Holmwood recovering well from Hurricane Melissa setback

Head coach of Holmwood Technical High School's track and field athletics team, Dave Anderson, says he is encouraged by his team's preparations so far, despite the major setback caused by the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

The powerful storm devastated the western end of the island, claiming a reported 45 lives, and, according to Anderson, several of his athletes from western Jamaica were directly affected, with some suffering damage to their homes.

"As with most schools that would have been affected, so was Holmwood Technical because we got some infrastructural damage to our dormitory, and that had to be shut down for two weeks," said Anderson. "But since then we have recovered and got the team back on track."

POSITIVE SIGNS

Despite the disruption, Anderson said the team has responded well since returning to training and showed positive signs at their first competitive outing of the season.

"We went to the Tyser Mills Classic in December and we did well, and so I think we are on track to improve as the season unfolds," he noted.

"Even the kids that were affected, they are using the training as an outlet to take their minds off the stress back home, because a number of our athletes are from western Jamaica and so they would have been affected by Hurricane Melissa," he said.

Anderson noted that they have created a supportive environment at the Christiana-based institution that has been key to keeping the athletes focused and motivated.

"I think that they are doing good because we try to create a supportive environment at school, even though we know that they are going through challenges," Anderson said.

"They are putting in the work and I believe they can do well once things are working out for them."

Holmwood finished third at last year's ISSA Girls Championships with 230.5 points. Hydel narrowly won the title with 277 points ahead of Edwin Allen, who scored 266 points.

REMAIN COMPETITIVE

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Anderson noted that he is confident that Holmwood can remain competitive, provided the team stays intact and healthy.

"I think it is a team that can do it once all the athletes remain in place and stay injury free. I can say that based on the Tyser Mills Classic results, I think that we are right where everybody is at the moment, including those who are above us," he said.

Holmwood will again be banking on a strong core of athletes this season, including Abrina Wright, Maddison Campbell, Adalia Simpson, Jovi Rose and Florence Nafamba and they build towards this year's Girls Championships, which will be held from March 24-28 at the National Stadium.