Tapper not putting a timeline on St Andrew project
Published:Wednesday | June 14, 2023 | 1:00 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
TRACK AND Field coach Matteu Tapper will have the opportunity to take charge of a high school programme having been named St Andrew High School’s new head coach, a position that he feels ready for and is relishing.
Tapper was speaking at his Tapp Track Academy’s media day on Monday, a grassroots programme for prep school athletes, the majority of whom will be competing at the JISA/Little Ceasars Prep School Championships which start tomorrow.
Tapper has been a part of the staff at Immaculate Conception, helping to shape the strong class four group that had notable performances at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. He is hoping that the lessons and the experience gained at Constant Spring Road will serve him well in his new role at 10 Cecelio Ave.
“Even more important what I learnt from Immaculate is that the management team is critical. I think what Immcuamate has taught me, is what it takes to run a corporate female high school programme. And so I am going to take the lessons that I have learnt from that and put at St Andrew and, of course, tweak it the way I want to and then see how it works,” Tapper said.
He is cognisant that it will not be an easy task, confirming that he will be building from scratch. With that in mind, Tapper is not putting a timeline on how long it will take to get there.
What he does believe is that he will be able to progressively take the next steps to be among the best schools in the Corporate Area.
“We have to start from the Class Four stage. But I don’t want to say how long it will take. I believe that I am capable of building and building fast. I’m somebody who loves to make history and I am looking forward to doing that,” Tapper said.
Understanding the need to have a strong team in place for his vision to work, he is committed to crafting the ideal team to take the programme forward. His immediate concerns, though, are for his younger charges at his academy, who will take part in the Prep School Championships.
“I haven’t had that much time to think about it. I was just appointed head coach a couple of days ago. And I have Prep Champs coming this week. So once the prep schools’ championships are over and I am settled, then I will know,” Tapper said.