Track and field fever grips Holland - Arrival of Douglas, Smythe sending shockwaves through school, community

Principal of Holland High School, Dayle Evans, says there has been a massive buzz and wave of excitement throughout the school and wider community following the arrival of World Under-20 bronze medallist Shanoya Douglas at the Trelawny-based institution.

Douglas, along with her coach Garth Smythe, his son Johan Ramaldo and three other athletes, joined Holland from Muschett High School in September.

Both Douglas and Ramaldo are sixth-form students and will be eligible to compete at next year's ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs).

Douglas won the Class Two sprint double at Champs in March.

Holland High School, which has a student population of more than 1,000, last competed at Champs in 2011, where the school had two athletes qualifying for the meet. However, Evans noted that in the years since, the school has not been able to participate due to a lack of student interest in track and field.

"We entered Champs in 2011 where we had two persons qualifying for the championships, but we have never passed the first round," Evans said.

"There has been a buzz because students and parents have been asking about Champs already and also the Western Championships too, so the interest in track and field is very high at the school."

Evans, a former track and field athlete for St Mary High School, said he is personally invested in seeing the school's athletics programme grow.

"I am a past track and field athlete for St Mary High School, and so I love the sport, and I am putting my support behind the development of our track and field team," he said

Evans has described the renewed enthusiasm for athletics as a transformative moment for the school.

"I can't even use words to describe the spike in interest that we have seen in athletics because we have been trying for years to really get the athletics programme off the ground, and, honestly, this has been the moment that we have been waiting for," he shared.

"We have really seen a great deal of interest coming from all grade levels and even students in lower grades have joined the programme and have started to attend training consistently."

Evans underscored that the excitement has extended beyond the school walls, with the community rallying behind the initiative to support the athletes and improve the school's facilities.

"It is really our culture to involve the community in what we do, and since they heard that these athletes have joined our school, people have been making suggestions about how they can get equipment for our gym and other resources to get the programme moving," he stated.

"Even the field itself we are getting some top soil very soon to sort of improve the quality of the surface."

sports@gleanerjm.com