Gibson Relays 2012

Yesterday, Saturday February 25, 2012 I went with my 11 year old son and his pal to take in the Gibson Relays at the National Stadium. As usual, every time I go to an athletic meet at the Stadium I am thrown into déjà vu and am reminded of my high school and college years as an athlete on those very tracks.

Beyond my personal warm and fuzzy, I am always reminded of just how much talent this little Jamaica nurtures in track and field. I saw kids not yet 10 years old take to the same tracks that the 2011 World Champion, Yohan Blake, took to. I again witnessed, first hand, the very breadth of Jamaica's track and field might. I was reminded that our talent is not an accidental tourist; it is a result of deliberate mining of such talent from the earliest years of our children's lives. Think about it, kids who keep at it from elementary school, will have at least 10 years of experience under their belts by the time they are just old enough to vote.

This year, 2012, is a particularly busy year for Jamaica's track and field athletes. In addition to the usual development meets, Central & Eastern Championships, Prep and Primary School Championships, Inter-Collegiate Championships, ISSA Boys & Girls Championships and other international lead-ins; there is the London Olympics, which promises magic and then some. If you are a track and field fan(atic?) as I am, you'll probably go to a few meets at least. If you are not, trust me, you will eventually be glued to your television set at home, at the office or in the many venues which will hold special events around the Games. The excitement is contagious.

Last year I wrote about our prospects at the Daegu World Championships and, for the most part I got it right. Not much has changed even though the stakes are so much higher. The eyes of the world will still be on Usain and Yohan, my fingers will still be crossed for Asafa and Jermaine, my expectations remain high for Veronica and Shelly-Ann and, Melaine remains my champion.

If you haven't been to one of the games as yet, please try one. The energy is incredible and the pride you will feel is incomparable. It's also relatively cheap entertainment for the entire family. By the way, my son is convinced that Yohan will beat Usain in the 100 metres at the Olympics; I've bet him 5,000 cents that he won't.