Edwin Allen gears up for Champs rebound

THIS PAST track and field season is one which Edwin Allen coach Michael Dyke may well want to forget.

It was miserable.

Edwin Allen High’s girls were found wanting, the Frankfield-based school playing second fiddle to Hydel High School out of Ferry.

Things went badly from the off, Hydel clipping them at the Central Athletics Championships. The half-a-point loss was Edwin Allen’s first since 2010.

Dethroned and dethroned again, Hydel also put together a championship-winning performance, Claiming the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, beating Edwin Allen by 2.5 points.

If that were not enough, Hydel went to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia to rip the Championships of America Relay titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 metres, with Edwin Allen leaving empty-handed for the first time since 2013.

Dyke, who has been at the helm of the Edwin Allen programme for 30 years, is already sending warning shots to his rivals, especially Hydel.

“We were very disappointed this past season after losing our title, and especially the way we lost. Somehow, this came as a blessing in disguise, because that has helped to rejuvenate the team in all areas,” said Dyke.

According to Dyke, his girls are working very hard to eliminate the possibility of a repeat.

“As we prepare for the upcoming season, the girls are working very hard and are highly motivated and are more committed to the task ahead. Their main purpose is to reclaim the Girls’ Championships title,” said Dyke.

“The coaching staff is very committed, and the support from the principal and other staff members is superb, and also our past students.”

“We have lost some key members from the team but their time have come to go, in order to continue their growth and development,” Dyke pointed out.

However, he added, “This year’s group, on paper, is a champion team in the making and, once the necessary support is given, they will be unstoppable.”