Sat | Jan 17, 2026

Recovery on track

Holmwood’s Anderson uplifted by his team’s readiness following Hurricane Melissa

Published:Friday | January 2, 2026 | 12:11 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Pause
Abigail Campbell (centre) of Hydel High School wins last year’s Class One Girls 400m final in 53.03 seconds ahead of Abrina Wright (left) of Holmwood Technical and Edwin Allen High’s Kellyann Carr at last year’s ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls’
Matthew McKoy
Abigail Campbell (centre) of Hydel High School wins last year’s Class One Girls 400m final in 53.03 seconds ahead of Abrina Wright (left) of Holmwood Technical and Edwin Allen High’s Kellyann Carr at last year’s ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. Wright and Carr were credited with the same time, 53.53.
Dave Anderson, athletics coach at Holmwood Technical High.
File
Dave Anderson, athletics coach at Holmwood Technical High.
1
2

Head coach of Holmwood Technical High School’s female track and field team Dave Anderson says he is encouraged by the preparations so far despite the major setback caused by the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

The powerful storm devastated the western end of the island, claiming more than 50 lives, and according to Anderson, several of his athletes are from western Jamaica and were directly affected, with some suffering damage to their homes.

“At Holmwood Technical we got some infrastructural damage to our dormitory, and that had to be shut down for two weeks,” said Anderson. “But since then we have recovered and got the team back on track.”

Despite the disruption, Anderson said the team has responded well since returning to training and showed positive signs at their first competitive outing of the season.

“We went to the Tyser Mills Classic in December and we did well, and so I think we are on track to improve as the season unfolds,” he noted.

“Even the kids that were affected, they are using the training as an outlet to take their minds off the stress back home because a number of our athletes are from western Jamaica, and so they were affected by Hurricane Melissa,” he said.

Anderson noted that they have created a supportive environment at the Christiana-based institution that has been key to keeping the athletes focused and motivated.

“I think that they are doing good because we try to create a supportive environment at the school even though we know that they are going through challenges,” Anderson said. “They are putting in the work, and I believe they can do well once things are working out for them.”

Holmwood finished third at last year’s Girls’ Championships with 230.5 points. Hydel High narrowly won the title with 277 points ahead of Edwin Allen High, who scored 266 points.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Anderson noted that he is confident that Holmwood could remain competitive provided the team stayed intact and healthy.

“I think it is a team that can do well once all the athletes remain in place and stay injury-free. I can say that based on the Tyser Mills Classic results, we are in a good place at the moment,” he said.

Holmwood will again be banking on a strong core of athletes this season, including Abrina Wright, Maddison Campbell, Adalia Simpson, Jovi Rose, and Florence Nafamba as they build towards this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, which will be held from March 24-28 at the National Stadium.