s not always about the number of golds, but the depth of talent and teamwork that truly counts. Below is the points allocation:

Relay Athletic Events