US want Jamaica sprint showdown

[Sir X]

US want Jamaica sprint showdown


Jamaican Sprint champion Usain Bolt eclipsed the US competition in Beijing


The United States Track and Field team has proposed a series of sprint team meetings with Jamaica to determine which country has the best athletes.
Jamaica, led by triple gold medallist Usain Bolt, dominated the sprints at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
USATF chief executive Doug Logan said: "It would be a thrilling addition to the schedule, not just for our athletes and fans, but for global athletics."
Two competitions, one in each country, have been proposed for May and June.
In Beijing, defending 200m champion Shawn Crawford could only take silver in the wake of Bolt's victory, with team-mate Walter Dix getting the bronze.
Dix also trailed into third-place in the 100m, which had been a surprise as the US had emerged with the top sprinters at the 2007 World Championships.
And Logan, in a letter sent to International Association of Atheltics Federations Council member and area representative Neville McCook of Jamaica, feels that the US are ready for the task.
"Our sprinters are not ready to concede Jamaican dominance," he added. 606: DEBATE
Could the US compete with the Jamaican sprinters?

"It was obvious to everyone (in Beijing) that with the rise of your country's great sprinters and hurdlers, a compelling rivalry between Jamaica and the United States had developed.
"Let us not forget that less than two years ago, it was the United States on top of three of the four short sprints and both sprint relays at the 2007 World Championships."
The plan would consist of three or four competitors from each country participating.
They would be the 100, 200 and 400 metres, the 4x100 and 4x400 sprint relays, plus the long jump and hurdles races (the 100m hurdles for women, the 110m hurdles for men and the 400m hurdles for both).
Jamaica underlined their quality in Beijing by winning six of those events - the men's 100, 200, 4 x 100 relay and women's 100, 200, 400 hurdles. The US, meanwhile, won five events - the men's 400m and 400m hurdles, 4x400 relay and women's 100 hurdles plus the 4 x 400 relay. McCook was not available for immediate comment.

[Sir X]

Reply : Show me the MONIE$$$$$$$$$$$$!

[Historian]

No Way!

The United States Track and Field team has proposed a series of sprint team meetings with Jamaica to determine which country has the best athletes.

Leave it up to the USA organizers to come up with this sh!t plan!! Jamaica’s track and field bosses should say a firm and immediate “No, we’re not interested” and then continue to focus on getting our athletes ready for Berlin and the IAAF World Championships this summer!!

We did not go to Beijing to prove to the world that we’re greater than the USA! We went to perform at our best level against the world and, hopefully, win gold medals in the process. We did just that, and hopefully we’ll do it again this summer.

Back in 1996, after Canada’s Donovan Bailey became only the third man in Olympic Games history to win the 100-meter race gold medal in world record time, the USA proposed a showdown between Bailey and their golden boy of that year, Michael Johnson. While the 100-meter dash had traditionally been used to determine the “fastest man in the world,” suddenly NBC and other US interests were claiming that Johnson was the world’s fastest man because of his 200-meter world record.

That matchup between Bailey and Johnson was held at a distance of 150 meters, and the rest is history!

The USA track and field authorities need to realize that they do not have a monopoly on talent and greatness! They should have been at their best in beijing, but they missed/messed up that opportunity! Let them now wait until Berlin!

[Jangle]

I am with you Historian....100%. Tell them feh gwey!!! Our athletes don't need to be distracted from their preparations feh prove whoofa dick bigga!!! The only way I would endorse such a meet is if they put up U$1m to the winner of each race.

[Karl]

Leave it up to the USA organizers to come up with this sh!t plan!! Jamaica’s track and field bosses should say a firm and immediate “No, we’re not interested” and then continue to focus on getting our athletes ready for Berlin and the IAAF World Championships this summer!!

We did not go to Beijing to prove to the world that we’re greater than the USA! We went to perform at our best level against the world and, hopefully, win gold medals in the process. We did just that, and hopefully we’ll do it again this summer.

Back in 1996, after Canada’s Donovan Bailey became only the third man in Olympic Games history to win the 100-meter race gold medal in world record time, the USA proposed a showdown between Bailey and their golden boy of that year, Michael Johnson. While the 100-meter dash had traditionally been used to determine the “fastest man in the world,” suddenly NBC and other US interests were claiming that Johnson was the world’s fastest man because of his 200-meter world record.

That matchup between Bailey and Johnson was held at a distance of 150 meters, and the rest is history!

