As the new technical director for the Cayman Islands Athletic Association, Jerry Holness, who was the director of sports for the Sister Islands from 2013 to 2015, has hit the ground running. In an interview with the Cayman Compass, Holness outlined some of his immediate plans for developing track and field locally:
Identifying talent
First and foremost, we need to identify our talent from the youth levels to the senior levels to ensure that we work with them to… reach their fullest potential. Part of the plan is to not only focus on those who are in the Cayman Islands, but try to get a list of all the student-athletes who are studying in Jamaica and in… the United States.
Togetherness
My first goal is to try and organise the coaches, not just at the national level but also the coaches that are dealing with the youngsters from the school level. [In this way], they can understand the development plan, because they need to be the foundation in which the senior programme will come from.
Without a proper foundation you cannot build. We have to ensure that all coaches are on the same level. Individually, they will have their own [goals], and their egos will play into what they want to achieve, but from a national perspective, we need to have a panel of coaches who are thinking and working towards the same goal.
It can’t just be thinking about ‘my’ club, or ‘my’ school… I think that’s a big part of the problem. Some schools are thinking about the Inter Secondary Championships but at a national level, we have to set the bar a little higher.
The sky is the limit
When you look at where track and field is at this time, we are seeing some phenomenal performances happening around the world. Not just the powerhouses, but small countries like Grenada and the Dominican Republic. We are seeing a lot of non-traditional track and field countries making a mark for themselves and, for that reason, I don’t see why the Cayman Islands can’t be a part of this.
[We need to] organise properly, plan properly and select events properly. We have to try and develop the culture, not just among the athletes, but also the parents and supporters. We need to guide them to help the youngsters.
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