Wednesday marked the beginning of the Alabama Independent School Association’s track and field championships at Selma’s Memorial Stadium. It also marked the beginning of heated competition, races measured in mere seconds and jumps separated by just inches.

For the most part, Wednesday featured the preliminary events for many of the disciplines, with the finals scheduled for Thursday.

Even though the stadium and field, which has gone through a near complete renovation over the past months, has hosted a few track and field meets leading up to this week’s event, this is the first championship meet hosted in the improved stadium.

According to Morgan Academy track coach Rob Robinson, who is coordinating the event as the host team, the first day went relatively smooth.

“It’s been going pretty well,” Robinson said early in the day. “We have stayed busy with everything that is going on, but it’s been a pretty good day so far. We have several good teams out here all working hard to win.”

With dark clouds lingering in the sky when the day started, coaches and officials from the AISA agreed the competition would go on even if weather worsened.

“We were going to race even if it’s pouring, just like we will tomorrow (Thursday) if it rains,” Robinson said. “As long as there is not severe weather with thunder and lighting, we should be able to continue. We have raced in downpours before.”

The clouds, however, cleared shortly after the field events began and the meet went on relatively smoothly.

“It’s been about as good a day as you could have asked for out here,” Meadowview Christian School track coach John Glasscock said. “Once the morning clouds passed and the sun came out, it turned to be a pretty good day.”

Wednesday’s events were just the first of two days of competition.

According to Robinson, Thursday should run even smoother with preliminaries out of the way.

“Since it is the finals tomorrow everyone will have all of their assignments,” Robinson said. “We have also eliminated quite a few of the competitors already which will make things move a little quicker.

“I expect Thursday to be just as good as today.”