In the weeks leading up to the London Olympics the idle chatter from former athletes like Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene has grown louder. For Lewis' part he has not bothered to hide his contempt for Usain Bolt with his tacit suggestions of drug use. Having had is own brush with a doping scandal in the mid 1980s one would have thought Lewis would be less accusing as he had to fight to have his name cleared.
That said however I would like to suggest a programme for Lewis, Greene and others like them who want to understand Jamaica's sprint success for it didn't start with Bolt, Ottey or even Quarry. The failure to understand and appreciate the extent of track and field as a part of our system of education makes it near impossible to understand the outcomes that you see.
Let's therefore invite Carl Lewis, Maurice Green et al to Jamaica a year leading up to both JISA Prep & Boys & Girls Champs.
1. Do some background work, start with Hubert Lawrence' 'CHAMPS' 100 A Century of Jamaican High School Athletics 1910-2010.
2. Attend sports day for at least 10 of the participating schools, most school's mark the start of the track season this way.
3. Spend some time with these 10 schools during training to observe both athletes and their coaches as they prepare.
4. Once the season has started, attend all the development meets, from morning to evening. Be a volunteer for at least one of those schools to get a sense of all that goes into organizing the students.
5. Observe at least 10 student athletes preparing for GSAT, CSEC or CAPE examinations, and speak with their parents/guardians to understand the support system at work and how they balance their time.
6. Speak with executives of at least two of the major sponsors of these championships and be sure to ask why they continue to sponsor.
7. Spend at least a few hours with Glen Mills, Steven Francis and a member of the executive of JISA & JAAA to understand why more athletes stay in Jamaican and the role of the associations in the development of track and field.
8. Attend all days of both championships, it is essential that you keenly observe of the 8-12 year olds at Prep Champs and compare them with the high school students to understand attitude, mindset and context.
9. Spend time days after the championships with the top three schools from each level and be sure to speak to students who were not on the team.
10. Arrange a round table with all former Olympians Donald Quarry, Grace Jackson, Deon Hemmings, Juliet Cuthbert, link Merlene Ottey via Skype or FaceTime, Bertland Cameron, Maurice Wignall and any other who is not actively competing. Have them explain the evolution of Jamaica's track and field outcomes over time.
Now, if after you have done all this, you don't get it, repeat the exercise with the Primary and Secondary Schools. Beyond that, there's nothing more to offer, for if you remain unconvinced don't waste our time any further. You see, as Mike Wise of the Washington Post (http://wapo.st/QyWtob), so aptly wrote, "Usain Bolt deserves awe, not suspicions".
Well, well said!
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