Robinson confident Calabar can win Boys’ Champs

New head coach of Calabar High School's track and field programme, Julian Robinson, likes what his athletes did over the three days of the Carifta Trials at the National Stadium and is very optimistic that his team win the Mortimer Geddes Trophy for their 29th title, despite several challenges faced by the team this season.

After their second-place finish to Kingston College (KC) last year, where Calabar tallied 229.5 points to KC's 293 points, Calabar came into the season with aspirations of unseating the 36-time champions.

However, their hopes were dashed at the start of the season as former coach Corey Bennett, whose three-year contract was not extended, took with him to Hydel High School two athletes -- Junior Gallimore and Robert Miller -- who were expected to score quality points for Calabar in Class One, while others left for Jamaica College (JC) and KC.

Despite these challenges, Robinson, who was elevated to the top position after serving as throws coach for years, is not giving up on his team despite all fingers pointing to a two-way battle for top honours between KC and JC. With two weeks to go before the Championships, he thinks they have the ammunition to go all the way.

"We are in it to win it. Yes, we have some challenges, but I like our chances to win it all," he said.

Asked how he can recover the points lost from the athletes who departed, his response was: "Yes, we have lost valuable points, but we are not dwelling on this as we are preparing to do our best. And as you know, there's many a slip between the cup and the lip, and we are coming to win it all."

Asked where he expects Calabar to get the bulk of their points in their quest to win, his answer was: "At Calabar, we have young men who are driven to do their best, and just wait and see what happens. I think we have a rounded team and we are covered in all areas, as to win Championships you need to have balance, and we have that."

Over the years, Calabar have been one of the top schools in throwing events and, with him now in charge of the entire programme, he was asked how this will affect the team's performances in this area.

"I don't think this will affect those athletes as I do have a very good assistant here in coach Michael Ellis, who is doing an excellent job, which helps me to coordinate in all areas," he stated.

After seeing their top Class One sprinter Jamal Stephenson -- the Carifta Games defending Under-20 100m champion -- stopping in the preliminary round of the 100m at the Carifta Trials and with little sign of top quarter-miler Nickecoy Bramwell on the track this season, he was asked about injury concerns among his athletes going into Champs with just two weeks to go.

"Both athletes will be ready for the Championships and since competing at the Tyser Mills meet earlier this season leading up to the Carifta Trials there has been tremendous improvement with the team. I like what I am seeing, and I am asking the Calabar fans to come out and support the boys as we are expecting very good results at the Championships."