Shelly Ann Frasier

[Yuttie]

http://www.caribbeantracklife.com/shelly-ann

[Sickko]

I am surprised she called out her own MVP teammate...are MVP athletes allowed to think on their own now?

[Sir X]

Ramone McKenzie: Power Sprinter With Big Dreams
By Anthony Foster
West Indies cricketer, Brian Lara, was once Ramone McKenzie's idol. Pele, the former Brazilian star, was the footballer (soccer player) Ramone had hoped to become. But today, the athlete whom Ramone admires most is Francis Obikwelu, Portugal's Olympic 100m silver medalist. Incidentally, his favorite movie isn't about track but about "Love and Basketball."

As an 11-year-old at Half-Way-Tree Primary School in Kingston, Jamaica's capital city, Ramone was a bright prospect not only as a track star but also as a budding cricketer and footballer. He represented his school in the then Caribbean Cement Primary School cricket league, scoring a half century that helped the team reach the final in 2000. As if that were not enough, Ramone was also the captain and goalkeeper of the school's football team, and harbored the ambition of becoming another Pele.
On his arrival at Calabar High School in 2002, Ramone dropped cricket only because he was not willing to work with a physical education teacher who, at that time, was acting as the coach.

"Cricket was my first love from day one, but because they did not have a coach, I went out for the football team," said the former Half-Way-Tree Primary No. 4 batsman.

And his hopes of being just like Pele got closer to reality as he left the goal and became one of the team's top marksmen, scoring six goals at the Pepsi (Under-14) level and three at the Colts (Under-16) level.

Under the instruction of Calabar's track & field coach, Michael Clarke, McKenzie was forced to choose between football and track, and opted for the latter because of the fame he believes goes with the sport.

"It took a while for me to follow his advice," he said. "It was very difficult [to drop it], but I had to make a decision," he recalled while noting that he still plays idle football on the street.

"The sport [track & field] is also easier because with football you have to do a lot of technical work, a lot of drills and things, while with track & field you just have to train hard...," he added.
Now that he is fully into running track, Ramone is a power sprinter not only on the track but also in his dreams. In reality, his personal best for the 200m is 20.58 secs., but in his dreams he has run 18.6 secs. twice. That means, if Ramone's dream becomes a reality, the 200m World record of 19.30 secs. set by compatriot Usain Bolt could be history before Ramone's career ends
"My dream is to set the 200m world record. I dreamt of crossing the finish line in 18.6 secs. on two occasions," said Ramone, who is one of Jamaica's top young athletes.

He also wants to add what he calls the 'big three' champion titles to his name sometime during his career. "I want to win the big three -- Olympic Games, World Championships and Commonwealth Games," said the 18-year-old Calabar High School student.

Though many may see his dream as one that may never materialize, Ramone has made progress every year, the biggest from 21.17 secs. in 2006 to 20.58 secs. for the Carifta Games gold in 2007.

"I want to win the Big 3: Olympic Games, World
Championships and Commonwealth Games."

It was at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships in Trinidad that Ramone made a name for himself by winning four gold medals: the Boys Under-17 400m event in 47.59 secs.; the 200m in 21.17 secs. and the sprint and mile relays.

Prior to Carifta 2007, he won the Under-17 200m and 400m Class Two double at the 2007 Jamaica high school championships in 20.89 secs. and 47.24secs., respectively. Then, at last year' s World Youth Games in the Czech Republic, Ramone targeted the 200m record of 20.13 secs. held by Bolt, winner of the 2005 edition in Sherbrooke, Canada. Even though Ramone won the gold medal, the record did not materialize. This made him turn his attention to the World Junior Championships and Bolt's World Junior mark of 19.93secs.

At last year's high school championships he had to settle for the Class One 400m title only. He was second in the 200m behind St. Jago's Nickel Ashmeade. In less than a month Ramone was second again to Ashmeade at the Carifta Games, posting 20.33 secs. to the winner's 20.16 secs. in a very strong supporting wind.
This year, Ramone took the Class 1 200m (20.66) and 400m (46.88) at Champs but lost the 200m to Ashmeade at Carifta. He also helped his team set the 4x1 record at Champs (39.90) and Penns (39.91.) He also ran the 4x4 at both meets.

