‘We are not in the best place’

Corey Bennett, head coach of defending girls’ champions Hydel High School, said they will enter this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships with less-than-ideal preparations, but that they are determined to give a strong account of themselves

The five-day championships, scheduled for March 24–28 at the National Stadium, come at a challenging time for the Ferry-based institution, which has been hampered by injuries and financial setbacks leading into this year’s showpiece.

“We are not in the best place that we want to be, but we still have to go out there and put up a fight,” said Bennett.

“It is hard to predict what these kids are going to do, but I still believe that we are going to give it our best shot and, may the chips fall where they may.”

Hydel’s build-up to Champs has been far from smooth, with the team missing the Central Championships because of financial constraints, a setback Bennett noted has affected their competitive readiness.

“Our preparation is kind of up and down because, to be honest, having missed the Central Championships had a major effect on us, and I don’t think we particularly did very well at the Gibson McCook Relays,” he said.

“It was more financial, the reason why we missed the Central Championships, because we just didn’t have funds to compete over the two days.”

Despite those challenges, Bennett stated that his team is ready to embrace the fight, even as they deal with injury concerns and a stronger, more competitive field this year.

“I think that we are kind of behind in terms of our competitiveness, and we know that we have some injury concerns, but we are the champions and we are going into Champs to compete,” he said. “I don’t think that it is going to be a walkover or pushover, nonetheless.”

Hydel secured last year’s title with 277 points, finishing ahead of Edwin Allen (266), Holmwood (230.5), St Jago (149) and Immaculate (100). However, Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen, who have been in outstanding form this season, are widely tipped to reclaim the crown.

Still, Bennett is embracing the challenge and expects a highly competitive championships.

“Champs is always tough and I don’t expect anything different this year,” he said. “I think more and more teams have improved their squads, and the Corporate Area schools have also improved a lot. So I am expecting more teams to get more points and the points will be shared up a lot.”

With points likely to be harder to secure, Bennett also shared that his athletes will not be burdened by expectations, as they aim to defend their title.

“There is no pressure on us and there is never any pressure on our athletes to win a championship,” he said.

“We just emphasise doing our best, staying focused, and giving of their best each time they step out onto the track,” Bennett said.