The USA track and field authorities need to realize that they do not have a monopoly on talent and greatness! They should have been at their best in beijing, but they missed/messed up that opportunity! Let them now wait until Berlin!

Yet if the USA's ego is that brused they may be able to find someone or some group of persons or some entity or some group of entities to pay us *U$200,000,000.00 to show up? ...plus bonuses (winning and placement fees specifically for the athletes)?

*This to be shared by the JOA, JAAA (and her affiliates - including ISSA to share its cut with all its schools - and the athletes).

[Don1]

David vs Goliath

US want Jamaica sprint showdown


Jamaican Sprint champion Usain Bolt eclipsed the US competition in Beijing


The United States Track and Field team has proposed a series of sprint team meetings with Jamaica to determine which country has the best athletes.
Jamaica, led by triple gold medallist Usain Bolt, dominated the sprints at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
USATF chief executive Doug Logan said: "It would be a thrilling addition to the schedule, not just for our athletes and fans, but for global athletics."
Two competitions, one in each country, have been proposed for May and June.
In Beijing, defending 200m champion Shawn Crawford could only take silver in the wake of Bolt's victory, with team-mate Walter Dix getting the bronze.
Dix also trailed into third-place in the 100m, which had been a surprise as the US had emerged with the top sprinters at the 2007 World Championships.
And Logan, in a letter sent to International Association of Atheltics Federations Council member and area representative Neville McCook of Jamaica, feels that the US are ready for the task.
"Our sprinters are not ready to concede Jamaican dominance," he added. 606: DEBATE
Could the US compete with the Jamaican sprinters?

"It was obvious to everyone (in Beijing) that with the rise of your country's great sprinters and hurdlers, a compelling rivalry between Jamaica and the United States had developed.
"Let us not forget that less than two years ago, it was the United States on top of three of the four short sprints and both sprint relays at the 2007 World Championships."
The plan would consist of three or four competitors from each country participating.
They would be the 100, 200 and 400 metres, the 4x100 and 4x400 sprint relays, plus the long jump and hurdles races (the 100m hurdles for women, the 110m hurdles for men and the 400m hurdles for both).
Jamaica underlined their quality in Beijing by winning six of those events - the men's 100, 200, 4 x 100 relay and women's 100, 200, 400 hurdles. The US, meanwhile, won five events - the men's 400m and 400m hurdles, 4x400 relay and women's 100 hurdles plus the 4 x 400 relay. McCook was not available for immediate comment.

I think this is a worthwhile idea with multiple possible benefits.

Depending on the timing of the series and substantial sponsorship/TV rights money this could definitely work in our favour.

It ties nicely in with the renewed tourism event initiative and can be integrated into that with proper planning and valued added elements for maximum leverage.

Jamaica's tourism product can definitely use the spinoff exposure such a globally promoted event could generate.

Plus, when Rome is burning and the people have no bread.... give them a circus... the government can play that card and will find this diversion attractive from a political perspective.

Finally, world track itself needs all the positive exposure and marketing pizzazz it can get to stay alive as a major sport.

Jamaica is just the ticket to provide that boost to track at the moment.

Accept the challenge... just don't be shortchanged by the yankees.

[Sir X]

We dont have a choice but to accept it , we cannot loose from a financial standpoint, this kind of international exposure is good for the Island.

2nd the investment that would be pumped in track and field would be tremendous for the youths.

One of those meets has to be a the national stadium!

[Sir X]

Historian and Jangle

Xtremly short sighted and emotional response , unless you can give me and John public a reason as to why T&F in jamaica would not profit individually or holisticaly as a nation we have no choice but to proceed.

I dont think the USA are throwing it to Jamaica because of our good name but because we have taken something away from them and they are willing to pay for it , thank GOD its Jamaica and not T&T or another nation.

Food deh deh fi eat.

[Gamma]

we do have a choice and i say NO!!! leave it for after the world championships!

[Historian]

Re: We do have a choice

we do have a choice and i say NO!!! leave it for after the world championships!

Thank you, Gamma!

The last thing we want is for an ego-bruised USA to distract our athletes as we prepare for the much more important (from an athletics point of view) IAAF World Championships this summer.

Can you imagine the morale boost that the mighty USA (the country that promulgated the idea of “Manifest Destiny” in the nineteenth century) would get if their athletes came out on top? Can you imagine the hit to Jamaica’s psyche (and Jamaica is not a country that always displays a “We-are-the-greatest-gift-to-humankind” persona) if our athletes somehow come out second best? How would this affect their performance at the real event in August?

