Holmwood coach happy with Powell grab

Head coach of former ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships winners Holmwood Technical, Dave Anderson, says the acquisition of experienced coach Leon Powell is a major boost to the school’s track and field programme, particularly its sprinting.

Powell, who had been in charge of the boys’ programme at Edwin Allen High School since 2013, left the institution last month after declining an offer from the school’s administration to be part of a new coaching structure.

The move followed a decision to place veteran girls’ coach Michael Dyke in charge of both the boys’ and girls’ programmes at Edwin Allen.

Anderson said Powell’s arrival at Holmwood would help address a long-standing weakness in the school’s sprint programme while providing greater leadership for its boys’ team.

“For me, I think it is a very good addition to our coaching set-up, and as it is known, one of our weakest areas has been our sprints over the last 10-15 years, if I should say, so adding Mr Powell, especially to enhance the boys’ programme, is great for us,” said Anderson.

“The boys have just been there hanging about the girls’ programme for the last few years because since Mr Hector, we have not had an overall boys’ head coach, so it is just one umbrella for the last few years,” he said.

“But now, with this addition, Mr Powell can share his expertise, as you would have seen at Edwin Allen, to enhance the boys and also the whole sprinting programme overall, which includes the females.”

Anderson added that Powell had already been attending training sessions and offering his input, and said he had been warmly welcomed by the coaching staff.

“Mr Powell has been attending training and giving his input so far, and he has been welcomed with open arms in order to feel relaxed in a situation where he is able to continue his work, and we accept him as part of our coaching staff,” Anderson said.

“I think that all the other coaches would have agreed that having somebody who would have produced good results in your programme can only be positive for the programme.”

However, Anderson acknowledged that Powell would need time to adjust to his new environment and become familiar with Holmwood’s culture and coaching philosophy.

“At this stage, we just have to wait and see, because sometimes a change of environment takes time, but we are willing to give Mr Powell the opportunity to build his foundation here until he learns the culture and environment,” he said.

“As you all know, every school has different things that they believe in, so once he understands the culture and we are on the same page, then everything will be okay,” Anderson underscored.

During his time at Edwin Allen, Powell worked with several outstanding athletes, including Olympic 200-metre bronze medallist Bryan Levell and national senior representatives Javaughn Powell and Delano Kennedy.