Book Review: Black Meteors – the Caribbean in International Track and Field

Verdict: Excellent read

If the performances of gold medalists Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica, Kirani James of

English: Shelly-Ann Fraser and Kerron Stewart at the World Championship Athletics 2009 in Berlin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grenada and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago in the London Olympics excited your interest in Caribbean athletics, or if you have been a long-time fan, you really should check out Black Meteors – The Caribbean in International Track and Field.

Black Meteors is published by Ian Randle Publishers, and written by Basil Ince, a former athlete and administrator, diplomat and academic, who marries his interests in this thoroughly attractive and engaging book about Caribbean sportsmen and women.

The layout and format of the book are excellent, with easy-to-read text, and a large number of photographs of athletes ranging from the pioneers like Lennox Miller and Arthur Wint of Jamaica, to more recent athletes such as Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago and Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, and current stars like Yohan Blake and superstar sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica, among many, many more.

English: Kirani James during 2011 World championships Athletics in Daegu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And therein lies one of the biggest and most welcome differences between this book and many others. The author states that:

“throughout the book the word Caribbean refers to all Caribbean peoples, English speaking and non-English speaking.”

Ince approaches that issue of what is a “Caribbean” athlete in an entirely natural way, that makes not just geographical sense, given the breadth of talent displayed throughout the region, but also allows the author to introduce readers to some athletes who may not as well known to them as others.

The other important aspect of Ince’s approach to the book was the effortless story-telling which brings to life, not just the athletes and their successes, but the socio-political backdrop to their sporting careers.

One example is his discussion of the evolution of women’s participation in the Olympics, from the days when women were not allowed to participate at all, to the performances of the great Merlene Ottey of Jamaica (who is still competing at over 50 years old) and Deon Hemmings, the first Caribbean woman to win Olympic gold in 1996.

Another example is the exploration of the impact of the Cuban revolution on the performance of Cuban athletes, which laid the groundwork for athletes like Alberto Juantorena, winner of the 800 m and 400m  gold medals in Montreal, and the struggles of the track and field programme given the US economic embargo of the

World Athletics Championships 2007 in Osaka – Alberto Juantorena (right), gold medal winner over 400 and 800 metres at the 1976 Olympics, while assisting at a victory ceremony at the 2007 world championships (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

island.

But Ince also spends time discussing current issues and athletes, including Jamaica’s success in Beijing.

If you have any interest at all in track and field, this will be an excellent addition to your library.

Highly Recommended

The Jamaican Olympic Team Outfits – “Ugly – Horrible”

Cedella Marley, junto a Usain Bolt, presentó la vestimenta PUMA de Jamaica (Photo credit: sitemarca)

The comments in the title are  not mine, they are two of the hundreds that have been made about the Jamaican Olympic outfits in the past few days.

I’m wading into dangerous waters here, not being a fashionista! Not even close. So let me hasten to say this is more about the reactions to the designs done by Cedella Marley (yes, Bob’s daughter) for the Jamaican Olympic team, than the designs themselves.

I can’t remember there EVER being this kind of reaction to an Olympic outfit. In fact, I was hard pressed to remember what any Olympic outfit has ever looked like, until an Olympian posted that she liked these a lot better than the yellow blazers they always used to wear at the opening ceremonies (very hazy picture in my mind now of said yellow blazers)

There has been an outpouring of negative reaction to the photo of track star Usain Bolt in a pair of yellow trousers, trimmed with black, coupled with a green top also trimmed with black, as he stands beside a female model in a print skirt with indecipherable yellow designs (leaves? crayfish?) on a black background, and a black top with  green trimmings. Hey, don’t knock my descriptions! I told you I’m not a fashionista. Let me just show you the picture.

The comments have been overwhelmingly negative. Here’s a tiny, tiny sample.

“Future style! Think Star Trek! Come on folks, going where no country has gone before!”

“Looking too futuristic. Does not reflect Jamaica. Not saying I hate it, but I don’t like it, especially for Jamaica 50.”