[Historian]

Not as easy as we think!

The last thing we want is for an ego-bruised USA to distract our athletes as we prepare for the much more important (from an athletics point of view) IAAF World Championships this summer.

And for those of us who think that this is a great idea at the present time, I can assure you that, barring major misfortunes on the track and on the field, the USA would almost certainly come out on top in the following events:

100-meter hurdles (women)
110-meter hurdles
400-meter hurdles (men)
400-meter race (men)
400-meter race (women – a distinct possibility here)
Long jump (women)
Long jump (men)

[Assasin]

Well the money and Promo should be good.

My major concern for our ahtlete this year is burn out because everybody want them and some willing to pay big money.

Ed Barlett must be camping outside Bolt house and JAAA ya now. Him musti a make some plan fi have meet like test cricket.


Who next? Trinidad and Bahamas?

[Don1]

Thank you, Gamma!

The last thing we want is for an ego-bruised USA to distract our athletes as we prepare for the much more important (from an athletics point of view) IAAF World Championships this summer.

Can you imagine the morale boost that the mighty USA (the country that promulgated the idea of “Manifest Destiny” in the nineteenth century) would get if their athletes came out on top? Can you imagine the hit to Jamaica’s psyche (and Jamaica is not a country that always displays a “We-are-the-greatest-gift-to-humankind” persona) if our athletes somehow come out second best? How would this affect their performance at the real event in August?

The coaches, athletes and track admin should determine when such an event takes place. Early summer as mentioned in the article is way too early and a post WC event would be best even if not as commercially attractive.

But hit to our psyche? Whey yuh fraid fa?

We should be timid about an American track challenge because of a possible hit to our psyche?
Thats NOT the Jamaican way... and almost a laughable proposition. Concern about fitting it in a schedule with the WC coming up.. yes.. but psyche... NO.

We nuh fraid ah no guy.

[Sir X]

Gamma a retort.

No leave it for after the World Championships ? So thats a yes but at our own schedule ?

Its defenitely a yes but at our own schedule for me as it should be for the athlethes .They should be able to come up with something.

[Historian]

Is My Post Difficult To Understand?

We nuh fraid ah no guy

Yep, the typical Jamaican arrogance and the type of swashbuckling swagger that has today taken us to the very top of the region in social, economic and political achievements.

Don1, please don’t get me started!

But hit to our psyche? Whey yuh fraid fa?

We should be timid about an American track challenge because of a possible hit to our psyche? Thats NOT the Jamaican way... and almost a laughable proposition. Concern about fitting it in a schedule with the WC coming up.. yes.. but psyche... NO.

We nuh fraid ah no guy.

If you do not understand my post, please either say so or ask questions, but do not bring in statements like “We nuh fraid ah no guy” in order to slant my comments in a certain direction. Did I express any fear of the USA? And of course I know what the article said, but my concern is that a USA win in most events in both meets can affect our athletes as they get ready for Berlin.

Whether you realize it or not, the average American feels that they have a divine right to dominate the world! This philosophy is part and parcel of the “Manifest Destiny” approach to the Western Hemisphere that underpinned USA policy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We can see this today in the attitude of, for example, American tourists when they visit foreign countries. We can also see this superiority attitude in, to cite one additional example, the fact that their national events are regarded as world events, for example, baseball’s “World Series”.

This is not to say that we are – or should be – afraid of the Americans! Far from it! But you need to realize at the same time that the natural superiority over the rest of the world that is so much a part of the American psyche is not present in the average Jamaican. Our daily actions and results in almost every sphere of national life in Jamaica surely have made this clear?!

Our athletes are exceptional, and we have darn well been proving this fact ever since we first entered the Olympic Games in 1948 at the London meet. Nevertheless, we might not have a “shift in the blocks” by Torri Edwards this time around, or botched baton changes by the USA 4x100-meter relay teams.

In addition, despite our awesome performance in Beijing, we have very serious shortcomings in several areas of track and field, including the women and men’s long jump, the 400-meter and 4x400-meter events, and all the hurdles outside of the women’s 400-meter hurdles (and to a lesser extent the 100-meter hurdles).

With this in mind, therefore, we need to pick our battles, which is why I say that after the IAAF World Championships would be the best time. I expect our athletes to once again make a mark this summer at the IAAF World Championships, and I for one will be following their preparations very carefully.