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Jamaicans need to change their ways
Published: Sunday | January 23, 2011
Tony Becca, Gleaner Writer
Jamaica have a rich history in sport, every one, wherever he or she lives, knows that, and Jamaicans are proud of it.
From the 1930s when George Headley burst onto the scene, through the 1940s with the likes of Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden, and Les Laing, and the 1950s with Alfred Valentine, Allan Rae, and Collie Smith, Lindy Delapenha, and Gerry Alexander in two sports, Jamaica were brilliant.
From the 1960s and the 1970s with the likes of Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Donald Quarrie, Lennox Miller, and Michael McCallum, the 1980s going into the 1990s. with others such as Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Deon Hemmings, Winthorp Graham, David Weller, Courtney Walsh, Jeffrey Dujon, and James Adams, Jamaica produced champions, many champions.
Great individuals
In the early days of the 21st century there have been more. Others like Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, and Melaine Walker carried the flag, and there were others, many others, too many to mention, but including people like James Beckford, Lorraine Graham, Alia Atkinson, Romelda Aiken, Simone Forbes, Theodore Whitmore, Warren Barrett, Christopher Gayle, Kerron Stewart, and Sherone Simpson, along with Campbell-Brown, the four fastest women in the world in 2008.
With such great individuals, it is not surprising that Jamaica did wonders as a team on many occasions, and the world record run in the 1600 metres relay at Helsinki in 1952, qualifying for the finals World Cup of football in 1998, winning the 100 metres men and women in 2008 in the same Olympic Games, finishing first and tied for second and third in the women's 100 metres at the Olympic Games, setting a new record, by a long way at that, in both the men's 100 and 200 metres races, and beating Australia, the world champion, in a netball match, are only some of them.
It would appear, based on the results today and those of 1948 in London, when Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal and Wint and McKenley finished first and second in the men's 400 race, and on the results in Helsinki in 1952 when they won the 1600 metres relay, when Rhoden and McKenley finished one-two in the 400, and when McKenley lost the 100 metres to American Lindy Remigino in a photo finish, that things have not changed, that Jamaica's sport is as healthy as it was in years gone by.
That, however, is not so. Things have changed, in spite of Bolt, Campbell-Brown, Fraser-Pryce, and company.
In days gone by, the Jamaican people loved sport, they played sport, they went to sporting events, they enjoyed themselves, and they cheered.
Today, maybe because of television, because of a little more affluence for some of the people, and because of more things to do, people are staying away from sport, from playing and from watching.
Maybe it is because of television, and maybe it is because of the availability of top-class sport from all over the world at your fingertips and the sophistication which do not allow one to deal with anything below the best.
It could be all sorts of things, but what is important is that it is happening, and sport, almost every one of them, with the exception of football, track and field, and netball, is hurting.
Participation is important, and it is important for the health of the nation.
More important, however, is the fact that the more people play, the better the competition, the better the competition, the higher the standard, and the higher the standard, the greater the chances of putting out champions.
Participation is one thing, commitment is another thing, and a very important one at that.
Without commitment, there will be no dedication, without dedication there will will be no sacrifices, and without sacrifices there will be no satisfaction, no reward, no one to continue the greatness of Jamaica in sport.
Look around and you will see what I am talking about. The Jamaicans, especially among the young men. Most of them do not seem to have the desire to succeed, the will to succeed, and unless they change, Jamaica's fortune will certainly do.
Jamaica's cricketers top the list. Most of them want to succeed, but they do not know how to go about doing so.
Dedication
They need to play the game, they need to dedicate themselves to the game, they need to train and practice four, five, six hours a day, they need to listen to their coaches, and they need to believe in performance, good performance, and consistently at that.
Jamaica has a reputation of excellence in sport, it is one reason, probably the reason, why Jamaicans are so proud to be Jamaicans, and as Jamaicans, we wish every Jamaican in sport well.
That reputation, however, was accomplished by dedicated, hard-working Jamaicans in the pursuit of excellence.
There are too many Jamaicans today, talented Jamaicans, in the field of sports, and particularly so in cricket, who do as little as they can in training and practice, walk around and preen themselves after one or two performances, and generally idle their time away while dreaming of reaching the top.
