Mills on Bolt

[Karl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTtA4JhOcPI

Nice!

[Historian]

The Harsh Truth! (Mills vs Francis)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTtA4JhOcPI

Nice!

Glen Mills is damn fortunate as a coach!

Stephen “Franno” Francis does not work with proven prodigies of the magnitude of a Bolt (as far back as the 2004 Carifta Games in Bermuda, where as a 17-year-old Bolt made his final Carifta appearance, he was shattering world records). Rather, Francis takes virtual “no-name” athletes and makes superstars of them! This is the basic difference between Mills and Francis!

So, Mills’ medals in Berlin came from
1. Usain Bolt (gold medal in the 100-meter dash in a new world record)
2. Usain Bolt (gold medal in the 200-meter race in a new world record)

Francis’ gold medals in Berlin came from:
1. Shelly-Ann Fraser (100-meter dash and new national record)
2. Melaine Walker (400-meter hurdles in a World Championships record and the second fastest 400-m hurdles time in history)
3. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (100-meter hurdles)

Francis’ silver medals in Berlin came from:
1. Shericka Williams (400-meter race)

There were other outstanding performances from Stephen Francis’ athletes in Berlin, including a fourth place finish for 400-meter hurdler Kaliese Spencer and an appearance in the finals from an athlete whom many had virtually given up on, Anneisha McClaughlin!

Looking back at Bejing, three-quarters of the world record-setting 4x100-meter men’s relay team were Francis’ athletes (Carter, Frater and Powell), while both the gold and silver medalists in the women’s 100-meter race (Fraser and Simpson) were his athletes as well.

Just my two cents. But it is the facts!

[Yuttie]

Glen Mills is damn fortunate as a coach!

let me archive this post

[Willi]

You forgot Asafa's bronze in Berlin!

Mason won silver in Beijing, as did SS.

[Gamma]

it harsh!!!

[Historian]

My Apology

You forgot Asafa's bronze in Berlin!

Mason won silver in Beijing, as did SS.

Thanks for this reminder, Willi .

The errors were not by any means deliberate, and I offer my sincere apology for leaving out Asafa Powell’s bronze medal in Berlin and my beloved Sherone Simpson’s silver medal in Beijing. In Sherone’s case, we all know the reasons why it was difficult for her to make the team this year. As far as Asafa is concerned, I must admit that I was extremely pleased with him, because for the first time this talented icon really performed in an above-average-way in a global championship!

Unlike you, Willi, I have not always (unfortunately) been very sensitive towards Asafa in several of my my posts, despite the fact that Asafa will always be more special to me than any other male Jamaican athlete in history! This astonishing renaissance that we’re presently witnessing all started with -- and to a great extent because of -- Asafa Powell !!

Sure, we had the late 1940’s and the early 1950’s with that awesome quartet of Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden and Les Laing. (As a point of historical interest, the first defeat of the USA in a men’s 4x400-meter relay occurred at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games when this quartet of McKenley, Wint, Laing and Rhoden ran 3:03.9 to win the Olympic gold medal and smash the world record!) Then, much later in the 1970s, it was primarily Donald Quarrie and Lennox Miller.

In the 1980s and 1990s it was a superwoman, Merlene Ottey (along with primarily Juliet Cuthberth and Grace Jackson), who kept the flame burning for Jamaica.

The modern era, however, started with the presentation of Asafa Powell to the world by his founder and coach, Stephen Francis.

Leaving Asafa out of the Berlin medalists, therefore, was an unfortunate albeit genuine mistake on my part.

Of course, failing to mention Germaine Mason in my listing of Stephen Francis’ successes in Beijing was another error on my part.

[Willi]

No worries mate...just shoring up your post, that's all.

[Historian]

Harsh? HARSH??!!!

it harsh!!!

Gamma, boss, you think this simple reply of mine is “harsh”?! Suppose I had posted my promised reply to Stonigut’s thread earlier this week? Please don’t think that I didn’t start that promised reply thread because I couldn’t! I have chosen so far not to post it because sometimes it’s better to keep our thoughts to ourselves.

But let me ask you a question: Aside from the immense success of the very visionary Stephen Francis and his MVP track club, and aside from the realization of his long-ago-promised-greatness by Usain Bolt, with the help of an excellent coach, Glen Mills, what else has changed in the Jamaican track and field landscape?

I’m simply asking you to name ONE solitary thing that has changed!!

Yet you think this morning’s reply to Karl’s thread was “harsh”!!!

[Don1]

Glen Mills is damn fortunate as a coach!

Stephen “Franno” Francis does not work with proven prodigies of the magnitude of a Bolt (as far back as the 2004 Carifta Games in Bermuda, where as a 17-year-old Bolt made his final Carifta appearance, he was shattering world records). Rather, Francis takes virtual “no-name” athletes and makes superstars of them! This is the basic difference between Mills and Francis!

So, Mills’ medals in Berlin came from
1. Usain Bolt (gold medal in the 100-meter dash in a new world record)
2. Usain Bolt (gold medal in the 200-meter race in a new world record)

Francis’ gold medals in Berlin came from:
1. Shelly-Ann Fraser (100-meter dash and new national record)
2. Melaine Walker (400-meter hurdles in a World Championships record and the second fastest 400-m hurdles time in history)
3. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (100-meter hurdles)

Francis’ silver medals in Berlin came from:
1. Shericka Williams (400-meter race)

There were other outstanding performances from Stephen Francis’ athletes in Berlin, including a fourth place finish for 400-meter hurdler Kaliese Spencer and an appearance in the finals from an athlete whom many had virtually given up on, Anneisha McClaughlin!