“It makes Usain look like an overgrown schoolboy from Mars, accompanied by a female prison warder from Pluto.”

‘Mi nuh like it! I really don’t think it truly represents the vibrant spirit and unique persona of the Jamaican team. It really appears to be a space age police uniform”

Some people do like them, saying they are “fashion forward” and in line with the current “colour blocking craze” and  ”military style” (comments from conversations I’ve had with fans of the outfits who say that the critcs just don’t know style. Maybe they’re right.

After all, the fashion folks at the Huffington Post loved them, raving about the “fabulous new uniforms designed by Cedella Marley” and unequivocally stating that:

“…while the sleek uniforms were created with optimal performance and comfort in mind, they are super stylish to boot. We’re loving the flashy prints, flattering silhouettes and saturated Jamaican flag colors represented in every piece.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/14/cedella-marley-jamaica-olympic-uniforms_n_1597152.html

By the way, that story also has a slide show of the entire collection, so you may want to check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.

And some Jamaicans like them as well. There are also comments like this, albeit much fewer:

“You know what, they are cute, picture them walking in with our flag at the opening ceremony, we will stand out!”

But why do we care?

Well, in case people haven’t noticed, Jamaicans have become fiercely interested in our track and field athletes in particular, since the super success of the past decade. Many more Jamaicans are now following track and field, debating Asafa’s performance as I said in my post here, following Usain’s personal life as I commented on here, and feel tremendously buoyed by our successes on the international scene.

This is to be welcomed, of course. It’s good for the sport, it’s good for the country, and it’s (usually) good for the athletes. I can remember thinking in years gone by that I would like to see athletes endorsing products instead of models. Now we see images of our athletes everywhere.

But you can’t have it both ways. That level of interest will apply to everything related to track and field. That includes uniforms the fashionistas say are cutting edge, but many Jamaicans just see as ugly. I know we are also sending athletes to the Olympics in taekwondo, the  equestrian events, and swimming, but I doubt there would have been this much interest over what our equestrian athlete was going to wear (no offence!)

And we’re an outspoken people. If we don’t like it, we’re going to say things like:

“I think these are the worst designs of all time. These nuh mek it at all.”

Would it be better if we all decided to throw our weight behind the designs, like them or not? I don’t think so. Chalk it up to my profession, but I’m big on freedom of speech and spirited debate.  If we don’t let it be known when we think things aren’t being done right, there won’t be any change next time.

I’ve heard people asking what the athletes think. I haven’t heard yet, but you know what? Even if all the athletes came out en masse and said they love the designs, this is not just about them. They are there representing Jamaica. This may be a little uncomfortable for Ms. Marley and the folks at Puma, but it’s our national team, We have a right to voice our opinion. And we certainly are doing so!

So what do you think? Do you like the designs?

Related articles

• Usain Bolt unveils Jamaica’s Olympics kit designed by Bob Marley’s daughter (guardian.co.uk)
• Puma pins Olympic hopes on Bolt to speed sport sales (telegraph.co.uk)

Jamaica’s Love/Hate Relationship with Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell (Photo credit: aktivioslo)

Ok, hate is stretching it. But listen to any group of Jamaicans argue about Asafa Powell and a wide range of emotions emerges. Support – unwavering and constant (or not!), exasperation and frustration  are among the most common. Even dedicated Asafa fans sometimes waver in their steadfastness. But what is it about this undeniably phenomenal athlete that stirs such intense emotions? Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Unrealised Potential - this former world record holder has never won a major title except at the Commonwealth Games.  We know he’s one of our greats, one of the world’s greats. He’s proven it by breaking the world record. Twice. How many athletes can say that? So it would just be the icing on the cake for him to be standing on that top podium as the Jamaican anthem plays and the black, green and gold ascends above the rest.  And that’s the prize that has eluded him. We want it for him, for ourselves and for Jamaica. So fans are frustrated that he hasn’t managed to get there.

