Celebration time for Dyke, Johnson

The two successful head coaches are still celebrating after Edwin Allen High’s girls and the boys from Jamaica College pulled off spectacular victories at last week’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

Edwin Allen registered their 11th title, and head coach Michael Dyke said this year’s win is the sweetest of all.

“This victory is the sweetest after the many problems we went through in the early part of preparation. We were first set back for some six weeks after the death of one of our athletes, Taneisha Gayle. Immediately after that came Hurricane Melissa, which was another setback, and later on we lost one of our coaches in Kirk Douglas,” said Dyke.

“We are indeed happy for the win, as initially I thought we would not have been here. But thanks to the girls, who showed a lot of resilience as they never gave up, and to our excellent coaching staff, who all played major roles.

“Thanks to our seniors, who led the way big time; and also to our athletes in the lower classes, who were excellent, as they all stepped up their performances. We saw those results in the latter stages, especially on the final day when it mattered most,” added Dyke.

Jamaica College’s head coach Duane Johnson was elated to lift the school’s 23rd title and his first as head coach.

“It feels good to know that all your hard work has paid off. Last year when I lost, I went down on my knees and prayed to the Lord to give me the wisdom. I had a plan, which was to bolster my coaching staff, as I think I was doing too much as a head coach and needed more help,” he said.

“I did my homework thinking about coaches for the programme, and Corey Bennett, who was available, first came to mind. I got in touch with him, but at first he was very hesitant, as you know he was coming out of a hostile environment at Calabar High. I told him that I just needed him to assist with my sprinters, and a few weeks later he agreed to be a part of the programme,” said Johnson.

“Also, I was approached by Bertland Cameron (1983 World 400m champion and experienced coach), who wanted to be a part of the programme. After checking with my principal and management staff, the decision was made to get him. In addition, we got Wilbert Walker as jumping coach. He came at the right time, as we had lost our regular jumping coach. All three coaches really did well in the success of the team.”

Going into the championships, many experts saw it as a very close affair between Jamaica College and Kingston College, but in the end it was a massive win for the Old Hope Road-based ‘True Blues’.

“Yes, we expected a close championships, but we had a few tricks in the bag, as most of our younger boys who competed early in the season, they did not compete regularly. It was just to get the Champs qualifying marks and stay in the top half of the ISSA ranking while we worked on them, and they came out trumps in the end,” he said.

“We also took advantage of Kingston College’s early errors, which they failed to recover from. We told the guys that KC are a fighting team and we cannot allow them to get back. We also knew that Saturday, the final day, was going to be a good day for Kingston College and all we needed to do was to get people in the finals, and it worked well,” he said.

Top 5 girls’ teams: 1. Edwin Allen 338.5, 2. Hydel 259.5 3. Holmwood 167, 4. Immaculate 110 5. St Jago 91.

Top 5 boys’ teams: 1. Jamaica College 345, 2. Kingston College 282, 3. Calabar 169.33, 4. St Jago 121.83, 5. Wolmer’s Boys 105.