Anderson fancies Holmwood’s chances at Champs
Holmwood Technical Head Coach Dave Anderson says that there is no undue pressure on his team of athletes to secure victory at the Inter-secondary School Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) given their youth and relative inexperience at this level.
Champs will be held from March 19 to 23 at the National Stadium in Kingston.
The Christiana-based institution has been yearning for the glory they last tasted in 2013, marking over a decade since their last girls’ championships triumph. Holmwood’s dominance had seen them secure nine consecutive titles from 2003 to 2011, a streak interrupted only by Edwin Allen in 2012.
Their pursuit of redemption continued with a third-place finish in the previous year’s championships, amassing 202 points as first-time winners; Hydel, claimed the title with 279 points; leaving Edwin Allen in second place with 277 points.
Anderson told the Jamaica Observer that their primary focus is on building a robust unit capable of challenging for championships in future competitions.
“From the early season, once the team was assembled, I realised that our numbers are going in the right direction, but in terms of the ability of the team, I think most of the athletes are young and the majority of them are first year in their classes, so they are struggling so far,” he said.
“But I expect the ones that are doing well will continue to do well, and I know that we will be very competitive there at the boys’ and girls’ championships.”
Anderson says that while winning this year’s girls’ championships is expected to be challenging for his team, their main focus is to remain in the top three of this month’s event.
“The top three is definitely possible, but the team is under no pressure because all season we have been thinking about their development. I know that in time, and hopefully by next year, they will be a little bit more mature and will be in their second year in their classes, giving a much better account of themselves,” he said.
Anderson highlighted that the strength of his team lies in their middle and long-distance runners. He also pointed out their hurdlers, in particular, have stood out as the best over the past five years.
Seleen Riddle, the team captain, emerged as a reliable performer in jump and triple jump events, having secured medals in the previous year.
“People can always look for us in the middle and long distance. Our hurdlers have been the best in the last five years, and we have one and two persons in the long and triple jump events,” Anderson asserted. “Seleen Riddle, who is our team captain, won medals for us in the jump and triple jumps last year and has been performing well for us so far this season. People can look out for her,” he said.
The team’s experience was further bolstered by Kiara Meikle, a Class One hurdler who has shown a lot of promise over the years. Despite a setback at Central Champs where she hit the last hurdle and fell after leading in the final, Anderson said he is confident in her potential to shine at the upcoming championships. “We are looking for these persons to carry the torch for us at Champs this year,” he explained.