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Black people canna swim, but they sure can run
BY SONDRE DURAND
Sunday, September 25, 2011
With the games in Daegu, South Korea behind us, we can air some thoughts on why black people in general can run so fast but swim so hopelessly.
Let's narrow it down to Jamaicans though. Running really fast is endemic to Jamaican athletes. We have a rich sprinting history. In fact, we now have eight lanes in an Olympics final. However, in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, almost six decades ago, there were only six lanes, three of which were occupied by Jamaican athletes for the 400m finals. They were George Rhoden (gold medallist), Herb McKenley (silver) and Arthur Wint who came fourth. In those same games Herb Mckenley, Les Laing, Arthur Wint and George Rhoden won gold in the 4x400m relay.
BOLT… has scientists rewriting the theory that tall men can't sprint. OTTEY… has done us proud on numerous occasions
1/1
Fast-forward to 1968 Mexico: Lennox Miller brought home the silver medal in the 100m and in Munich 1972 a bronze. After him came Donald Quarrie, who struck 100m silver in Montreal 1976, while the legend that is Merlene Ottey has done us proud on numerous occasions.
In these amazing feats, athletes with origins in Trelawny are statistically well represented. Among them are: Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell Brown, Marvin Anderson, Ricardo Chambers, Omar Brown, Michael Frater, Michael Greene, Inez Turner, Sanya Richards, Merlene Ottey and Ben Johnson. And there are others! Is it in the water? Is it the Trelawny yam as some have suggested? Is it cassava?
Let's get biological
I get it all the time here; people aren't shy to state that blacks are built to run. But, why don't people of African descent dominate in the pool, striking similar fear in the hearts of their Caucasoid comrades as they do in track events?
When I go to my swimming classes as a grown woman, the class of 10 is 80 per cent black in composition. When I asked an instructor why I kept sinking instead of floating, the poker-faced woman told me that black people have thicker skin and therefore have to fight to float! By the time I had calmed down and recovered from penning complaint letters, having meetings with the municipality's hierarchy, sharing my indignation with neighbours, friends, family and acquaintances; virtually anyone who would listen in fact, I discovered that this issue of racially skewed athletic ability is very alive in people's minds.
However, we all know that blanket statements make for easy, trite, hollow and often fallacious analysis. Personally, I get winded running after my four-year-old and I consider myself fit. If you challenged me with a "so you think you can dance?" I'd perhaps get disowned by whoever is the reigning dancehall personality.
Science Again: Fast twitch + Actinen A = Freakazoid
It seems that fast twitch fibres tire quickly but fire rapidly to create fuel and generate the energy used specifically for short bursts of speed. It's a sprinter's secret weapon. Ever heard of the speed protein Actinen A (ACTN3)? A study carried out jointly by the University of Glasgow and the University of the West Indies (UWI) involved the testing of over 200 Jamaican athletes.
The findings indicate that 70 per cent of these athletes have Actinen A in their fast-twitch muscle fibres. By comparison, only 30 per cent of an Australian group of athletes were found to possess this super substance.
So, let's cut them open, put them under a microscope. Let's see what physiological anomalies these freaks are hiding! But before knifing up these athletes, consider this. In spite of the abundance of ACTN3 genes apparently circulating on the island, not all Jamaican runners become world-class, record-breaking athletes.
Besides, why is it that I have never heard of any such scientific interest for white athletes who seem to "naturally" dominate in say, ice hockey, swimming or alpine skiing? Au contraire, the talk then is usually centred on their discipline, superior coaching, athletic skill and national know-how.
Indeed, the problem with the argument based solely on genetic predisposition and the notion that athletic ability can be pinned down to formulas and equations is that it ignores individual prowess. If all it takes are fast twitch fibres and Actinen A, where does that leave technique, intelligence, drive, nurture?
Bolt is a famous case in point. Scientists preached for years that tall men can't sprint because by the time they are finally done unfolding their chassis, the race is over. And we lapped it all up. Now they are busy rewriting that theory.
What's roots and culture got to do with it?
Besides, in Jamaica, we have a culture of running. It perhaps started with the Maroons, who could have taught poor Kunta Kinté a thing or two. The medal haul in the Olympic Games since our very first participation in 1948, stands at an astounding 55. Fifty-four of those are for athletics. It was way back in 1936 that the Jamaica Olympic Association was founded. And let's not forget the Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships.
When our athletes do well, they quite rightly spark off memorable episodes of pride-filled national celebration. The reigning artistes compose songs about their feats. A multitude of locations get named in their honour.
Beware of the Bell Curve: Brain versus brawn
When you take the genetic predisposition route and you follow it to its logical conclusion, you end up with the black athletic superiority versus the white intelligence superiority notion. It's a slippery route.
Also, if blacks are genetically predisposed to be faster sprinters, it would be deontologically inappropriate to have them in the same race with whites. In the same way that we wouldn't have women race against men and that we have heavyweight boxers and featherweight boxers who never confront each other in the same ring.
When France's Christophe Lemaitre, known as the first white man to run the 100m in sub 10 seconds, came second to Yohan Blake on June 7 at the Montreuil meeting in France, the photographers and journalists ignored Yohan in large part. They were all over this white guy who is repeatedly doing what was considered a feat reserved for blacks.
This led Gonzoidzz to post the following comment on Youtube: "Who cares about Blake? He's just another fast negro, Lemaitre is the real story."
