Page enjoys start to life at St Jago

NEW HEAD coach of the St Jago High School boys’ track and field programme, Carl Page, says he is enjoying his early days at the institution.

A past student and former assistant coach with the school’s female programme, specialising in the throwing disciplines, Page, after three months as head coach, is particularly pleased with the support he has received.

“At first when I started there were some doubts among fellow coaches and the boys in the programme, but things have changed big time as I am now getting full support from everyone, including past students,” said Page, one of the younger coaches of an elite track and field programme.

Despite the magnitude of the task, Page is confident that he can manage the programme effectively, crediting his experience working with other coaches at St Jago in the past, as well as his ongoing role as head coach at Bridgeport High School.

“Working at Bridgeport over the years has helped a lot with my transition,” he explained.

Page, who is also a physical education teacher at Bridgeport, dismissed any notion of a conflict of interest from working with two teams.

“There’s no problem here. I write the programme for Bridgeport and give it to my assistant coaches. Some of the senior boys from Bridgeport also train with the St Jago team, and they are welcomed by the St Jago family,” he said.

Before taking charge, Page suffered a major setback when the team lost three top athletes – along with long-time 400m coach Bertland Cameron, who has since joined Jamaica College.

“Losing the coach and athletes is actually a plus for me and the boys,” Page said confidently.

“They are now even more motivated and ready to work harder. I have no grudge and wish both the coach and the boys all the best – no regrets.”

Asked whether St Jago could maintain their top-five position at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships despite the losses, Page was upbeat.

“I’m very confident that we can still finish in the top five, and maybe even higher. The boys’ attitude in training has been excellent, and with six assistant coaches, we have a strong support system to guide them,” said Page.