Did you see the interviews posted by X?

[Peter R]

What struck me was how much respect and admiration Shelly Ann has for her coach... which by the way is a good thing. It shows she trusts him and her results show that besides her God -given talents she is a good learner and he by extension a good teacher (not that that is in dispute).

However, the question of the post-World Championship sanctions as allegedly (mi a tun journalis') threatened by the JAAA comes to mind.

Question to ponder: Is having a mandatory camp (if in fact it was) necessary? in light of the coach's achievements past and present?

Now in case people are thinking that I am advocating disrespect for authority or lack of "discipline" (an over-used word) among the players/athletes, I am not. In many companies, especially those that thrive on creativity, their star employees are given leeway in their work environment; the analogy should be to give your stars and in this case the coach, leeway to bring his charges along at a pace that he sees as most beneficial to the team, after all he would have been working with his athletes closely for months and he is the BEST person to assess them and know where they stand in their preparation for any meet.

This is not football or cricket where the team members presence in camp is absolutely essential for a pre-game preparation. Barring the relays T&F is PRIMARILY about the individual. The TEAM aspect in my mind is secondary. Yes, camaraderie and all that is important, but I suspect many of these atletes might be even better friends with athletes from another country than their own given the intrinsic nature of the sport, individual. Other than the relays we are only a TEAM in that we wear the same Jamaican uniform. I never saw Kerron Stewart NOT trying to beat her "team-mate"...

However, the athletes all appear to respect each other and their respective coaches so why does the JAAA want to bring Francis to heel? and make the MVP track club look like they are non-team players and inimical to the success of the the JAAA (and by extension Jamaica)? or should that be the other way round?... What really is the issue?

I ask these questions in ignorance as I am NOT a t&F expert nor aficionado say in the same way Willi, Yuttie and others are...but after following the recent events that is the conclusion I am led to draw.

[Sir X]

Peter if anyone of the copy and paste media has the gonads to ask the JAAA president those and other probing questions they would do the nation a great service.

Other than dat , dem fi leave it alone and guh try run the army.To me this discipline thing is an excuse for irrational unprofessional behavior.

Discipline has its place in business, but it is always business 1st to maximizing your potential.These guys were hell bent on sabotaging our potential on the field and financially off the field. .

[Willi]

Pete

Yuh hit the nail on the head. I will find my post on camps and repost here.
BTW, they, the JAAA need to address the issues raised. Why are they telling Franno's athletes to leave him? Why the veiled threat to them if they stay? They have allowed personality clashes to consume them and now are lashing out illogically and bloodmindedly.


X,
I posit that athletes and coaches CANT have this level of success WITHOUT already being incredibly. Thus the discipline card is a red herring.

[Willi]

Repost:

What really needs to be done is to restructure these "camps".

What we need SIX coaches there for that dont coach most of these athletes? Is this a boondoggle or what? Why dont we hold camps consistently for the Juniors going off to WJ and WY Champs, where the impact is PROVEN! Why are we antagonizing the senior PROFESSIONALS, who already have their infrastucture in place??

Unfamiliar coaches (if unchecked) will only destroy the good work of the GREAT coaches that have prepared the athletes so well. Now is the time of active rest for the sprinters and these unfamiliar coaches will have them running WAAAAYY too much and mash up the timing of their peak. This is a delicate stage and no time for guessing and spelling.

We should have a male and female general coach and let the groups bring their own coaches. Furthermore, if we dont have field event coaches for Dorian Scott, Alain Bailey, Tricia Smith, etc, they should make it OPTIONAL for them to attend. Likewise for athletes with valid medical/other reasons.

I dont like the fact that Mills is made head coach and thus spread thin. I want him to spend every minute with Racers runners to make sure their preps are IMMACULATE. I want to ensure that our Pro squads are properly catered to, so they can perform at peak performance. JAAA must bend over backward to accomodate this. Otherwise, they have lost their way and are ignoring their PRIME directive.... athlete FACILITATION!!!!

Attitudes like "to control all aspect of amateur athletics" and "to deal repressively with abuses" need to be at least toned down in their constitution as well.

If we dont grow up, we will reap our just desserts. We will mash up the golden egg we have so carefully nurtured over decades.

JAAA needs to enter modern reality.

