Tweet
Racers Track Club officially launched
BY PAUL BURROWES
Thursday, June 04, 2009
AFTER shunning the limelight, celebrated sprint coach Glen Mills yielded to the support of friends to formalise the Racers Track & Field Club, which was officially launched Tuesday night at Jamaica Trade and Invest, Trafalgar Road.
Earl Moore (right) of Guardian Life presents a cheque to Racers Track Club's founder and coach Glen Mills (second left) while athletes (from left) Sonita Sutherland and Usain Bolt look on at Trafalgar Road on Tuesday night. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
As president and founder, Mills will structure and diversify the 21-athlete strong club, develop a hurdles programme and bring in more female athletes, which currently stand at two.
Guardian Life ($300,000), Worldtron ($50,000), Supreme Ventures ($50,000) and the National Health Fund, supported the club through cheque presentations as Mills, head coach for the national track and field teams from some 30 years, announced medium and long-term plans under the motto "We take competition seriously".
Credited with moulding sprint sensation Usain Bolt into a triple world record breaker, as well as conditioning Raymond Stewart and St Kitts and Nevis' Kim Collins into world beaters, Mills announced medium and long-term plans for the Kingston-based club.
"We'll focus mainly on expansion of the coaching staff, development of the hurdles programme, expansion of the women's programme and provision of academic and financial advice," Mills said.
"Long-term plans include permanent training facilities, administrative office facilities, and of course financial viability," he added.
With all but six of his athletes turning up for the launch, Mills said: "I'm proud to head an organisation where young athletes have the opportunity to access top-quality coaching and technical assitance; represent themselves and their country at local, regional and international competitions, and fulfil basic educational, welfare and nutritional goals while achieving and maintaining performance standards."
The veteran coach said the club "hopes to maintain the standards by which Jamaica has been judged in the international arena in track & field. We pledge to further enhance the quality by ensuring that our athletes continue to do well. Our task will not be an easy one, but the club has put a structure in place to meet its technical, administrative, financial and social needs.
"We see ourselves as a vehicle to the athletes' overall development. It's our goal to develop top-class performers and help them create a balanced development in their character and career goals," he added.
"Our reach is far and wide, and while we're based in Jamaica we have attracted membership from our regional neighbours in Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad & Tobago. We're proud of our current membership of athletes...," Mills stressed.
Executives of the club are Cynthia Cooke, general secretary; Norman Peart and Richard Shaw in finance; Patrick Dawson, technical; Danielle Archer, legal; and Carole Beckford and Yolanda Davis, marketing.
As Bolt threw cold water on seeking the sprint treble at the 2012 Olympics in London, fellow sprinter Marvin Anderson, who will run just one more race, a 100m in Toronto, before the National Championships at the end of June, explained why teacher Mills stood out as coach.
"Since working with Mr Mills from last October, what is eye-opening to me is his wealth of knowlege about the sprinting, how he delivers that wealth not in a bundle, but bit by bit, making it easier for athletes to take it in," Anderson noted.
Quarter-miler Sonita Sutherland reiterated the club's athletes' pledge, which included representation in an appropriate manner; refraining from prohibited substances; maintaining a healthy and competitive approach to athletics; accepting responsibility for actions on and off the field; demonstrating good sportsmanship and understanding that academic development has a place.
The athletes of Racers Club are Andrew Wright, Ansert Whyte, Daniel Bailey, Emmanuel Calendar, Gregory Little, Jermaine Gonzales, Kenroy Anderson, Kerone Robinson, Kerri-Ann Stewart, Latoya King, Mario Forsythe, Marvin Anderson, Rayon Lawrence, Remaldo Rose, Ricardo Chambers, Ricardo Francis, Sandor Pennicott, Sutherland, Bolt, Xavier Brown and Yohan Blake.
President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), Howard Aris; IAAF area representative Neville McCook, and president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Michael Fennell, brought greetings, noting Mills' humility and encouraging companies to invest in the athletes' future.
