Kingston College (KC), Jamaica College (JC) and Calabar High, the top boys’ schools in the Corporate Area Championships, have reaffirmed their desire to win the event which they say is an important preparation meet ahead of the boys’ athletic championships (Champs) in March.

The event was launched Tuesday at the NHT Sports Club, where it was announced that the two-day championship will be held on February 20 and 21 at the Ashenheim Stadium at Jamaica College.

KC, the defending boys champion, finished nearly 50 points ahead of second-placed JC last year with Calabar a distant third. New head coach Richard Smith says the Famed Purples are determined to defend the title.

“Corporate Area Champs is important for KC because it serves as both a benchmark and a confidence-builder heading into the boys’ champs,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Kingston College will perform at a high standard to defend and retain the trophy, which is also named after our principal, Dave Myrie,” he continued. “So, we’re in preparation for the Corporate Area and we’re coming out to do our utmost best in terms of defending our title… and looking towards the preparation for the boys’ and girls’ championships as well.”

Duane Johnson, head coach of JC, the favourites to win the Corporate Area Championship as well as Champs, said the upcoming event will be a crucial indicator of their readiness for the ultimate prize.

“I would say the last six to seven years, you can actually determine the winner of Champs based on the results at Corporate Area Championship, especially on the boys’ side,” said Johnson.

“So yeah, it’s a good test to see where you’re at one month before a championship and see what needs to be worked on,” he continued. “I think so far so good. There are some areas that we still need to look at, but we’re pleased with where we’re at as a team.”

Johnson, in his second year as head coach of JC, said the Corporate Area Championship is definitely something he wants to win.

“It’s one of my goals this year. A lot of the boys at JC wouldn’t have experienced any form of winning a championship, except for a couple of the class one boys who were class three the last time we would have won champs,” he said. “So, it’s very, very important for us as a team. It’s something that we’re looking forward to and see how best we can put together a good enough team without really breaking our backs or showing too much.”

Three finals of the Corporate Area Championship were completed at the Youngster Goldsmith Classic last Saturday. JC accumulated 29 points from the steeplechase and pole vault events. KC are second with 14 points with Excelsior High third on eight points and Calabar High sitting in fourth spot on six points.

Newly appointed head coach of Calabar, Julian Robinson will be hunting his first title in that capacity.

“The Corporate Area Championship is a useful meet for us. It gives us a chance to prepare a full team for championships. It allows us to look at various permutations and combinations,” he told the Observer.

“It gives beginners, for example, early exposure to champs, which is useful for us, and it allows real opportunities which is also useful for championships. So, more than any meet before championships, it gives us a good simulation of championships,” he added.