World record icon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. That mental element - we’re used to ultra-confident 100m champions. The chest-beating of Usain Bolt,  the cockiness of Carl Lewis or even the quiet determination of Tyson Gay. THAT  type of champion. So fans have never quite known how to read Asafa. When the BBC quoted Asafa as saying after that 2007 World Championship race in which he ran third to Tyson Gay and Derrick Atkins, that “When Tyson came on and gave me a little bit of pressure I just panicked.  When I saw I wasn’t in gold medal contention, I gave up in the middle of the race. I just stopped running,” fans said “huh”?

He has, however, said that most of his problems have been physical, not mental.

World Athletics Championships 2007 in Osaka – World Record Holder Asafa Powell running away from Keston Bledman (left) and Florin Suciu (middle) during the first round heat in the men’s 100 meters. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Giving Up - As a result of his admitted missed opportunities, and comments like the one he made in 2009, everybody has been speculating about Asafa not having the mental toughness to finish the race. This, although he ran a hard race to pick up the bronze at the 2009 World Champs. Even if he has now acquired the mental toughness he admitted to lacking in 2007, many fans seem to have lost faith.

4. The Money - let’s put it out there. Some fans seem offended by the fact that Asafa obviously puts emphasis on professional races where he gets paid. Seriously? The man is a pro athlete. That’s what he does for a living. If he ends up broke with people passing a hat for him, the most he’ll be getting from a lot of people is expressions of pity and shock. The money issue is a red herring. All the pro athletes are running for money. Why is Asafa getting so much flak for it?

5. Pulling Out  - Most recently, Asafa pulled out of the Jamaica Invitational, citing soreness in the groin, but announcing that he would be running in Doha at the start of the Diamond League. Last year, after talking up a storm all season he pulled out of the 100m at the World Championships, again citing injury. Although it makes sense that an athlete and his coaches would be thinking long term, and not wanting to risk possibly serious injury especially given Asafa’s history of injury,  again, fans seem to have lost faith.

Asafa has taken notice. He was quoted last year by the Daily Mail as saying that:

“Athletics can be a very ungrateful sport. All the negative talk about me, questioning my mental strength and asking if I can ever beat those guys again when it matters, well that’s just given me motivation to prove a lot of people wrong, and to prove to myself that I still have it.”

Asafa Powell after his 9.72 win and track record at the 2010 Bislett Games. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

.’
As we draw nearer to the London 2012 Olympics, we’re all closely watching our elite athletes and hoping for the best for them all. Are fans expecting even more from Asafa this year, or have they given up?

Tell me what you think. Are we too hard on Asafa?  Or do you think he’s let his fans down?

Related articles

• Asafa Powell’s in a hurry to shake off fear factor at Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham (telegraph.co.uk)
• London 2012 Olympics: training partner Asafa Powell praises the work ethic of Britain’s Dwain Chambers (telegraph.co.uk)
• Bolt, Powell to race in 100 meters in Oslo (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

In Praise of “Minor” Sports

 

 

In Jamaica, if you’re not a footballer, a runner or a cricketer, dog nyam yuh supper. We’ve lauded our CARIFTA track and field team which won 77 medals including 34 gold. That is great, and we are all grateful to the hard working athletes and their coaches who keep the flag flying high (all three colours of it!)

 (CARIFTA swimmers – Gillian Haughton photo)

Our CARIFTA swimmers, who came home from the Bahamas with 32 medals – ten gold, sixteen silver and six bronze, have received much less attention. I’m told the team was met at an airport by a TVJ cameraman. Full stop. The children frequently complain of the limited attention they get from the public.

They did, however, get more attention than the chess team,  which gave us two CARIFTA champions , and an overall third place, or the water polo team, which is in re-building stage, and where our under-15 boys placed second of four teams to win a silver, our under-19 girls came away with the silver against Trinidad and Tobago, and our under-19 boys, were bested by Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao to take bronze.  (CARIFTA water polo teams – Malden Miller photo)

Fact is, in Jamaica, track and field, (men’s) football, (men’s) cricket and to a lesser extent, netball, are the big sports (the reaction to women’s sports is another story -our netballers were excelling for years with little attention, the Reggae Boyz made ONE World Cup, where they failed to advance, and became superstars). But the reality is that there are many other sports which Jamaicans are playing, and playing well, albeit not at the stratospheric level of track and field.

