Relays: This is Really Creepy!!!!

[Historian]

Women’s Relay: This is Eerie!! It is really creepy when you think about it!!

As far as the USA women’s 4x100-meter relay is concerned, think about this:

2004 Olympic Games: Running the backstretch, the tall athlete Marion Jones tries repeatedly to hand the baton to curve runner Lauryn Williams, but fails each time until Lauryn finally runs out of the exchange zone. This was after an excellent lead-off leg by Angela Williams, and after the USA team had ran the world’s leading time in a pre-Olympic Games meet while they were at their training camp.

Result: Jamaica won the gold medal in the final of the women’s 4x100-meter relay.

2009 IAAF World Championships: Running the backstretch, the tall athlete Alexandria Anderson tries repeatedly to hand the baton to curve runner Muna Lee, but fails each time until finally, after Muna gets a hold of the baton, Alexandria’s shoe clips her and she pulls up injured. This was after an excellent lead-off leg by Lauryn Williams, and after the USA team had run the world’s leading time at in a pre-World Championships meet in Cottbus, Germany while they were at their training camp.

Result: Jamaica won the gold medal in the final of the women’s 4x100-meter relay.

[Peter R]

It's not really creeping me out at all... just bad luck or karma or whatever... they'll be back.

[Sickko]

I feel bad for Muna and hopes she is not badly injured and will be able to run on the European circuit afterwe ard sbut saw her on Tv with a big bandage on her left thigh, but I wonder what the mind set in the Jamaican team would have been had the US finished their heat.

With the men's team's DQ and the women's mishap I wonder about the hoopla over the fact that Jamaican never ran any relays in the run up to the World Championships.

[Gamma]

suh whey yuh a seh? wiliams is the voodoo chile?

[Peter R]

You think VCB would have run? had the Americans been in it? regardless of what leg she got? Hmmm...

[Karl]

I feel bad for Muna and hopes she is not badly injured and will be able to run on the European circuit afterwe ard sbut saw her on Tv with a big bandage on her left thigh, but I wonder what the mind set in the Jamaican team would have been had the US finished their heat.

With the men's team's DQ and the women's mishap I wonder about the hoopla over the fact that Jamaican never ran any relays in the run up to the World Championships.

Not exactly sure where you are coming from...but I do that regardless of past results one should always try to improve. In the case of our national relay teams, practise, practise...and plan for contingencies.

While I was at MC, at least on the teams I was a part of, Ken Walton had practise and practise and always appointed a captain of each relay team.

I was captain appointed each year I was on the 4 x 400M (We ran Western Camps and Champs). As captain only once was a called on to make a decision on what the other runners do. We were on the field at the National Stadium in the Champs finals ready to run when our anchor Barington Shirley stepped up and said he could not take that respnsiblity to run that final leg as he had just finished running the 200M final and had grave doubts about his ability to repel any charge last on his leg. He looked just about freeked out. ...and that was not "Jake". He wanted to go early and leave the rest to us to repair any damage that his being tired caused. I changed the order. Everyone just fell in line...FULL 100..."Jake gave us a good 2nd leg and we came in 3rd. The 3rd was not even the point...mattered not the placing...it was the matter of having a system in place for just such a contingency...one which we never could have dreamt of...that was the point.

The matter of bonding, practise and other preparations are a must. It is not about all things running well without mishaps...but putting in place all things to deal with and overcome those that at times do go wrong.

Franno and those juming up and down behind him on his madness are not considering our future. They are all about this wonderful medal haul where just about most things went right. It must be for any managing body about the here and now and also all possible future contingencies. I know those jumping up and down, like our 1998 JFF...gave not one thought to continuity...the future and 'things that could go wrong'...and at some time 'things' shall go wrong. No thought for contingencies! ...a mad way to plan.

[Historian]

Read the series of events again

It's not really creeping me out at all... just bad luck or karma or whatever... they'll be back.

Peter R: Maybe creepy is a strong word in this case, but read my post once again, and pay close attention the eerie similarities that I highlighted. The 2009 series of occurrences is a mirror image similarity to the series of events in 2004. In fact, the only difference, aside from the two people directly involved in each case, is that the former occurred in the finals while yesterday’s happened in the semi-finals.

But everything else was like a carbon copy replay of Athens 2004.

[Historian]

Gamma (LOL)

suh whey yuh a seh? wiliams is the voodoo chile?

Gamma, you said it like a joke, and of course it is a clever joke from Gamma’s very creative mind . However, you’ve also pointed out an interesting (lol) factor: Lauryn Williams.

Do you realize that Lauryn Williams was directly involved in the baton problems in 2004 (Marion Jones and Lauryn Williams) and 2008 in Beijing (Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards). Then yesterday, although the problem was between Alexandria and Muna, Lauryn was on the team, this time as lead-off. (LOL)

If it’s not Lauryn who is the problem, then it’s Aleen Bailey, that other factor (that is, the only person who directly benefitted from the 2004 and 2009 fiasco).

Anyway, don’t take me seriously. My mind is just still on a high on this Sunday morning following Jamaica’s historic performance the past few days!

[Peter R]

Karl,

You should recognize it is easier to create a sense of team on a High School team than among professioanls eventhose from the same country. I asked the question before, don't know if it was answered, about a coach's responsibility towards any other association other than his own country's, given the fact that they have charges from other countries...

Does Mills have athletes who are not Jamaican? how would being "head coach" of Jamaica affect your relationship with your other charges in these high level meets?

[Karl]

Karl,

You should recognize it is easier to create a sense of team on a High School team than among professioanls eventhose from the same country. I asked the question before, don't know if it was answered, about a coach's responsibility towards any other association other than his own country's, given the fact that they have charges from other countries...

Does Mills have athletes who are not Jamaican? how would being "head coach" of Jamaica affect your relationship with your other charges in these high level meets?

Re: ...easier to create a sense of team
Yes and No!
I say that as creating team has a lot to do with the various personalities....
...mmmm? Maturity of the parties? ...ability of leaders, etc.

...but an effort...a great effort must be made.

Re: Mills and Franno
I am hearing they both do. ...but check Willi, he would know. ...and having responsibility for athletes in different camps...that dirty word 'camp' again? ...must certainly create difficulties - logistics and appearance of 'divided' loyalties.

Then there is the difficulty of within the same camp being fair to more than one athlete...so it certainly must be that under the best of circumstances a coach with athletes in more than one camp cannot be gving equal and fair attention to all the athletes under his care!