Boys programme trails ‘flagship’ girls at Holmwood
CHRISTIANA, Manchester — The male athletes at Holmwood Technical were scarcely noticed at the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships against the background of the astounding performances unleashed by their female counterparts.
The Manchester-located high school’s recent dominance of the girls’ category — including winning a dramatic 10th championship titles overall — has brought much islandwide recognition.
The boys have not enjoyed that kind of success. Not
even close.
However, according to Holmwood’s athletics manager, Chester McCarthy, the boys “performed creditably” at last week’s meet, mustering 48 points to finish eighth.
“This year I think the boys really performed creditably and I lift my cap to them,” he told the Jamaica Observer during Monday’s celebratory devotion session at the school auditorium.
McCarthy, in outlining the school’s strategy over the years, said the main focus has been on the development of the female programme.
“For years the girls’ programme has been the flagship to bring the necessary sponsorship, so whatever comes in we share it as best as we can… they are two separate units and there are two different visions.
“Over a decade ago a
five-year plan was developed by (coach) Maurice Wilson to win Girls’ Champs and we won it in exactly that time, so it is the vision that he had. Something similar will have to be developed in that sense on the boys’ side before we can look to challenge (many-time boys winners such as) the Calabars and KCs (Kingston College) and the JCs (Jamaica College),” McCarthy said with a wry smile across his face.
He shared that Holmwood does not currently have the financial support to sustain title-challenging teams in both departments.
“It is very difficult for one to have a boys’ programme and a girls’ programme of the same magnitude in a school that you would have to consider a poor school. We cannot be rated among the rich schools, so it is very difficult.
“I know, in the future, a lot of people want to see the boys at the level that the girls are at. Let us see what will happen. We don’t have the structure right now that can take on that kind of thing,” McCarthy said.
