Corey Bennett, head coach of Calabar’s track and field team, has said that his charges have been making significant strides towards eliminating indiscipline within their ranks – a key development in their efforts to return to the pinnacle of high school athletics in Jamaica.

Bennett, who is in his second year in charge of the Red Hills Road-based institution, has highlighted the importance of establishing a culture of discipline within the team, as part of a wider focus on creating a cohesive and determined unit this season.

“We are much better than where we were last year this time, in terms of the team and just trying to compete. We have separated ourselves from the indisciplined ones who don’t really want to conform,” said Bennett.

“We have really improved on our discipline, I believe, and I think that goes a far way in preparing the team. We still have a far way to go, but we are showing some good signs,” said Bennett, who also pointed out that his coaching staff has been targeting the weak areas identified within the team.

“We are trying to get some really weak areas up, but the discipline is definitely a lot better, and that is helping the team to achieve some personal goals and some team goals,” he said.

While acknowledging the progress that Calabar has made since his arrival in 2022, Bennett, who also led Hydel to their first girls’ title last year, is, however, cautious about making any declarations or predictions concerning the Lions’ championship pedigree this year.

“We are trying to achieve certain goals this year, but I can’t tell you today that we are a championship team. However, we are definitely going to be very competitive,” he said.

Calabar, which boasts one of the most successful track and field programmes on the island, last won the Boys’ Champs title in 2018 under former head coach Michael Clarke, as part of a seven-year reign, which was broken by rivals Kingston College (KC) in 2019.

They finished third at last year’s championships with 207 points, well behind champions KC (366 points) and Jamaica College, which ended second with 299 points.

Reflecting on their Christmas camp, Bennett expressed satisfaction with the team’s preparation so far, heading into this year’s campaign, which began last Saturday.

“We had a pretty decent Christmas camp, and I think that we are getting there. I think that we are getting there mentally more than anything else, and the mind is what we are working on now,” he said.

Bennett believes that KC and Jamaica College remain front-runners for this year’s Boys’ Champs title, but he added that his group is determined to put on a good showing at this year’s championships, which will be held March 19-24 at the National Stadium.

“We try to keep our things in perspective and we try to set goals that we will be able to achieve. We don’t want to hang our hats too high, but I think that we are a very proud school, and we are going to be very competitive. That is what we are aiming for this year,” Bennett said.