Having completed his United States of America Track and Field’s (USATF) Coaching Education Program capstone project, QPC Sports Club Head Coach Floyd Quarrie is telling local colleagues to follow suit if local options are not available.

Quarrie’s certification is at Level 3 and he says this course is an option for his colleagues if they have any challenges getting into the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) programme.

“I’m not sure how frequent JAAA’s courses are, but as far as I’m concerned, knowledge is knowledge,” Quarrie told the Jamaica Observer. “USATF is prestigious enough and credible enough, so if they’re putting out a course to gain certification, I don’t see it hurting to explore that option if the JAAA’s World Athletics-partnered course is not an option.”

However, other coaches may hesitate to consider USATF’s course because the JAAA requires local coaches to obtain two-year licences as of January 2025. These licences will be issued under the joint authority of the Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association (JATAFCA) and the JAAA.

“This move is to further conform to the changes implemented by World Athletics, where coaches’ certification expires every two years and are renewed only with evidence of Continued Education,” JATAFCA said in an official statement on October 30.

Coaches certified through avenues other than the JAAA-sanctioned programmes, such as Quarrie, would not qualify for a licence. While coaches can apply to be certified through JAAA’s online programme, which is free, not all will get acceptance immediately; it is dependent on spaces available. This is one reason why Quarrie and others explored other internationally accredited options, as these also allow them to work in other countries.

“I think a wider scope is needed, in terms of looking across the board at other certifications that exist and give it some sort of credibility in terms of acknowledging those other courses instead of just narrowing it down to having to be through the JAAA,” Quarrie said.

JATAFCA President David Riley did not comment when contacted by the Observer.

Quarrie, who is also the hurdles coach at Immaculate Conception High School, says his certification will allow him to now put more focus on his vision for QPC.

“I took a break from coaching professionals after getting Ricardo Cunningham (former national 400m hurdler) to the 2017 World Athletics Championships, focus on Immaculate and also getting myself certified and more established as a coach,” he said. “Now it’s trying to bolster my QPC brand by getting in senior athletes.”

QPC started with athletes who were at the latter stages of their careers and Quarrie says his plan is now to focus on young ones just becoming professionals, especially those he worked with at Immaculate, as he would have already laid the foundations with them.

— Rachid Parchment