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St Jago High School are on the cusp of something special in the ISSA Urban Senior netball competition, as in the second round they have won three matches in their group to remain unbeaten; and with two matches to go, a win in any one would ensure a semi-final spot.

The Monk Street-based St Jago are known for their excellent performances in sports, especially track and field, as at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs), the boys have captured the Mortimer Geddes Trophy in 1987 and 1993; with the girls taking the title in 1996-1999.

St Jago's boys have also won titles in cricket, volleyball and basketball, while outside of track and field, the girls' other success in sports has been in volleyball.

In netball, though, it has been 25 years since St Jago have done this well. The coach of that time, past student and former teacher Ardene Marcia Jones, is again leading the programme's resurgence.

The retiree has returned to help her alma mater and is proud of St Jago's achievement in this year's competition.

"I am feeling good, knowing the challenges coming into the competition and the girls' determination. It feels good being back at the school working with the netballers, as it has been a long drought for the school here," Jones said.

"I have to do a lot of talking to these girls about them going for the title, and to let them know that the other teams are not better than them, but all they have to do is play their own game and stay focused.

"I was asked to coach the team as I am now on retirement, and I agreed. I started last season, and they were doing well, but because I had surgery, I missed the entire season, and things fell apart. I started back this season, and things have gone well.

"I insisted to the girls that as long as they stay focused, do their best and show good sportsmanship, they can reach the play-offs," she continued.

Jones stated that to attain their success, they had to overcome several challenges in their preparation, preventing these from becoming setbacks.

"It is difficult to get training sessions together. The school changed the dismissal time to 3 p.m., and with most of our students living far distances from the school, this was a major problem to get them in training," Jones said.

"We are only able to train on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Thursdays, there is a special arrangement, as there is form time at 2 p.m. Here, we can get these students at that time, so we put in at least two hours more of training. Also, we have some training sessions on some Saturday mornings.

"It is also difficult to get the best of these athletes because most want to focus on academics, as their parents insist they maintain good averages.

"Also, some of the girls who do track and field have talent here, but they prefer to specialise in one sport," she said.

The coach anticipates that the success garnered this year will stimulate additional support for the programme, with the physical education teachers at St Jago encouraging students to join.

"I would hope so," she said, when asked if the resurgence would help to get more students involved. "Not only with students, but also past students. We got assistance from past students with footwear last year, and hope more will come on board."

According to Jones, she wants to transfer her enthusiasm for the sport to her players.

"I love the game, and I love St Jago. I try to encourage the players to have the same passion, but it will take some time. I put my energy and heart into it. All I am asking in return is for them to show their loyalty," Jones said.