People were begging me for tickets as I approached the Truman Bodden Sports Complex on Easter Monday, the last day of the CARIFTA Games.

Some women even pleaded to come in with me as their new best friend or sweetheart. The stadium was heaving and the 5,000 capacity could have been filled twice over.

Perfect sunny weather, the music and carnival atmosphere generated mostly by the large Bahamian contingent and backed up by the cheery Caymanians and Jamaicans, made the stadium incredibly alluring.

Chantelle Morrison’s gold medal in the girls Under-17 100 metres on Saturday night also helped stir interest.

Had the Million Dollar Run not been running a couple of miles away at Public Beach, the crowds would have been even more expansive.

Added to that was the fact that the whole three days of CARIFTA was televised live across the region which made it even more appealing to attend. It was also being streamed online for the first time.

Millions were tuned in but only a few thousand were fortunate enough to be watching the action live in a pristine environment.

No wonder Rayle Roberts, president of the Cayman Islands Athletics Association, had plenty to be pleased about.

He said: “I think hosting CARIFTA was something that we can be really proud of. It also shows that sports tourism is sustainable here in Cayman. Not only in track and field but other sports if we get support from our sponsors and government.

“It shows that Cayman people have heart and we have the facilities to get things done and bring it to the world.”

So what’s next for Roberts, besides a nice, long rest? “I don’t know, you really don’t know what it is going to transpire into. I really hope that it encourages more young people to get into the programme.

“We need more volunteers and more coaches in specific disciplines. I think right here in Cayman we have a lot of athletes that rival the ones we saw.

“I think what we have done is raise the standard of CARIFTA also and raised the standard of the sport at this level.

“I’ve just been told that we had 1.5 million hits on our website over the last three days. People are calling me and saying that they’ve seen me on TV. All of those are firsts and it happened here.

“We also have an awesome track. It gave us seven CARIFTA records in the first two days.

“The government has done what it’s needed to do to get us where we need to be and hope that it continues to put money into the sport, all sports, because I’m not just advocating on behalf of track.

“I think that every sport if money is put in has a way of helping our youth, giving them a better option and allowing them to grow from there.”

Roberts believes Cayman can produce not just a few world class athletes but enough to rival neighbours Jamaica and Cuba whose populations run into millions.

“We actually have a huge pool. If you look at the primary schools and the talent we have there, I think we have a lot of great athletes we can pool from, they just don’t continue in it.

“These are athletes that get pulled into different sports or in their mid-teens they’re dealing with peer pressure and opt out of sports altogether.

“If the programming is there and it’s something you encourage people to be a part of you’ll see the programme grow.

“It’s great to be a Jamaican athlete. That’s what we need to build in Cayman. We want to see athletes continue in the sport and make us proud like Chantelle did.”

Roberts has a point. Small countries like Jamaica and Cuba produce world class athletes not just in track but a variety of individual sports including boxing, martial arts and many team sports.

Quality coaching and excellent resources are the key, tangible things Cayman needs to attain success.

“What we have produced on minimal input compared to the rest of the world, I really think that we can rival anyone,” added Roberts. “Our blood comes from the Cubans and the Jamaicans, so we’re the perfect mix.

“We have the strongest athletes here, we just don’t have the social encouragement to keep them in the sport and the cultural encouragement to make them feel that they’re on top of the world.

“What happened with Chantelle is going to transpire throughout the Caribbean and throughout the Caymanian community.

“Now they can know they can feel that elated just from practicing a sport.”

www.compasscayman.com/carifta/