1 year ago
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AS HE prepares for his first ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships as head coach of Jamaica College (JC), Duane Johnson says he is not daunted by the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
“I don’t feel pressured. The truth is that I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, so the external pressure is easier for me to manage,” he told The Gleaner.
Johnson is no stranger to JC’s track and field programme, as he worked as the school’s middle-distance coach for the past nine years.
He has since succeeded the outgoing veteran coach Neil Harrison, whose contract with the school was not renewed after last year’s Champs.
Stepping into the head coaching role, Johnson stated he is more than ready for the task at hand, and pointed to his success with the school’s middle-distance programme as proof.
“I am really driven by success, as my middle-distance programme would have shown over the years,” he stated.
“The last few years, we have been the most successful middle-distance [school] in the country. I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep that high standard. There is no pressure coming from the outside, so I believe I can handle it.”
Johnson believes his years of experience with the Old Hope Road-based school has also allowed him a smooth transition into the role of head coach.
He will be drawing on the lessons he had learnt over the years while assisting the previous two JC head coaches, Harrison and Orville Brown, as well as other coaches he has worked with throughout his career.
“The experience with the programme has helped. The truth is that, over the years, I have worked very closely with the two previous head coaches. So I think I would have learnt a lot from them,” he said.
“I actually started being involved with assisting coaches at the young, tender age of 17 when Michael Clarke was the head coach at G.C. Foster. Then there was Maurice Wilson and Maurice Westney as well,” Johnson continued.
“So I would have been understudying a lot of successful coaches who would have had a lot of success at this level. I am fine. I would have combined a lot of what I have learnt from those coaches to try and make my experience as a head coach smooth and easier.”
Johnson is also keenly aware that he has large shoes to fill, as his last two predecessors have both won the coveted Champs title throughout their tenure at the school.
Brown guided JC to victory in 2011, with Harrison mirroring his feat a decade later in 2021.
While staying coy about his expectations about where his team will finish on the final points standings, Johnson said they will be much more competitive than last year.
Then, JC had finished 57 points behind rivals and reigning champions Kingston College (KC).
“I rate our progress pretty high because a lot of the stuff we have done so far would have been a lot more successful than previous years. So we’re feeling pretty good about our chances,” he stated.
“Our goal really is to show up at Champs and compete for this championships. I think the, last few years, we did finish second. However, it was a distant second. Even if we don’t come out victorious, though, we intend to give it our best shot.”
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