The development of Ramone's leg speed seems to have begun as early as age three, when he used to run around the place. That fleet-footedness was a sign of things to come. "I only got fully involved in the sport at Half Way Tree Primary," he reflects. During his first three years in primary school, after leaving Hagley Park Prep, he was crowned champion boy three consecutive years with an average of three gold medals per year.

This strong 4x100 relay backstretch runner, who is known for stepping on the gas and hitting the front of the pack, said the love for track runs in his family. His father, Ralston McKenzie, and mother, Loraine McKenzie, along with other aunts and uncles are all former athletes.

Notable among his family members who competed in the sport was his cousin, Daniel England, who was a 200m and 400m powerhouse at the local high school championships between 1986 and 1990.

After Champs, England faded out of the limelight, but Ramone is not about to let that happen to him. "I only heard about his career at Champs ... and that he ran some pretty good times."
In an attempt to explain England's departure from the track, Ramone feels that "back in the day, track & field didn't get the attention it's getting now, and I think that was one of the reasons."

Ramone is, therefore, taking the necessary precautions against going in the direction of his cousin. "I am not hoping to be another England, I am trying to stay focused and keep working hard," said the student, who identified chemistry as his favorite subject, as he prepared to do eight of them last year in the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). However, if there's one Daniel England move that Ramone will follow, it is England's decision to study abroad even though he said he is aware of work pressure by the coaches.

Like so many other athletes, Ramone developed his own fashion statement with an edge some years ago when he used to run in glasses without lenses. That idea came about "because Edward Clarke, who had the Class Two 400m Champs record, used to run in glasses and Coach Michael Clarke told me to portray that image, but I customized it in my own style."

He explains how he came up with the idea: "One day I was with some of my friends playing with the glasses and decided to take out the lens, and after trying it on, they said it looked good, so I just decided to try it at Champs." Ramone sported the lens-less glasses in competition for a while until he ditched it for his current Batman mask.
Ramone is extremely fond of ice cream. It is, therefore, no surprise that Devon House, a haunt for families and lovers alike, known for its unique ice cream flavors, is his favorite place to hang out.
But ice cream isn't Ramone's only weakness; he loves junk food and he's not afraid to talk about it. According to him, it's a big problem with his coach who believes he is always overweight. "I have a problem there when it comes to eating ... I eat a lot of junk food," he says.
"Yes, I was about 205 lbs. before Champs....People were saying that I looked too fat and that a fat man cannot run. But I got down in the 190s by Champs..."

Despite any issues with junk food and weight, Ramone's focus earlier last year was on the July 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships in Poland.

Ramone is a hero for the youth in his community

While Ramone's target was the 200m gold and record, he had to start preparation from scratch because of a hamstring injury he picked up at this year's Gibson Relays. "I have been out of training for two weeks -- body recondition and everything, but I am still hoping to win," he said a few months before the Championships. But as fate would have it, he fell and injured himself in the 4x400m race at the Penn Relays. That injury lingered and was a big setback for the young man who identified his 2008 World Youth win as his biggest achievement.
He was selected for the World Juniors amid public questions about his fitness. With a last place semifinal run of 21.60 secs. in Poland, he failed to reach the final of the 200m. However, he subsequently anchored the 4x400m to victory in heat one but didn't run in the final.
When the 2008 track season ended for Ramone, he was still a local hero of sorts in his community of Delacree Park. Before going to Poland, the young sprinter pointed out that "I get a lot of respect from people in the community, especially the youngsters, who often asked how they must train to run fast like me, [and] what the countries I visited are like."

Interestingly, even though Ramone is a rising star who dreams of fame, glory and fortune, in reality, he is still a child at heart whose parents will ground him whenever it's necessary.
-Anthony Foster is a journalist based in Kingston, Jamaica.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association has picked Ramone as an alternate to the August World Championships in Berlin. He would replace an athlete named to the team if it becomes necessary.

[Yuttie]

great piece, mi ago post it over de so