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The Coming of Isa
Published: Saturday | July 11, 2009
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
Isa Phillips was on his knees, hands clasped, looking to the heavens after winning his pet event at a meet in Switzerland on Tuesday. The photo told a sobering story. Just not nearly all of it.
While the camera confirmed Phillips' reach to a higher power, it didn't show the blocks Jamaica's national 400-metre hurdles champion is building on - step by meticulous step, up and over literal and figurative barriers - to get to the top of his sport.
For Phillips, his drive to the ultimate prize is fuelled by faith. Yet, the road to success has, for years, been clinically mapped out. Almost nothing is left to chance. And by the time the World Championships in Athletics (WCA) in Berlin, Germany, rolls around next month, Usain Bolt may not be the only Jamaican male with a real chance to win gold in an individual event.
"Yes, it's deliberate because it's been a goal," the 25-year-old Phillips explained not long after running the then world-leading time of 48.05 seconds to win at Jamaica's trials on June 27 before 2005 world champion Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson did 48.03 at the United States trials that same weekend. "It's all planned. We don't do things by accident over here."
steady reduction
Phillips can recite the methodical progress he has made since first trying the event with the encouragement of one of his mentors, Donald 'Cherry' Davis, as a gangly teenager attending St Andrew Technical High School. The improvement in his technique, starting from 15 strides between hurdles, but now down to 13 over the first six barriers, has translated into steady reduction in his times.
The more the 6' 5" athlete has learned about the event, the more the stopwatch has smiled on him. Phillips recalled his first race in 2000 was timed in 58 seconds. That soon dropped to 56, then 54. The following year, he clocked 52. In 2003, his best was 50.95. That was scaled down to 50.39 the following year. Between 2005 and 2006, he was running 49 seconds consistently. For the WCA, he's aiming for the low 47 seconds, the ballpark where the event's medal favourites are expected to roam.
"We've mastered 48," Phillips explained. "Moving on again."
us challenge
However, he will have to get past more than just the 10 hurdles of his speciality to get near the top podium in Berlin. At last year's Olympic Games, Phillips' 48.85 fifth place failed to take him beyond the semi-final. Then he watched the Americans sweep the top-three medal placings. To compound matters, Jackson, who beat Phillips in a US meet earlier this season, recently predicted further American dominance in Berlin.
"Most definitely a sweep," Batman told reporters. "We have the greatest hurdlers in the world. I don't think other countries in the world can compete with America."
That boast did not go down well with Phillips and he plans to test Jackson's surprising outburst. He believes Jamaica's established pedigree on the track should never be underestimated - or disrespected - by anyone.
"I didn't expect him to, knowing that we have the potential too," Phillips said. "And it's not just the sprinters (like Bolt) ... Danny (McFarlane at the 2004 Olympics) beat all of them, except one (Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez) ... So, I mean, they know we're right in there."
McFarlane finished second to Phillips at the trials. Yet, despite his big meet credentials and recognised speed over the distance, at age 37 and strapped with less-than-pure hurdling technique, he is not favoured to threaten the Americans' bid in Berlin. In addition to Jackson, who finished third at the 2008 Olympics, the US will also start Angelo Taylor, who won in Beijing, plus Kerron Clement, the defending WCA champion. Youngster Johnny Dutch, second at the US trials with 48.18, is also in the mix.
It appears Phillips will be entrusted with Jamaica's only real chance in the battle against American dominance in the event. Armed with belief and confidence in his own preparation, he doesn't plan to back down.
"The main thing for me is to prove to myself and be a testimony to others that it is true that we can be, do, have whatever we want, whatever God made and created us to be," Phillips explained. "We're all pre-built with a dream and dreams, you know. Like they said, opportunities are never missed, they're just passed on to the next prepared person. For me, personally, dreams never really die, they're just waiting to exhale. So we have the dream. It's a process."
That process has never been easy for Isa Phillips. His first name was given to him by his father, Manley. The hurdler believes his dad probably invented it, along with his middle name, Ita, from a combination of experiences and people the elder Phillips knew. The son claimed theology students he met while attending school in the US traced the name Isa to biblical connections with Jesus. But his early days were not all filled with blessings. Phillips said his father struggled to support his family.
Eventually, the son would turn to a series of mentors, "rich dads" he calls them now, like Davis and an uncle, who recognised not just his talent on the track, but his humility and willingness to learn. They all pitched in to help, and together, they hatched a plan that would eventually take him on scholarship to Louisiana State University (LSU), where he would close out his college career with a victory in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA championships.
He credits others, including LSU coach Dennis Shaver and former Jamaican stars Winthrop Graham and Debbie-Ann Parris, for helping him tackle perhaps track and field's most testing event of speed, technical skill and stamina. Graham earned silver medals in the event at both the Olympics (1992) and WCA (1991), plus a WCA bronze in 1993. Parris, who earned silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, also finished fourth at the 1996 Olympics when Deon Hemmings won.
