Bennett’s shift in focus
Hydel coach focused on long-term future of athletes as opposed to Champs title
Published:Wednesday | May 19, 2021 | 12:16 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
With another top three finish secured at the 2021 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Hydel High School’s head coach, Corey Bennett, says that they are shifting focus from just being title contenders, to building the future of local female sprinters from within their ranks.
Hydel finished third with 301.50 points, while St Jago came second with 309.50 points, 30.5 points behind Edwin Allen High School, who won their seventh consecutive title with 340 points.
Since 2016, Hydel have been consistent challengers for the girls’ crown. In 2019, they fell short by a mere seven points and have finished runners-up for the previous three years.
However, Bennett says that Hydel’s approach for the future will be to ensure that top tier talent have a future at the senior level, when they leave the St Catherine-based institution, and not necessarily on winning titles.
OVERALL DEVELOPMENT
“We are shifting our focus from trying to win a championship even next year to just try and producing outstanding athletes. I think our focus, having seen what some of our athletes have been able to do after leaving school, I think we want to do more of that,” Bennett told The Gleaner. “We have some kids doing very [well] in college and some of our girls doing very well professionally and I think that’s where we really want to focus on, persons transitioning to the next level.”
Among the Hydel alumni that have made the leap to the senior ranks are Ashanti Moore, who is currently training with Lance Brauman at Pure Athletics Club in Florida. World Championships semi-finalist Shiann Salmon and fellow national competitor Shadae Lawrence also represented the school, while Cherokee Young (Texas A&M) and Yanique Dayle (Ohio State) continue to do well on the US collegiate circuit.
“I think that for me is probably more important right now, and as I think about it, I believe yes it’s good to win a championship, but after a championship, what next? A lot of persons who don’t put themselves to a championship type team, tend to have more in the tank after they leave school. I’m trying to move towards that,” Bennett said.
In this vein, he was more concerned about the performances rather than the points total, and expressed his satisfaction with what his athletes achieved, given the demands of a difficult season.
“We were pleased how the charges acquitted themselves. I saw we got some very good performances, especially in the sprints and hurdles, where we were focusing on mostly,” Bennett stated. “Yes, we were a little disappointed in the results in the field events, but I believe all in all, I’m actually pleased with what happened with the girls.”