For Coach Davian Clarke, UTEP Offers the Perfect Environment to Excel

“My desire is to become a well-rounded coach, not only on the track, but also in the throw and jump events,” said Davian Clarke, the former Jamaican Olympian.  He continued, “UTEP offers me a great opportunity to excel as a coach in the NCAA system.” Davian, who has represented Jamaica at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and has a lifetime best 20.72 (200m) and 44.83 (400m), was a fixture on the Jamaican men’s 4x400 relays teams for over 10 years. Davian is currently an assistant coach at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) after spending last season at the University of North Carolina (UNC) under legendary head coach Dennis Craddock, who retired at the end of last season. Davian, the Kingston College and University of Miami graduate, is perhaps one of the brightest young coaching minds on the track scene.  He has been honing his skills and is poised to assist in taking the UTEP track program to new heights. Trackledger.com caught up with Davian recently as he outlines his dreams and aspirations for the upcoming seasons. Adjusting to life at UTEP “UTEP has a great tradition with the Jamaican and Caribbean athletes,” said Davian. “I am very excited that I got the chance to come here and I like the environment that the school offers. The natural terrain and the city offer direct benefits to help athletes excel,” he continued. Davian pointed out that UTEP is one of the few schools in the United States that is located at a high altitude.  Training at high-altitude provides an advantage for his athletes who are able to train 9 months per year to get ready for sea-level competition. Transition to coaching Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Davian said that he was often times cautioned that “not because you are a great runner doesn’t mean that you will become a great coach.” A lot of great runners have struggled with the transition to coaching but that was not the case with Davian. In addition to his passion for the sport of track and field, Davian believes that being a former athlete helps as he is able to coach not only from the sidelines but can relate to whatever his athletes are going through. In essence, Davian believes that the biggest advantage he has is to assist his athletes with their mental preparation for the competition. “I have always been passionate about coaching and over the years I have developed and have gained knowledge and experience and now I have the belief that I can be a good coach” said Davian. Perhaps Davian confidence in his ability as a good coach has merit as he was the head coach of the 2010 Jamaican World Indoor Team in Doha and led his team to gold in the women’s 60m (VCB) and bronze in the women’s 4x400 relay. “I have always been good at explaining how to run the 400m, the start, the drive phase, the execution phase and the home-stretch.” As a USATF level 1 certified coach, Davian knowledge has expanded beyond the track and now he feels he has acquired the skills-set needed to coach throw and jump events. Despite his brief tenure at UNC, Davian pointed out that under head coach Craddock he has learned a lot about the training techniques and the mental preparation regarding the jump and field events. Participated in the JAAA election Davian recently visited Jamaica to participate in the highly publicized Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) election held on November 29, which saw Dr. Warren Blake retain the presidency. “I can now see the importance of participating in the electoral process,” says Davian, who along with his wife Lacena Golding-Clarke, are voting members of the JAAA. “When you participate, you can make a difference and if you want to effect changes, you have to participate. If you don’t participate, you have no control over things. Even if the person who you voted for doesn’t win, you still get the chance to understand the process.” Davian also noted that in the past, he did not participate in the process due to scheduling conflicts but vows to make the effort to continue his participation in future JAAA elections. Future aspirations “The team I have now, I have to get them in shape so that they can become the best they can be,” said Davian in regards to the current athletes under his charge at UTEP. Going into the future, Davian hope is to be at UTEP for a very long time which will afford him some degree of continuity and allow him to recruit the athletes who he wants. “Once you get the athletes, it will take another 2 years to get them to where they needed to be; in their junior and senior years, they should be able to do some damage in the NCAAs.” “Training in track and field at the collegiate level is like training for the Olympics because you have to train year-round,” said Davian. Davian believes that recruiting and developing the right athletes will be the foundation needed for a successful tenure at UTEP.    For comments about this article you can email us at info@trackledger.com Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook   For more on Davian Clarke, you can visit   http://www.davianclarke.com/