NO OBSESSION
Phillips's methodical plan also included becoming a professional athlete. The Athletissima meet in Switzerland was one of several he will compete in Europe before Berlin. His ideal end to life on the track would be winning gold medals at major meets like the WCA and the 2012 Olympics in London, England. But athletics is not an obsession for Phillips. He admits running professionally is a way to create capital to invest in businesses he hopes to run after his days on the track are over, and he has long started to make preparations for that. For example, Phillips is a spokesman for the company which is behind Tahitian Noni Juice. He attends personal development programmes and, even though he started reading later than most, pours through material on subjects ranging from business to philosophy. As his times fall on the track, his credentials and appearance fee rise.
"This (track) for me was originally a means to an end," Phillips said. "Even right now, as a pro, I want to do other ventures that are residual-based and royalties, because this is like a job. It just replaces for me.
"I don't like linear income, you know. You have to run, get paid and then run again to get paid again. So I'm using this to produce the capital to build assets that I want to build."
major building block
But for now, athletics will be a major building block. He is more focused on the times he will run. That means sharpening his technique further. If he doesn't get it all right by Berlin, he's sure he'll be ready in London. He vows to put in the work, but there's really no rush.
"A long time ago, they told me ... 'If you go to the door and you knock long enough it will open. It must'," Phillips explained. "And they said 'must' or 'shall'. It has to. So I understand that concept and I said, well, I don't have a problem with knocking and I'll just knock long enough until I get where I want. The pinnacle for me is 47.0 and possibly looking at 46."
The road map Isa Phillips has in place, he said with confidence, will eventually take him where he is seeking to go. The goals he set each preseason clearly stated on "a vision board hung up over my bed", are always within reach. It doesn't matter if others don't believe or, as when he failed in Beijing, he falls short. The objective is to plug away, step by measured step. Stick with the plan.
"Sometimes I don't meet them," Phillips said. "(So I) get back on the drawing board and hit it again and get at it again," said. "Last year, I set a goal to win the Olympics too. (He laughs.) ... (Winning in Berlin) is realistic, definitely. It's always realistic 'cause I can see the possibility in my mind. Once the possibility is there, it's always realistic. So it's no doubt."
It's simply about putting the building blocks together, matching spiritual, mental and physical, one on top of the other until everyone else can see the whole picture.
Published: Saturday | July 11, 2009
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
Isa Phillips was on his knees, hands clasped, looking to the heavens after winning his pet event at a meet in Switzerland on Tuesday. The photo told a sobering story. Just not nearly all of it.
While the camera confirmed Phillips' reach to a higher power, it didn't show the blocks Jamaica's national 400-metre hurdles champion is building on - step by meticulous step, up and over literal and figurative barriers - to get to the top of his sport.
For Phillips, his drive to the ultimate prize is fuelled by faith. Yet, the road to success has, for years, been clinically mapped out. Almost nothing is left to chance. And by the time the World Championships in Athletics (WCA) in Berlin, Germany, rolls around next month, Usain Bolt may not be the only Jamaican male with a real chance to win gold in an individual event.
"Yes, it's deliberate because it's been a goal," the 25-year-old Phillips explained not long after running the then world-leading time of 48.05 seconds to win at Jamaica's trials on June 27 before 2005 world champion Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson did 48.03 at the United States trials that same weekend. "It's all planned. We don't do things by accident over here."
steady reduction
Phillips can recite the methodical progress he has made since first trying the event with the encouragement of one of his mentors, Donald 'Cherry' Davis, as a gangly teenager attending St Andrew Technical High School. The improvement in his technique, starting from 15 strides between hurdles, but now down to 13 over the first six barriers, has translated into steady reduction in his times.
The more the 6' 5" athlete has learned about the event, the more the stopwatch has smiled on him. Phillips recalled his first race in 2000 was timed in 58 seconds. That soon dropped to 56, then 54. The following year, he clocked 52. In 2003, his best was 50.95. That was scaled down to 50.39 the following year. Between 2005 and 2006, he was running 49 seconds consistently. For the WCA, he's aiming for the low 47 seconds, the ballpark where the event's medal favourites are expected to roam.
"We've mastered 48," Phillips explained. "Moving on again."
us challenge
However, he will have to get past more than just the 10 hurdles of his speciality to get near the top podium in Berlin. At last year's Olympic Games, Phillips' 48.85 fifth place failed to take him beyond the semi-final. Then he watched the Americans sweep the top-three medal placings. To compound matters, Jackson, who beat Phillips in a US meet earlier this season, recently predicted further American dominance in Berlin.
"Most definitely a sweep," Batman told reporters. "We have the greatest hurdlers in the world. I don't think other countries in the world can compete with America."