Looking back at Bejing, three-quarters of the world record-setting 4x100-meter men’s relay team were Francis’ athletes (Carter, Frater and Powell), while both the gold and silver medalists in the women’s 100-meter race (Fraser and Simpson) were his athletes as well.

Just my two cents. But it is the facts!

This is not a constructive line of reasoning.

Rather than promoting unhealthy competition between our coaches...adding fuel to the divisive fires now raging....we should be uplifting them and encouraging them to cooperate to make each other better & our program stronger.

We already have more than enough division and dissension.

[Sickko]

It is a conspiracy, you see IAAF and other gave Mills coach of the year last year and ignored Franics..ingrates they are...

[Historian]

You're Making Me Laugh!!

This is not a constructive line of reasoning.

Rather than promoting unhealthy competition between our coaches...adding fuel to the divisive fires now raging....we should be uplifting them and encouraging them to cooperate to make each other better & our program stronger.

We already have more than enough division and dissension.

In one aspect, you make a lot of sense, Don1. Your statement, “We should be uplifting and encouraging them to cooperate and make each other better and our program stronger” is a very good one! You also correctly stated that “we already have enough division and dissension.”

These are excellent statements by you, and ones with which I am in 100 percent agreement ! In fact, I hope that every well-meaning Jamaican shares your sensible views.

Where your post is surprisingly irrelevant is in the section that states, “Rather than promoting unhealthy competition between our coaches….” Since, as far as I’m aware, neither Glen Mills nor Stephen Francis reads the Reggae Boyz Forum, in what way am I “promoting unhealthy competition between our coaches”? You are indirectly attributing to the “Other Sports” section of the Reggae Boyz Forum a much greater audience reach and a much greater influence that it actually warrants!

Also, isn’t the JAAA, with its apparent practice of exclusion and side-taking, the entity that’s “promoting unhealthy competition”? To cite one example here, a decision could easily (and rightly, in my opinion) have been made to award BOTH Stephen Francis and Glen Mills with the prestigious Jamaican “Coach of the Year” award at the end of last year! While Mills had honed Bolt’s already amazing career (a career which had already attracted world attention from the early age of 15 under another coach) and thereby took him to world record, legendary status and two gold medals for Jamaica, it was Francis with his MVP group of men AND women that captured 2 gold medals (including an Olympic record), 2 silver medals, and made up almost 100 percent of the world record relay team (with his anchor man running one of the fastest anchor legs in history).

Both coaches could (and should) have been given that prestigious Jamaican award by the Jamaican authorities!! Yet I, Historian, am being accused of “promoting unhealthy competition between our coaches”!! My friend, this is laughable at best!!!

Trust me, the JAAA and the Jamaica Ministry of Sports, with their continued myopic approach to the development of track and field in Jamaica and their amazing failure to build up on the track and field successes we’ve been having, particularly since the 2004 Olympic Games, are the entities to be castigated!!! Those useless organizations, and not Historian (who has no influence either in Jamaica or on this message board), are the entities that we should be focusing our lenses on unrelentingly!!

[Gamma]

boss that was a playful tongue in cheek response in keeping up with the "harsh" motif of recent weeks....i guess i should have put a smiley face.. mea culpa

[Historian]

Did not realize, Gamma!

boss that was a playful tongue in cheek response in keeping up with the "harsh" motif of recent weeks....i guess i should have put a smiley face.. mea culpa

Please accept my sincere apology, Gamma .

This topic is such a sensitive one that I immediately (incorrectly, it turned out) interpreted your response as a serious statement (lol).

But really, I feel very strongly over Jamaica’s track and field program, and the truth is that if it were not for the work of both Stephen Francis and Glen Mills, we wouldn’t be feeling so genuinely high and so ecstatic today!

Take away Francis’ and Mills’ work and all we have left are the usual contributions by American and USA-based coaches at the senior level and, at the local high school level, the usual dedicated and hardworking high school coaches. This is the fact, and failure, on Jamaica’s part that needs to be looked at seriously, because after five years of really good international successes (my starting point here is Athens 2004), neither the JAAA nor the Ministry of Sports nor the other coaches have stepped up to the plate at the senior level. This is almost unbelievable!!

[Sir X]

How can a fact not be constructive? Mills has proven himself in the past , besides having the big man as a trophy who else does he have to say ,I am still the man in coaching today?

It should spur him on to develop a stable of stars like MVP, to challenge their dominance , competition is healthy and Jamaica wins.

The iaaf can give him coach of the year , the JAAA can make him Head coach for life , it still does not ignore the fact That MVP is the camp and Franno is the man, ask ATO Boldon from NBC and the jamaican black populace that isnt use to nothing.

BTW yes we can all get along and work together in a competitive enviroment provided we eliminate certain rules and situations which have obvious conflict of interest.

[Gamma]

this is harsh but true.....let me explain my comment to your earlier "harsh facts" post..

it just seemed to me that on the heels of our best ever performance in a global track and field meet that to focus on areas where we did not do well was perhaps not the most timely....but we can agree to disagree on the timing and on the "harsh facts" title...a PURE love same way!!