They need to change their ways if they hope to keep Jamaica on top. They need to dedicate themselves, to work and work, and to perform and perform all the time.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports5.html
Published: Sunday | January 23, 2011
Tony Becca, Gleaner Writer
Jamaica have a rich history in sport, every one, wherever he or she lives, knows that, and Jamaicans are proud of it.
From the 1930s when George Headley burst onto the scene, through the 1940s with the likes of Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden, and Les Laing, and the 1950s with Alfred Valentine, Allan Rae, and Collie Smith, Lindy Delapenha, and Gerry Alexander in two sports, Jamaica were brilliant.
From the 1960s and the 1970s with the likes of Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Donald Quarrie, Lennox Miller, and Michael McCallum, the 1980s going into the 1990s. with others such as Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Deon Hemmings, Winthorp Graham, David Weller, Courtney Walsh, Jeffrey Dujon, and James Adams, Jamaica produced champions, many champions.
Great individuals
In the early days of the 21st century there have been more. Others like Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, and Melaine Walker carried the flag, and there were others, many others, too many to mention, but including people like James Beckford, Lorraine Graham, Alia Atkinson, Romelda Aiken, Simone Forbes, Theodore Whitmore, Warren Barrett, Christopher Gayle, Kerron Stewart, and Sherone Simpson, along with Campbell-Brown, the four fastest women in the world in 2008.
With such great individuals, it is not surprising that Jamaica did wonders as a team on many occasions, and the world record run in the 1600 metres relay at Helsinki in 1952, qualifying for the finals World Cup of football in 1998, winning the 100 metres men and women in 2008 in the same Olympic Games, finishing first and tied for second and third in the women's 100 metres at the Olympic Games, setting a new record, by a long way at that, in both the men's 100 and 200 metres races, and beating Australia, the world champion, in a netball match, are only some of them.
It would appear, based on the results today and those of 1948 in London, when Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal and Wint and McKenley finished first and second in the men's 400 race, and on the results in Helsinki in 1952 when they won the 1600 metres relay, when Rhoden and McKenley finished one-two in the 400, and when McKenley lost the 100 metres to American Lindy Remigino in a photo finish, that things have not changed, that Jamaica's sport is as healthy as it was in years gone by.
That, however, is not so. Things have changed, in spite of Bolt, Campbell-Brown, Fraser-Pryce, and company.
In days gone by, the Jamaican people loved sport, they played sport, they went to sporting events, they enjoyed themselves, and they cheered.
Today, maybe because of television, because of a little more affluence for some of the people, and because of more things to do, people are staying away from sport, from playing and from watching.
Maybe it is because of television, and maybe it is because of the availability of top-class sport from all over the world at your fingertips and the sophistication which do not allow one to deal with anything below the best.
It could be all sorts of things, but what is important is that it is happening, and sport, almost every one of them, with the exception of football, track and field, and netball, is hurting.
Participation is important, and it is important for the health of the nation.
More important, however, is the fact that the more people play, the better the competition, the better the competition, the higher the standard, and the higher the standard, the greater the chances of putting out champions.
Participation is one thing, commitment is another thing, and a very important one at that.
Without commitment, there will be no dedication, without dedication there will will be no sacrifices, and without sacrifices there will be no satisfaction, no reward, no one to continue the greatness of Jamaica in sport.
Look around and you will see what I am talking about. The Jamaicans, especially among the young men. Most of them do not seem to have the desire to succeed, the will to succeed, and unless they change, Jamaica's fortune will certainly do.
Jamaica's cricketers top the list. Most of them want to succeed, but they do not know how to go about doing so.
Dedication
They need to play the game, they need to dedicate themselves to the game, they need to train and practice four, five, six hours a day, they need to listen to their coaches, and they need to believe in performance, good performance, and consistently at that.
Jamaica has a reputation of excellence in sport, it is one reason, probably the reason, why Jamaicans are so proud to be Jamaicans, and as Jamaicans, we wish every Jamaican in sport well.
That reputation, however, was accomplished by dedicated, hard-working Jamaicans in the pursuit of excellence.
There are too many Jamaicans today, talented Jamaicans, in the field of sports, and particularly so in cricket, who do as little as they can in training and practice, walk around and preen themselves after one or two performances, and generally idle their time away while dreaming of reaching the top.
They need to change their ways if they hope to keep Jamaica on top. They need to dedicate themselves, to work and work, and to perform and perform all the time.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports5.html