That boast did not go down well with Phillips and he plans to test Jackson's surprising outburst. He believes Jamaica's established pedigree on the track should never be underestimated - or disrespected - by anyone.
"I didn't expect him to, knowing that we have the potential too," Phillips said. "And it's not just the sprinters (like Bolt) ... Danny (McFarlane at the 2004 Olympics) beat all of them, except one (Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez) ... So, I mean, they know we're right in there."
McFarlane finished second to Phillips at the trials. Yet, despite his big meet credentials and recognised speed over the distance, at age 37 and strapped with less-than-pure hurdling technique, he is not favoured to threaten the Americans' bid in Berlin. In addition to Jackson, who finished third at the 2008 Olympics, the US will also start Angelo Taylor, who won in Beijing, plus Kerron Clement, the defending WCA champion. Youngster Johnny Dutch, second at the US trials with 48.18, is also in the mix.
It appears Phillips will be entrusted with Jamaica's only real chance in the battle against American dominance in the event. Armed with belief and confidence in his own preparation, he doesn't plan to back down.
"The main thing for me is to prove to myself and be a testimony to others that it is true that we can be, do, have whatever we want, whatever God made and created us to be," Phillips explained. "We're all pre-built with a dream and dreams, you know. Like they said, opportunities are never missed, they're just passed on to the next prepared person. For me, personally, dreams never really die, they're just waiting to exhale. So we have the dream. It's a process."
That process has never been easy for Isa Phillips. His first name was given to him by his father, Manley. The hurdler believes his dad probably invented it, along with his middle name, Ita, from a combination of experiences and people the elder Phillips knew. The son claimed theology students he met while attending school in the US traced the name Isa to biblical connections with Jesus. But his early days were not all filled with blessings. Phillips said his father struggled to support his family.
Eventually, the son would turn to a series of mentors, "rich dads" he calls them now, like Davis and an uncle, who recognised not just his talent on the track, but his humility and willingness to learn. They all pitched in to help, and together, they hatched a plan that would eventually take him on scholarship to Louisiana State University (LSU), where he would close out his college career with a victory in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA championships.
He credits others, including LSU coach Dennis Shaver and former Jamaican stars Winthrop Graham and Debbie-Ann Parris, for helping him tackle perhaps track and field's most testing event of speed, technical skill and stamina. Graham earned silver medals in the event at both the Olympics (1992) and WCA (1991), plus a WCA bronze in 1993. Parris, who earned silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, also finished fourth at the 1996 Olympics when Deon Hemmings won.
NO OBSESSION
Phillips's methodical plan also included becoming a professional athlete. The Athletissima meet in Switzerland was one of several he will compete in Europe before Berlin. His ideal end to life on the track would be winning gold medals at major meets like the WCA and the 2012 Olympics in London, England. But athletics is not an obsession for Phillips. He admits running professionally is a way to create capital to invest in businesses he hopes to run after his days on the track are over, and he has long started to make preparations for that. For example, Phillips is a spokesman for the company which is behind Tahitian Noni Juice. He attends personal development programmes and, even though he started reading later than most, pours through material on subjects ranging from business to philosophy. As his times fall on the track, his credentials and appearance fee rise.
"This (track) for me was originally a means to an end," Phillips said. "Even right now, as a pro, I want to do other ventures that are residual-based and royalties, because this is like a job. It just replaces for me.
"I don't like linear income, you know. You have to run, get paid and then run again to get paid again. So I'm using this to produce the capital to build assets that I want to build."
major building block
But for now, athletics will be a major building block. He is more focused on the times he will run. That means sharpening his technique further. If he doesn't get it all right by Berlin, he's sure he'll be ready in London. He vows to put in the work, but there's really no rush.
"A long time ago, they told me ... 'If you go to the door and you knock long enough it will open. It must'," Phillips explained. "And they said 'must' or 'shall'. It has to. So I understand that concept and I said, well, I don't have a problem with knocking and I'll just knock long enough until I get where I want. The pinnacle for me is 47.0 and possibly looking at 46."
The road map Isa Phillips has in place, he said with confidence, will eventually take him where he is seeking to go. The goals he set each preseason clearly stated on "a vision board hung up over my bed", are always within reach. It doesn't matter if others don't believe or, as when he failed in Beijing, he falls short. The objective is to plug away, step by measured step. Stick with the plan.
"Sometimes I don't meet them," Phillips said. "(So I) get back on the drawing board and hit it again and get at it again," said. "Last year, I set a goal to win the Olympics too. (He laughs.) ... (Winning in Berlin) is realistic, definitely. It's always realistic 'cause I can see the possibility in my mind. Once the possibility is there, it's always realistic. So it's no doubt."
It's simply about putting the building blocks together, matching spiritual, mental and physical, one on top of the other until everyone else can see the whole picture.
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
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