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZLTjfUcI
BY SONDRE DURAND
Sunday, September 25, 2011
With the games in Daegu, South Korea behind us, we can air some thoughts on why black people in general can run so fast but swim so hopelessly.
Let's narrow it down to Jamaicans though. Running really fast is endemic to Jamaican athletes. We have a rich sprinting history. In fact, we now have eight lanes in an Olympics final. However, in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, almost six decades ago, there were only six lanes, three of which were occupied by Jamaican athletes for the 400m finals. They were George Rhoden (gold medallist), Herb McKenley (silver) and Arthur Wint who came fourth. In those same games Herb Mckenley, Les Laing, Arthur Wint and George Rhoden won gold in the 4x400m relay.
BOLT… has scientists rewriting the theory that tall men can't sprint. OTTEY… has done us proud on numerous occasions
1/1
Fast-forward to 1968 Mexico: Lennox Miller brought home the silver medal in the 100m and in Munich 1972 a bronze. After him came Donald Quarrie, who struck 100m silver in Montreal 1976, while the legend that is Merlene Ottey has done us proud on numerous occasions.
In these amazing feats, athletes with origins in Trelawny are statistically well represented. Among them are: Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell Brown, Marvin Anderson, Ricardo Chambers, Omar Brown, Michael Frater, Michael Greene, Inez Turner, Sanya Richards, Merlene Ottey and Ben Johnson. And there are others! Is it in the water? Is it the Trelawny yam as some have suggested? Is it cassava?
Let's get biological
I get it all the time here; people aren't shy to state that blacks are built to run. But, why don't people of African descent dominate in the pool, striking similar fear in the hearts of their Caucasoid comrades as they do in track events?
When I go to my swimming classes as a grown woman, the class of 10 is 80 per cent black in composition. When I asked an instructor why I kept sinking instead of floating, the poker-faced woman told me that black people have thicker skin and therefore have to fight to float! By the time I had calmed down and recovered from penning complaint letters, having meetings with the municipality's hierarchy, sharing my indignation with neighbours, friends, family and acquaintances; virtually anyone who would listen in fact, I discovered that this issue of racially skewed athletic ability is very alive in people's minds.
However, we all know that blanket statements make for easy, trite, hollow and often fallacious analysis. Personally, I get winded running after my four-year-old and I consider myself fit. If you challenged me with a "so you think you can dance?" I'd perhaps get disowned by whoever is the reigning dancehall personality.
Science Again: Fast twitch + Actinen A = Freakazoid
It seems that fast twitch fibres tire quickly but fire rapidly to create fuel and generate the energy used specifically for short bursts of speed. It's a sprinter's secret weapon. Ever heard of the speed protein Actinen A (ACTN3)? A study carried out jointly by the University of Glasgow and the University of the West Indies (UWI) involved the testing of over 200 Jamaican athletes.
The findings indicate that 70 per cent of these athletes have Actinen A in their fast-twitch muscle fibres. By comparison, only 30 per cent of an Australian group of athletes were found to possess this super substance.
So, let's cut them open, put them under a microscope. Let's see what physiological anomalies these freaks are hiding! But before knifing up these athletes, consider this. In spite of the abundance of ACTN3 genes apparently circulating on the island, not all Jamaican runners become world-class, record-breaking athletes.
Besides, why is it that I have never heard of any such scientific interest for white athletes who seem to "naturally" dominate in say, ice hockey, swimming or alpine skiing? Au contraire, the talk then is usually centred on their discipline, superior coaching, athletic skill and national know-how.
Indeed, the problem with the argument based solely on genetic predisposition and the notion that athletic ability can be pinned down to formulas and equations is that it ignores individual prowess. If all it takes are fast twitch fibres and Actinen A, where does that leave technique, intelligence, drive, nurture?
Bolt is a famous case in point. Scientists preached for years that tall men can't sprint because by the time they are finally done unfolding their chassis, the race is over. And we lapped it all up. Now they are busy rewriting that theory.
What's roots and culture got to do with it?
Besides, in Jamaica, we have a culture of running. It perhaps started with the Maroons, who could have taught poor Kunta Kinté a thing or two. The medal haul in the Olympic Games since our very first participation in 1948, stands at an astounding 55. Fifty-four of those are for athletics. It was way back in 1936 that the Jamaica Olympic Association was founded. And let's not forget the Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships.
When our athletes do well, they quite rightly spark off memorable episodes of pride-filled national celebration. The reigning artistes compose songs about their feats. A multitude of locations get named in their honour.
Beware of the Bell Curve: Brain versus brawn
When you take the genetic predisposition route and you follow it to its logical conclusion, you end up with the black athletic superiority versus the white intelligence superiority notion. It's a slippery route.
Also, if blacks are genetically predisposed to be faster sprinters, it would be deontologically inappropriate to have them in the same race with whites. In the same way that we wouldn't have women race against men and that we have heavyweight boxers and featherweight boxers who never confront each other in the same ring.
When France's Christophe Lemaitre, known as the first white man to run the 100m in sub 10 seconds, came second to Yohan Blake on June 7 at the Montreuil meeting in France, the photographers and journalists ignored Yohan in large part. They were all over this white guy who is repeatedly doing what was considered a feat reserved for blacks.
This led Gonzoidzz to post the following comment on Youtube: "Who cares about Blake? He's just another fast negro, Lemaitre is the real story."
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZLTjfUcI
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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