[Kingston, Jamaica – October 6th, 2024]

The Jamaica Track & Field Coaches Association joins with other national and international sporting bodies in
recognizing October 6th each year as National Coaches Day. The Association, as it has done since 2022, will present
awards to Track and Field Coaches for long and distinguished service to the nation. The awards will be in 5 categories:

Silver (20-25 years), Gold (26-30 years), Platinum (30-40 years) and Lifetime Award (Over 40 years) and the Master
Coach Award. Nominations were submitted by members of the Association and the awardees were selected by a
Committee. American Ryan Crouser will also be presented with the Hector-Smith Master Coach Award named after
the late Edward Hector and Eldemire Smith, for his guidance of Roje Stona to the historic Olympic Gold Medal in the
Discus Men at Paris 2024. Four (4) coaches will receive Lifetime award including Mike Ollivierre, Victor “Poppie”
Thomas, Leacroft Bolt, and Raymond “KC” Graham.

Other Awards will be presented as follows:
 Platinum Awardees – Maurice Wilson, Bertland Cameron, John Mair, Locksley Anderson,
Richard Derby, Patrick Johnson and Clarence Greenfield

 Gold Awardees – Corey Bennett, Lloyd Clarke and Hamlin Pagon

 Silver Awardees – Kerrilee Ricketts, Joyclyn Gibson, Marlo Kinghorn, Milton Seargeant, Megan Wilson-Copeland and Marsha Simpson-Montaque and Gavin James

The awards ceremony will be held on November 16, 2024 under the theme “The Coach: Developing, Empowering and
Enriching Athletes.”

The Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association is internationally recognized body for Jamaica’s track and field
coaches; covering Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Club and Elite. The Association is an affiliate of the JAAA and is
endorsed by World Athletics. It is also the representative body for all Track and Field coaches in Jamaica.
October 6th is recognized as National Coaches Day across many of the Federations in North America and the Caribbean
region and is used to recognize the work of coaches across all sports and help to bring focus to some of the issues and challenges facing the profession. It is also used to celebrate the achievements of coaches on a National level through ceremonies and awards.

On September 27, 2022 the Governor General, Sir Patrick Linton Allen, declared by proclamation that Oct 6th be
recognized and celebrated as National Coaches Day in Jamaica and encourage all citizens to “join in year-round efforts to, among other things, Recognize the involvement and impact of coaches on the development of our people and the national psyche. He went on to further urge all citizens to “participate in the activities designed for the observance of National Coaches Day.”