Calabar new head coach pleased with progress

Head coach of Calabar High School, Julian Robinson, says he is pleased with the strides his athletes have been making this season, as the school continues to prepare for the upcoming ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs).

Robinson, who served as an assistant coach at Calabar for more than two decades with responsibility for the throws, was elevated to the position of head coach at the end of last season. He replaced Corey Bennett, whose contract was not renewed by the Red Hills Road-based institution.

According to Robinson, the team has been putting in the work on the training ground as they aim to give their best for the school.

“We are training hard and we are trying to prepare ourselves for Champs. I am the head coach and so I don’t coach everybody, but for the most part they are listening to my instructions,” Robinson said.

He also described the transition from assistant coach to head coach as a smooth one, crediting the athletes for their discipline and responsiveness.

“The transition from assistant coach to head coach has been seamless,” he said.

“The boys are working hard. I assist with all areas, but my focus is the throws, and in the areas that I don’t assist with, they listen to me and they also listen to my leadership in other areas. So there is nothing to complain about, everything is okay.”

Robinson pointed out that coaching at a traditional powerhouse like Calabar comes with a lot pressure, but he is embracing the responsibility.

“I think when you are coaching at a championship-chasing school there is always pressure and there is always an expectation to do well, and I am not going to deceive myself. I am applying myself, and I want to do good for Calabar and I want Calabar to excel,” he said.

Calabar finished second to Kingston College at Champs in 2025 but several key athletes from that team have not returned for the new season.

Among those missing are Junior Gallimore, runner-up in the Class One 200 metres; Alejandro Palmer, who placed fourth in the Class Two 800 metres; and Robert Miller, eighth in the Class One 400-metre hurdles.

In addition, Shaquane Gordon, the Class One 110-metre hurdles champion who also finished fourth in the 100 metres, has left the institution after accepting a scholarship to the University of Texas in the United States.

Robinson has taken a philosophical stance to the departures, seeing them as presenting opportunities for others within the programme to excel.

“I think the loss of some persons is an opportunity for others. We have a big side, and at the last track meet, the Tyser Mills Classic, we brought 140 boys. We are doing our best to fill the gaps, and the boys are doing their best to rise to the occasion,” he said.