‘One of the greatest coaches of all time’

PRINCIPAL OF Hydel High School Dr Walton Small hailed the school’s track and field head coach, Corey Bennett, as one of the greatest local coaches of all time because of what he has been able to achieve with very limited resources.

Hydel celebrated their second hold on the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships trophy at the school’s Ferry grounds on Monday with music, speeches, performances from the Hydel dance group, a dance tribute from the prep school, and a mini parade along the Mandela Highway, outside the school.

The St Catherine school fended off defending champions and favourites Edwin Allen, who were looking to repeat and make it their 11th title overall, in a close battle on Saturday.

However, Bennett and his team defied the odds to add this year’s title to the one they won two years ago, and Small said no praise was big enough for the Hydel coach.

“It’s a miracle. A miracle. I can tell you this. When I saw the performance of the kids, it confirmed in my mind that Mr Bennett is one of the greatest coaches of all time, because he works with little or no resources,” Small commented.

“A lot of people hear about Hydel, but it is all about Mr Bennett and his team. He is why we achieve what they achieved, because the resources are not there.

“So I want to congratulate Mr Bennett and his team for an excellent championships. They have worked tirelessly.”

He said the school has established itself as a premier institution, both in academics and sports, and believes their track record proves they deserve greater investment from corporate Jamaica, especially their athletics programme.

“I want to use this opportunity to invite corporate Jamaica to give us a walk through. Check our play field and our weights room, and I am sure you would want to have a partnership with Hydel.

“This is an institution that produces quality Olympians, and it is going to be threatened if we do not get the support from corporate Jamaica. I implore corporate Jamaica to come in and assist us,” he stated.

Nevertheless, he is confident that as long as Bennett remains at the helm, Hydel will succesffully defend this year’s title.

“If Mr Bennett continues on this track with his team. I have no doubt in my mind they will win Champs next year, 2026. Once he continues and he’s not deterred, he will win Champs next year, “ he declared.

Bennett admitted that a lack of resources was a major barrier this year; as a result they had to temper their approach, which paid dividends.

“Based on the resources we had, we had to take a different approach, and we are thankful it paid off.

“We spread them differently this year, and just asked them to give of their best. I think we made some good choices and we came on late, and did it, and we are thankful,” he said.

“I am just hoping some persons will try to see what we are trying to do, and, hopefully, they will see the need to invest.”

In recent years, Hydel has developed a reputation for exploiting the short sprints. But with a lack of depth in that area this year, Bennett said it was only prudent to make some tactical adjustments.

“Persons know us as a short sprints school. When 100m came and went, you started to hear the whispers, that Hydel was done for and we would end up about fourth or fifth.

“Many thought we were beaten already. But that was the second day. We knew we were going to come on late.

“We knew we had persons who were more fitted for the speed-endurance type of events, the longer sprints.

“We knew we had persons who never had the raw speed to cover some of the shorter sprints.

So we utilised them differently. We could have sent persons to run the 100m for running the 100m sake. But we wanted them to leave with something they could remember. Something that was remarkable for themselves and the school.

“We just wanted to put in some good performances, and at the end of the day we would take whatever. But we never let up,” he noted.

Hydel amassed 277 points to defending champions Edwin Allen’s 266, meaning Champs went down to the last event.

Still, with Hydel’s 4x400-metre team only needing to finish higher than eighth,

Bennett and Co were confident.

“Many person, many pundits, many smart people and ‘professors’ of track and field thought that we wouldn’t [do it].

“But we believed in what we had. It was never about winning a Champs for us. It was about taking each event one at a time, and wherever it carried us, we would have accepted it.

“In such a tight championship, so many things happen with about four events to go. We had asked the girls in the morning to just give us a chance to take it down to the 4x400. Because if it came down to the 4x400, we knew we could have wrapped it up, and we did.”

Team captain Kaiefa Gowe was proud to have lead her underdog team over the line in first place.

“It was very difficult. We didn’t expect points in certain areas. But our team is very strong, and we believe in God and always pray.

“It is really good [that] we could get our second title. I am just proud of my team. I am very proud as a captain. I won two gold and broke a record, and I led by example.

“I am very happy my teammates followed in my footsteps by winning gold medals and doing personal bests,” she said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com