Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The demise of middle distance running in jamaica since Semour Newman and Byron Dyce.
Ja's middle-distance drought
From The Sports Desk
BY HARTLEY ANDERSON
Sunday, January 24, 2010
THE image of Seymour Newman endorsing a 'Champs' programme on television last week inevitably reopened investigations in my mind into the state of Jamaica's middle- and long-distance running.
That Newman's national 800-metre record of 1 minute, 45.20 seconds was established way back in 1977 and has stood for some 33 years is glaringly instructive.
For sure, the Wolmerian had that rare combination of speed and endurance needed to compete at the highest level. It is also true that athletes of that ilk seem to be a dying breed in Jamaican athletics.
But considering the advancement in training and technical acumen within this fraternity these days, perhaps Newman's long-standing mark paints a starker picture of a lack of "political will" among athletes and coaches to indulge in the requisite hard work and dedication demanded in preparing for these events.
One of Newman's recommendations -- that to be effective over 800 metres, and in any 'distance' event, one is expected to be running between eight to 10 miles per day -- is certainly not the motivational speech that athletes of this generation seeking a 'quick-fix' to their training regime would want to hear.
Of course, the exploits of Jamaican athletes over the past two years would have further glamorised the sprints while relegating the longer events to the status of the proverbial 'poor cousins'.
It is little wonder that though high school coaches concentrate on middle- and long-distance races for the accumulation of points for Boys' and Girls' Championships, their shelf life is quite short thereafter.
The coaches' attitude towards an event is normally transmitted to the young athletes who depend on these professionals for advice in ultimately determining which event to concentrate on. They should therefore take some of the blame.
Despite the commendable efforts of the Jamdammers Club in organising a number of road races across the country over the past decade or so, the paucity of athletes who can compete over the longer distances at the highest level continues to exist.
Yet the situation was not always like this, with Jamaica -- through George Rhoden and George Kerr, for instance -- boasting a proud tradition in the two-lap event.
Track pundits will also recall that in the 1970s, athletes like Newman and Byron Dyce were very competitive internationally.
The former, for example, just failed to make the final of the 800 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Cuba's revered Alberto Juantoreno copped a rare 400-800m double.
Interestingly, the 800 metres is no longer regarded as a middle-distance event in international circles, but is called either a 'sprint ' or a 'run'.
Perhaps transmitting this idea to the Jamaican youngsters could pave the way for more enthusiasm and increased participation in events like the 800, 1500 and 5,000 metres -- and ultimately make a difference.
It is frustrating over time to see promising schoolboys like Sherwin Burgess, Kenroy Levy, Mark Jones, Aldwyn Sappleton, Mario Watson and Marvin Watts stamp their mark at 'Champs', yet fail to optimise their unquestionable talents by making an impact at the senior level.
Some of the aforementioned individuals were in fact clocking incredible times of 1:47s and 1:48s as schoolboy athletes -- enough to make them all serious contenders for many a senior championship.
But world superstar Usain Bolt adequately sums up the general Jamaican attitude towards any distance above the 200 metres by citing the increased workload that these latter events demand, implying that they certainly would not have been his events of choice.
Champs review: 2010, Flattered to deceive
Recently much light has been shone on the GraceKennedy Boys'and Girls' Championships by the international media. That has been because Champs has been posited as the major honing ground for the nation's most successful athletes.
Names like Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell, Grace Jackson, Herb McKenley. and countless others come to mind as stellar Jamaican representatives in the past and present that have benefited from their time at Champs.
It is no wonder, therefore, that every time an athlete begins to shine at this stage, people are quick to label them the next star of track and field. For many years, athletes have been shining at this level, breaking records and blowing the minds of countless fans.
The interesting problem we face, however, is that for all the athletes who have shown much potential over the years, it has only been a few who have managed to break into the senior ranks with any success. For whatever reason, several of Jamaica's most promising junior stars have just not been able to make the transition.
Take for example athletes like Daniel England and Sekou Clarke. England, a former Calabar High sprinter of the late 80s and early 90s and Clarke, a Jamaica College star of the late 90s and early 00s, were veritable cult heroes of their time.
