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Bolt not ready for an OJ
On the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, October 08, 2009
IF there was one compelling argument as to why the Government's decision to bestow high honours on young track star Usain Bolt not well thought out, it would have to be his recent contribution to the Gully/Gaza saga.
Media reports are that at a function put on by a cellular phone company to honour Bolt and women's 100m Olympic and World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, he took the microphone after what was thought to be a series of songs from one side of the Gully vs Gaza dancehall-divide and said: "A Gaza time now, and all who don't like that can jump inna the Gully."
While Usain has come a long way from the shy 15-year-old that won the nation's hearts in 2002 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston, this shows he still has much further to go before he can he considered worthy of ambassadorial and OJ status.
Even before he made those unfortunate comments, it should have been obvious that heaping all these accolades on the young man, as well as naming a major highway in his honour, were premature.
No one can deny Usain or any one else the right to choose sides in any debate, be it dance hall favourites, abortion, separation of church and state or anything else for that matter. But to who much is given, much is expected and we also need to learn how we go about defending our choices.
With the status Bolt has earned over the past 16 months, or so we hope, he could use this leverage to try and broker some common ground between the dance hall factions, instead of add fuel to the already heated debate.
As for the awards that are to be bestowed on him later this year, no one can even start to deny that as a nation we owe him and that the other athletes must get the recognition they deserve.
This recognition must and should be done while all can still appreciate them.
It is my opinion, however, that the government acted with haste and speed that can only be matched by Usain Bolt himself, and more time and thought should have been put into how the athletes are honoured.
If, as we hope, there is so much more for Bolt and the others to achieve in track and field, then the OJ was a quantum leap when maybe a shorter stride would have been more prudent.
What will happen if say Bolt is to add the 400m to his repertoire of events and he goes on to hold the World Records in all three individual events, while winning gold medals in all three in say the London Olympics in 2012, will he be accorded the Order of Merit or National Hero status then? What other roadway will there be to add his name to?
Maybe the Government should have waited and started smaller; maybe they could have ensured that the road between Martha Brae and Sherwood Content be widened and paved and then name it in Bolt's honour. Making sure the residents have constant water supply would not hurt either.
Naming one of the stands at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in his honour would also be a fitting tribute as he continues to grow into the man and ambassador we know he will be one day.
On the sporting edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, October 08, 2009
IF there was one compelling argument as to why the Government's decision to bestow high honours on young track star Usain Bolt not well thought out, it would have to be his recent contribution to the Gully/Gaza saga.
Media reports are that at a function put on by a cellular phone company to honour Bolt and women's 100m Olympic and World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, he took the microphone after what was thought to be a series of songs from one side of the Gully vs Gaza dancehall-divide and said: "A Gaza time now, and all who don't like that can jump inna the Gully."
While Usain has come a long way from the shy 15-year-old that won the nation's hearts in 2002 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston, this shows he still has much further to go before he can he considered worthy of ambassadorial and OJ status.
Even before he made those unfortunate comments, it should have been obvious that heaping all these accolades on the young man, as well as naming a major highway in his honour, were premature.
No one can deny Usain or any one else the right to choose sides in any debate, be it dance hall favourites, abortion, separation of church and state or anything else for that matter. But to who much is given, much is expected and we also need to learn how we go about defending our choices.
With the status Bolt has earned over the past 16 months, or so we hope, he could use this leverage to try and broker some common ground between the dance hall factions, instead of add fuel to the already heated debate.
As for the awards that are to be bestowed on him later this year, no one can even start to deny that as a nation we owe him and that the other athletes must get the recognition they deserve.
This recognition must and should be done while all can still appreciate them.
It is my opinion, however, that the government acted with haste and speed that can only be matched by Usain Bolt himself, and more time and thought should have been put into how the athletes are honoured.
If, as we hope, there is so much more for Bolt and the others to achieve in track and field, then the OJ was a quantum leap when maybe a shorter stride would have been more prudent.
What will happen if say Bolt is to add the 400m to his repertoire of events and he goes on to hold the World Records in all three individual events, while winning gold medals in all three in say the London Olympics in 2012, will he be accorded the Order of Merit or National Hero status then? What other roadway will there be to add his name to?
Maybe the Government should have waited and started smaller; maybe they could have ensured that the road between Martha Brae and Sherwood Content be widened and paved and then name it in Bolt's honour. Making sure the residents have constant water supply would not hurt either.
Naming one of the stands at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in his honour would also be a fitting tribute as he continues to grow into the man and ambassador we know he will be one day.
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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