By Buster Laing

Special to The FN

The Warriors, the Giants, the Blue Waves and the Hurricanes, which represent the Big Four may have had this date circled on their calendars from two years ago.

When St. John's, St. Anne's and St. Andrew's come to town, Warriors nation at Bishop Michael Eldon will be rocking. Students will be screaming and jumping.

Having talked trash for weeks before the Fest, they appear to be more than ready for the actual Fest'.

"These schools respect one another a great deal and are all from great institutions, but the respect stops once the teams hit the court, the pool, the field and the track and the players and fans are as rabid for these games as any fans in the country," said a former Warriors' alumnus from the class of 2000.

The 19th annual Anglican School Festival will begin on Wednesday, February 8 with the opening ceremony at the BMES auditorium, followed by the swimming competition and will close out on Saturday, February 10 with the Track and Field competition.

"We are looking forward to number nine (titles) ...the excitement needs to be built because the last time we hosted a festival was five years ago and the kids who came here in the seventh grade, have never experienced an Anglican School Festival, so what we are doing now is trying to generate that excitement for the kids on what the Festival is all about," said Wayne Smith, Head of the Athletics Department at Bishop Michael Eldon, who have won the most ASF Titles with eight.

"The Festival brings camaraderie between the different students and futuristically in their adult life, they would have remembered each other from staying at each other's home and participating against each other in various sporting events.

"The Festival is a matter of bragging rights for the students, but it is also a life lasting experience for the students."

The schools will compete in seven sporting events including basketball, softball, swimming, track and field, cheerleading competition and soccer.

The Big Four are battling for the Anglican -school supremacy and students are eager for bragging rights. ...Emotions often run high at the festivals...The trash talking begins early and the bragging does not end until after the four days of competition.

The Anglican School Festival is one of the most anticipated matchups in the Anglican School athletic calendar and over 800 students are expected in from New Providence and Exuma.

All four schools have intense students' fan and alumni bases, making the atmosphere during the games just as frenzied as the anticipation beforehand.

The stands are packed and the noise does not stop until the winners are announced. While many of the students consider themselves Anglicans, their loyalties are sharply divided during the festival.

In the past 19 years, The Bishop Michael Eldon Warriors are currently the defending champs and have been the traditional powerhouse of the four and won the most championships with eight, including five of the past five championships, followed by St. John's with six and St. Anne's with two titles.

The Festival will also honor Father Harry Bain.

The ASF championships, Nassau- Freeport rivalry, and country-wide bragging rights are on the line.

What more does one event need?

It is truly a wonderful, wonderful event.

Note: The Anglican Scho-ol Festival first was established in 1983 with the 'Triangular Track Meet" between three schools St. John's, St. Anne's and Bishop Michael formerly Freeport Anglican High School.

St. Andrew's joined in 1998 and with the addition of the fourth school the name was changed to the Anglican Sc-hool Festival.

Most ASF Championships

Bishop Michael Eldon -8 (1983, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008)

St. John's – 6 (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996 , 1998)

St.Annes-2 (1984, 2004).

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 19th ANGLICAN SCHOOLS FESTIVAL 2012

Honoree Archdeacon Harry Bain

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012

9:00 a.m. -Opening Ceremony

Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium

12:00 p.m.- Swimming Championships

Bishop Michael Eldon Pool

6:00 p.m.- Spelling Competition

Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012

9:00 a.m.- Elocution Competition

Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium

11:00 a.m.- Softball Championships

Sports Complex

3:00 p.m.- Sr. Girls & Jr. Boys

Basketball Championships Saint George's gym

7:30 p.m.- Cheerleading Competition

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

9:00 a.m.- Soccer Competition

Bishop Michael Eldon Field

11:00 a.m.- Softball Championships

Sports Complex

Finals Sr. Girls & Jr. Boys

3: 00 p.m. - 3000, 5000m, 4x400m, -

High & Triple jump

High & Triple Jump, Discus

6:00 p.m.- Student Social Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012

10:00 a.m.-Track & Field

Grand Bahama Sports Complex

7:00 p.m.- Staff Social

Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012

10:00 a.m.- Church Service

Christ The King Church & Other Anglican Churches

3:00 p.m.- Festival of Fine Arts

Bishop Michael Eldon Auditorium