The prowess of both athletes extended their cult reach far beyond the realms of their respective high school fraternities; this transformed them into serious Champs superstars. We can remember as young prep school children going to Champs and hearing the huge Jamaica College crowd roar in approval when Clarke's name was mentioned over the loud speakers. Once the athletes left for college, however, their huge potential seemed to have disappeared as nothing serious has been heard from them since.
Another athlete with much potential in that area was Tesfa Latty. When this diminutive St George's College sprinter shattered the previous Champs 100-metre record and reposted it as a blistering 10.29 seconds, the entire Jamaica stood up and took notice.
Immediately, many were likening this young star to Ray Stewart -- the former Camperdown and Jamaica sprinter who held the then national record. Latty was supposed to be the one who would return male prowess to a sport which was at the time dominated by superior females. Alas, it was not to be as once Latty went to college he suffered a series of injuries and was forced to call it quits on his career.
Although athletes such as former Kingston College talisman Andre Wellington and Camperdown sprint phenom Remaldo Rose chose to stay in Jamaica, it seems they were not immune to that illness.
Both athletes had promising high school careers and even translated that form into international junior medals but have hit huge snags with their progress, and have been surpassed by younger, faster athletes who are quickly taking their spots in the limelight.
Whatever the reasons have been for the downfall of these athletes, we sincerely hope that it is just an anomaly that we have to come to accept. It is our hope that one day if this problem isn't completely dealt with, that we will have such an abundance of talent that the losses will prove negligible to the overall outcome of sports in our nation.
Names like Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell, Grace Jackson, Herb McKenley. and countless others come to mind as stellar Jamaican representatives in the past and present that have benefited from their time at Champs.
It is no wonder, therefore, that every time an athlete begins to shine at this stage, people are quick to label them the next star of track and field. For many years, athletes have been shining at this level, breaking records and blowing the minds of countless fans.
The interesting problem we face, however, is that for all the athletes who have shown much potential over the years, it has only been a few who have managed to break into the senior ranks with any success. For whatever reason, several of Jamaica's most promising junior stars have just not been able to make the transition.
Take for example athletes like Daniel England and Sekou Clarke. England, a former Calabar High sprinter of the late 80s and early 90s and Clarke, a Jamaica College star of the late 90s and early 00s, were veritable cult heroes of their time.
The prowess of both athletes extended their cult reach far beyond the realms of their respective high school fraternities; this transformed them into serious Champs superstars. We can remember as young prep school children going to Champs and hearing the huge Jamaica College crowd roar in approval when Clarke's name was mentioned over the loud speakers. Once the athletes left for college, however, their huge potential seemed to have disappeared as nothing serious has been heard from them since.
Another athlete with much potential in that area was Tesfa Latty. When this diminutive St George's College sprinter shattered the previous Champs 100-metre record and reposted it as a blistering 10.29 seconds, the entire Jamaica stood up and took notice.
Immediately, many were likening this young star to Ray Stewart -- the former Camperdown and Jamaica sprinter who held the then national record. Latty was supposed to be the one who would return male prowess to a sport which was at the time dominated by superior females. Alas, it was not to be as once Latty went to college he suffered a series of injuries and was forced to call it quits on his career.
Although athletes such as former Kingston College talisman Andre Wellington and Camperdown sprint phenom Remaldo Rose chose to stay in Jamaica, it seems they were not immune to that illness.
Both athletes had promising high school careers and even translated that form into international junior medals but have hit huge snags with their progress, and have been surpassed by younger, faster athletes who are quickly taking their spots in the limelight.
Whatever the reasons have been for the downfall of these athletes, we sincerely hope that it is just an anomaly that we have to come to accept. It is our hope that one day if this problem isn't completely dealt with, that we will have such an abundance of talent that the losses will prove negligible to the overall outcome of sports in our nation.
Check Out Bolts New Ride BMW 335 Coupe.
This black beauty has 19.19, to signify his 200-metre world record, as the badge on the exterior and sports red custom-designed interior trim, also highlighting the 19.19.
"Everything on the interior is custom built," a Stewart Motors representative told Auto.
According to Stewart Motors, the one-of-a-kind vehicle, with its signature gull-wing doors, pushes more power than the regular 335 coupé, as it is upgraded with the exclusive BMW performance kit.
Bolt bought this special beauty to replace his BMW M3 that crashed early last year along Highway 2000.
The cost? Auto is unsure but a regular BMW 335 costs approximately $10 million.
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