BY PAUL BURROWES
Thursday, June 04, 2009
AFTER shunning the limelight, celebrated sprint coach Glen Mills yielded to the support of friends to formalise the Racers Track & Field Club, which was officially launched Tuesday night at Jamaica Trade and Invest, Trafalgar Road.
Earl Moore (right) of Guardian Life presents a cheque to Racers Track Club's founder and coach Glen Mills (second left) while athletes (from left) Sonita Sutherland and Usain Bolt look on at Trafalgar Road on Tuesday night. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)As president and founder, Mills will structure and diversify the 21-athlete strong club, develop a hurdles programme and bring in more female athletes, which currently stand at two.
Guardian Life ($300,000), Worldtron ($50,000), Supreme Ventures ($50,000) and the National Health Fund, supported the club through cheque presentations as Mills, head coach for the national track and field teams from some 30 years, announced medium and long-term plans under the motto "We take competition seriously".
Credited with moulding sprint sensation Usain Bolt into a triple world record breaker, as well as conditioning Raymond Stewart and St Kitts and Nevis' Kim Collins into world beaters, Mills announced medium and long-term plans for the Kingston-based club.
"We'll focus mainly on expansion of the coaching staff, development of the hurdles programme, expansion of the women's programme and provision of academic and financial advice," Mills said.
"Long-term plans include permanent training facilities, administrative office facilities, and of course financial viability," he added.
With all but six of his athletes turning up for the launch, Mills said: "I'm proud to head an organisation where young athletes have the opportunity to access top-quality coaching and technical assitance; represent themselves and their country at local, regional and international competitions, and fulfil basic educational, welfare and nutritional goals while achieving and maintaining performance standards."
The veteran coach said the club "hopes to maintain the standards by which Jamaica has been judged in the international arena in track & field. We pledge to further enhance the quality by ensuring that our athletes continue to do well. Our task will not be an easy one, but the club has put a structure in place to meet its technical, administrative, financial and social needs.
"We see ourselves as a vehicle to the athletes' overall development. It's our goal to develop top-class performers and help them create a balanced development in their character and career goals," he added.
"Our reach is far and wide, and while we're based in Jamaica we have attracted membership from our regional neighbours in Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad & Tobago. We're proud of our current membership of athletes...," Mills stressed.
Executives of the club are Cynthia Cooke, general secretary; Norman Peart and Richard Shaw in finance; Patrick Dawson, technical; Danielle Archer, legal; and Carole Beckford and Yolanda Davis, marketing.
As Bolt threw cold water on seeking the sprint treble at the 2012 Olympics in London, fellow sprinter Marvin Anderson, who will run just one more race, a 100m in Toronto, before the National Championships at the end of June, explained why teacher Mills stood out as coach.
"Since working with Mr Mills from last October, what is eye-opening to me is his wealth of knowlege about the sprinting, how he delivers that wealth not in a bundle, but bit by bit, making it easier for athletes to take it in," Anderson noted.
Quarter-miler Sonita Sutherland reiterated the club's athletes' pledge, which included representation in an appropriate manner; refraining from prohibited substances; maintaining a healthy and competitive approach to athletics; accepting responsibility for actions on and off the field; demonstrating good sportsmanship and understanding that academic development has a place.
The athletes of Racers Club are Andrew Wright, Ansert Whyte, Daniel Bailey, Emmanuel Calendar, Gregory Little, Jermaine Gonzales, Kenroy Anderson, Kerone Robinson, Kerri-Ann Stewart, Latoya King, Mario Forsythe, Marvin Anderson, Rayon Lawrence, Remaldo Rose, Ricardo Chambers, Ricardo Francis, Sandor Pennicott, Sutherland, Bolt, Xavier Brown and Yohan Blake.
President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), Howard Aris; IAAF area representative Neville McCook, and president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Michael Fennell, brought greetings, noting Mills' humility and encouraging companies to invest in the athletes' future.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
Jangle: MdmeX out yuh?
Comment