We have youngsters competing  in synchronized swimming, volleyball, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, and the list goes on.

The athletes in many of these sports have to be really determined to compete, especially at the regional and international levels. Family members usually have to underwrite the entire cost of competition including travelling and uniforms. It gets really expensive, really quickly, and many give up.

So why bother? Why not stick with the big four? Actually, there are many reasons why we need to broaden our horizons, and think beyond the popular sports.

Young people should be given the opportunity to explore all their talents, and their potential. A so-so runner may be a dynamite swimmer. A mediocre footballer may be a promising tennis player.

There is potential for scholarships in many of these areas, not just track and field.

We need to see the potential for development in sports generally and expanding the sports we support will allow more young people to excel.

Then, there are the undeniable physical and health benefits. We need to encourage as many young people as possible (and older people, in fact!) to become physically active, whether they are going to become sports stars or not.  Researchers have indicated that 3-6% of pre-school children in the Caribbean are obese, with the figure in Jamaica being 6%.

The scientists reported that overweight and obesity is prevalent in the 10-19 age group with females showing a higher rate than males (18.9% compared to 16%).

Given that obesity and overweight are known risk factors for chronic disease, and inactivity nearly doubles the risk of cardiac disease, anything that will encourage physical activity must be welcome. Exposure to a wide range of sporting activities will allow more children a chance to find an activity with which they are comfortable and which they enjoy.

Other benefits of sports have been well documented, improving social skills, fostering team spirit, teaching kids how to win and lose. Again, the more sports we are able to offer, the more children will be able to benefit.

Veronica Campbell-Brown, Berlin 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not all children can be Usain Bolt or Veronica Campbell-Brown. But that shouldn’t be our only measure of success.

Disclosure: I am not a sportswoman, and never was. Despite my complete lack of coordination, I comfort myself with the thought that I just wasn’t exposed to a wide variety of sports! 

Why Champs is one of the greatest shows on earth

We’ve been going to, or watching, Jamaica’s National Boys and Girls Championships (or Champs) for years, so I think many of us take for granted the incredible vibes of this annual event. The world has now awakened to the fantastic show Jamaica puts on every year and international journalists can often be seen trackside.

Here are four reasons Champs is so great.

• The intense competition – a Trini friend of mine once commented that she found it amazing how the entire country rallied behind high schools in the way we do here. Perhaps because we have not traditionally had that rivalry at the tertiary level, we concentrate all our energy on the high schools. Men in their fifties and sixties ride around with high school bumper stickers and wear their high school ties with pride.  Um, that sounded strange. Anyway, that’s the  rivalry that sets the stage for intense competition at Champs.

•  The talent – Champs is not all about track and field. If it were, the Stadium would be equally packed for the Jamaica Invitational, and National Senior and Junior Trials. Having said that, you are guaranteed to see incredible displays of talent, and the next generation of international stars.    

• The show – Even if you are not a track and field fan, it doesn’t matter. Champs is the place to be, and you will have a good time. The cheering, the hype, the palpable excitement in the air, the constant action, all ensure a great show.   

• Big men blowing little plastic horns - these are probably the same men wearing their high school ties and going around yelling “Fortis!” and “Rat Attack!” Slightly weird on one level, but good fun all the same. Assuming, that is, that you’re not sandwiched between two of them, in which case you’re likely to go home feeling slightly deaf.

So whether you’re from Munro, or a member of the Rat Pack, from Papine High or Morant Bay High (hey, we got seven points!) let’s celebrate something we are doing not just well, but extremely well.

What’s not fun – the continuing hooliganism of those who feel that an appropriate reaction to the end of Champs is to throw bottles at people below. This happens in the bleachers. I suspect if bottles were being rained down on the dignitaries in the VIP box in the grandstand a stop would have been put to it a long time ago. Wha dem say? Donkey say de worl’ nuh level. True ting.