CONCORDE Athletics Club, born in 1989, produces some of TT’s best track and field athletes and their promising youngsters at the club are often selected on national junior teams.

The athletes have lofty goals and want to compete at the highest level, but the club can achieve so much more with support.

Newsday had an opportunity to speak with Concorde coach Ken Barton and a few of the aspiring athletes during a training session recently at the Queen’s Royal College grounds.

A total of 60 athletes are members of the club including juniors and masters athletes.

The club also welcomes athletes outside of track and field who just want to maintain a high level of fitness. “The club has been in existence since 1989 and from then we have progressed through the years and we have become one of the more prominent clubs in the country,” Barton said.

Barton’s goal is to see athletes fulfil their potential. “Essentially I am trying to get people to be the best they could be. Trinbagonians are very talented, but somehow they fail to really bring out their talent in running.”

He wants to see his athletes experience going to school and competing overseas.

“I want to get as many young people going away because staying in TT serves no great purpose. It is better they go away get that schooling and come back and serve their country.”

Last year, four Concorde athletes left these shores to attend US universities. Concorde has a close affiliation with specific universities in the US where Concorde athletes attend.

Coach tries not to be behind his athletes to maintain top grades in the classroom, but was proud to say that his athletes excel in their studies. The club produces athletes in many events, but the club is most known for its sprinting prowess.

“My thing is sprints, I specialise in sprints. A coach must know about 400m, 800m and hurdles and that kind of thing, but I say once you really study and specialise in something give that the best you can give. Don’t be a jack of all trades and be a master of none.”

Concorde remains unsponsored

Like many sporting clubs, sponsorship is challenging to attain and Concorde is no different.

Barton said, “We have no sponsors…to really develop athletes per se you need to go away and get some competition whether it is Grenada, Barbados, Guadeloupe…sponsors rather sponsor football than track and field and we realise this, we have come to terms with it.”

Concorde recently went to Grenada for a meet after getting support from the Office of the Prime Minister and the club returned home with 11 medals.

The coach said some organisations don’t understand that financial backing is required to reach an elite level whether it is Carifta Games or Olympic Games.

“They want to get on board only when they see a finished product…you need to invest in an athlete.” Some of the athletes lack the proper meals and gear to train.

“There are some athletes I have to give money to go home on evenings…I have a girl she trains ever so often and when you ask her what happened, why you not training today (she says), ‘Sir I did not eat anything.’”

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The juniors eye Olympics, World Champs

Barton has high hopes for many of his athletes

“I can see them making (it) big for TT,” the coach said.

Symphony Patrick, siblings Revell and Reese Webster, siblings Akilah and Omari Lewis, Janae De Gannes and twins Tyrique and Tenique Vincent are some of the promising young athletes of the club.

Revell, De Gannes and Tyrique have all represented TT at the junior level including the annual Carifta Games, but they are not satisfied with that.

Tyrique, 15, competes in multiple events including the long jump, high jump and 110m hurdles.

Tyrique, who stands over six feet tall, wants to make it to the highest level.

“I want to make the Olympics (and) for the next three years compete at all the Cariftas, World Juniors – all the meets.”

Looking ahead, Revell said, “Of course (I want to make compete at major meets). My goal is to make it one of the biggest senior teams it have which is World Games, both indoor and outdoor.”

De Gannes, who is small in stature, has huge goals.

“I want to become the first-ever female from TT to get three gold medals (100m, 200m, long jump) in the Olympics and continue to break records after records.”

Putting in the extra yards

To make it to an elite level athletes must be committed to putting in the work.

Revell, who has been a track and field athlete for the past five years, said he needs to get out of the blocks faster in the men’s 100m event.

“The very first thing that comes to mind with that question is that I need to work on my start and the first 30m of my race. I have to be more powerful and accelerate faster in that beginning phase.”

Revell puts in the hours along with his teammates training five days per week, sometimes six days.

Speaking about his diet, the young sprinter said, “I eat like a regular person. I don’t switch up anything too much, but my protein intake will be much higher than a regular person.”

Many athletes have difficulty controlling their nerves before a major race, but Revell tries to stay calm.

“I tend to be quite calm before a race because I know that nerves could mess up the flow of your race. I calm myself, I breathe in and out, I talk to God and execute my race.”

De Gannes participates in the 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay events.

To reach the summit, De Gannes said, “My start is one of my setbacks and I have been working on it with my coach, coach Ken and for long jump (in) my technique some areas I fall short on. With the help from coach Wendell (Williams), we have been training and getting the technique down pack.”

Tyrique wants to become a more competitive athlete.

“I have to improve on my strength. I am strong, but because I am in a growth spurt right now I am getting a lot of injuries quickly.”

Carifta, NACAC glory

De Gannes got silver medals in both the long jump and 4x100m relay events at the 2023 Carifta Games.

The 200m and the long jump are her favourite events and she was satisfied that she was able to redeem herself at the 2023 Carifta Games.

“I was satisfied (with my performance) after last year not medalling individually and coming back to medal. That meant so much to me and I am really satisfied with my outcome.”

Looking back at his career Tyrique said earning a silver medal at the NACAC Games is his most memorable experience.

Tyrique, who is seven minutes older than his twin sister, said they help motivate each other to become better athletes. The Vincent twins are also coached by their father David, who is a member of Concorde.

Revell did not medal in the 100m event at Carifta, but the courage he showed to compete injured was admirable.

Revell dug deep and despite battling with an injury placed eighth in the final.

“On that day my mind was telling me I already made it this far and it is just one more race, so just give it my all and see what happens tomorrow.”

In August, Revell will be heading to a university in Virginia, US after earning a scholarship where he will do a Bachelor’s Degree in computer engineering.