[Yuttie]

I concur with everything you mentioned. The JAAA is the JFF on 4-Methyl-2-hexanamine. Brain dead dinasaurs who refuse to evolve and think that micromanagement is the best type of management; sad part is that they are a$_$ backward when it comes to management. NOt even a working E-mail, don't get mi started boss. The worse part is that nobody in the media has the balls to reveal them to the greater public the way they revealed BOXHILL.

[Sir X]

I dont think Mills an adversarial coach to MVP or any camp should be a head coach of any JAAA delegation or vice versa.

Its a clear conflict of professional interest.No way one champion trainer can train a next man horse , not even fi a sec.Suppose man juice get spike under his second.

[Willi]

I was saying that I dont want Mills or Franno distracted!

I want them to make sure their athletes are peaked to perfection.

[Yuttie]

Damnit X, why do you keep stealing thoughts out of my mind? Mills has nothing against MVP nor has he ever came off as malicious towards any athlete, REGARDLESS it's a clear conflict of PROFESSIONAL interest. Why are we not providing camps for the juniors and youths instead of focusing it on senior athletes who are already ina aprofessional setup?

Yo notice di only thing USATF mek mandatory is relay training which they do THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? even Brazil for heavens sake. AMATEUR hour at best! Imagine if it was up to the JAAA we would have been denied of a extra bronze and a silver. It's not even the medals, what other event attract JAmAMICANS undivided attention? Look at the crowds in HWT, look at the joy in the athletes' communties, pot beating, dancing, national pride spraying throughout the earth.. this is reminiscient of WC98! the fools wanted to through this all away.. and den have nerve fi a tek picture with Ms Fraser after the win.

If it was up to them track and field would become Western Football reincaranated. Too much inept dinasaurs! I hope they stick to their gunz and sanction the players after the championships.

[Jangle]

Yuttie me seh from yuh start go a college your writing has improved by leaps and bounds. You are getting across your thoughts much more cohesively. Your graMMER still needs improvement but I can live with that as you are not the worse here. Well said:

"Yo notice di only thing USATF mek mandatory is relay training which they do THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? even Brazil for heavens sake. AMATEUR hour at best! Imagine if it was up to the JAAA we would have been denied of a extra bronze and a silver. It's not even the medals, what other event attract JAmAMICANS undivided attention? Look at the crowds in HWT, look at the joy in the athletes' communties, pot beating, dancing, national pride spraying throughout the earth.. this is reminiscient of WC98! the fools wanted to through this all away.. and den have nerve fi a tek picture with Ms Fraser after the win."

[Yuttie]

lawdamercy Jangle, you to? mi keep telling unu, mi no proofread aftah mi type. It's an internet forum for heavens sake.

[Jawge]

Mi say!!Yuh notice it to. WHat is key is how he is able to communicate
effectively with sophistication, with just everyday words.

God bless America. Outiside of football mi cyaan knock the US. As for me the US took me in my ignorant state and gave me the ability to glimpse, and to this day I'm saying thanks.

[Jangle]

Yuttie me proud a yuh me son!!! As the many fathers and grandfathers on the forum here help groom yuh!!! Me memba many time you and Father Time - Karl inna argument not to mention Karl's father Mosiah too. Gwaan do yuh ting me big bwoy.

[Sickko]

Actually Francis was given full acces to his athletes in the camp, that was ironed out from as far back as January...so your point really is moot.

Additionally if I may say and in the nicest way and most humble and apologetic way I can, your point is also small minded as you are trying to say that Mills would either not pay any attention to the other people or that he may hamper their chnaces intentionally and all that but it would be impossible to get every single coach for every athlete in the camp.

Additionally when any team be it Antigua or the US or Russia goes to a meet, there is one head coach.

As much as you are trying to use a 'common sense approach', it might not be applicable here given the circumstances.

Then again what the hell do I know, I did not even know that Calabar had a Sixth Form.

[Yuttie]

boss, how comes yo nuh disable yo private message link. do betta

Anyway I had an @$$%ole of an EN101 teacher, or I thought at the time, who taught me english, LOL. Damn, looking back i appreciate those verbal lashings. Plus mi built nuff circuit and haffi do nuff presentation suh it help develop mi ability fi communicate clearly and concisely.

Not fi mention di forum played a HUGE role. heeehee

[Jangle]

Me warra??? Me barely know how fe turn on me computer!!! Me noticed seh yuh barely post on the football forum these days. T & F and politricks tek over?