Carifta 2012: Final Medal Standings

[Historian]

Final Medal Standings

Jamaica: 77 total (34 gold, 24 silver, 19 bronze)
Bahamas: 38 total (13 gold, 13 silver, 12 bronze)
Trinidad: 24 total (8 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze)

I’ve only listed the Top Three medal winners above. For those here who are interested in track and field (Jamaica’s most successful sports event at any level), this makes it 36 wins for Jamaica of the 41 Carifta Games held since 1972.

For a complete listing of the countries that have won the Carifta Games since 1972, see my thread below.

[Historian]

Some Carifta Games Facts

By the way, our consistently most outstanding Carifta Games performer has to be the Under-20 girls’ 4x400-meter relay team. The last time that Jamaica failed to win a gold in this event was way back in 1984!!

From 1985 until now, our Under-20 girls’ 4x400-meter team has had the gold medal under lock and key.

Unfortunately but understandably, Jamaica’s supremacy at the Carifta Games (track and field) meets is now taken for granted. There have been 41 Carifta Games since 1972, and here’s a breakdown of the winning countries:

Bermuda: 1 time
Martinique: 1time
Bahamas: 3 times
Jamaica: 36 times

Now, if we could only reach a comparable level of performance in Carifta swimming and Caricom basketball.

[Time]

By the way, our consistently most outstanding Carifta Games performer has to be the Under-20 girls’ 4x400-meter relay team. The last time that Jamaica failed to win a gold in this event was way back in 1984!!

From 1985 until now, our Under-20 girls’ 4x400-meter team has had the gold medal under lock and key.

Unfortunately but understandably, Jamaica’s supremacy at the Carifta Games (track and field) meets is now taken for granted. There have been 41 Carifta Games since 1972, and here’s a breakdown of the winning countries:

Bermuda: 1 time
Martinique: 1time
Bahamas: 3 times
Jamaica: 36 times

Now, if we could only reach a comparable level of performance in Carifta swimming and Caricom basketball.

Bahamas high school champs is now in its 20 plus year and coming along nicely and they are giving us some problems in the sprints. They hoisting Carifta next year so expect a full house of Bahamians.

How come Trinidad has never won?

[Don1]

Now, if we could only reach a comparable level of performance in Carifta swimming and Caricom basketball.

That's not important.

Jamaica needs to reach a comparable level of performance in education. Period.

[Don1]

Bahamas high school champs is now in its 20 plus year and coming along nicely and they are giving us some problems in the sprints. They hoisting Carifta next year so expect a full house of Bahamians.

So I guess the Bahamas will be on a high from all that hoisting

[Historian]

Good Question

Bahamas high school champs is now in its 20 plus year and coming along nicely and they are giving us some problems in the sprints. They hoisting Carifta next year so expect a full house of Bahamians.

How come Trinidad has never won?

Good question about Trinidad (and, indirectly, its highly overrated athletics program and achievements)!

Think about this: Trinidad & Tobago has won ONLY one Olympic Games gold medal in its history, and that was the 100-meter gold that Hasely Crawford won at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976.

Compare this with the tiny Bahamas, which has won four gold medals during the decades it has competed in the Olympic Games:

1964: gold medal in yachting (Durward Knowles and Cecil Cooke);
2000: gold medal in women’s 4x100-meter relay (Fynes, Sturrup, Davis and Ferguson);
2000: gold medal in the women’s 200-meter race (after Marion Jones’ medal was recalled)
2004: gold medal in the women’s 400-meter race (Tonique Williams-Darling).

[Historian]

Re: That's not important

That's not important.

Jamaica needs to reach a comparable level of performance in education. Period.

I agree 100 percent with your statement about education. In fact, no intelligent person will debate your viewpoint on Jamaica’s dismal performance in education from the primary school to the high school level.

However, this discussion is about a very recent athletic event (which ended yesterday), and so I would imagine that it’s a highly relevant topic for this forum (The Reggae Boyz’s “Other Sports Forum”). Would you rather I start a thread on our dismal educational performance on this sports forum??

Remember that our youngsters gave their all to bring this tiny bit of glory to Jamaica and our overrated sports programs. Do not try to belittle their efforts!

[Don1]

I am not belittling anyone's efforts. I am putting it in perspective.

Sport has a social dimension far beyond children running around, winning medals and being the toast of the nation. Our excessive attention to sport (and entertainment generally) is how we make up for (or manage) abject failure in the real race of life.... by living vicariously through the exploits of our athletes and other entertainers who make us "feel good". They are a nice Crutch.

This philosophy explains how a particularly idiotic Prime Minister could declare a national holiday when we reached the World Cup finals...it's called Mass Hysteria.

1. It is not important to seek preeminence in minor activities like the ones you suggested as some sort of national goal. Are we to start building and maintaining swimming pools in every nook and cranny and sending kids and coaches abroad to hone their skills??

2. Jamaica is better advised, not to put significant scarce resources in further "feel good" sporting or entertainment initiatives...but to direct resources in a fashion which leads to real progress... post haste

We are enraptured by this sports glory matrix.... while simultaneously being engulfed in ignorance...all this enabled by people who should know better. That philosophy is what leads people to believe there is some need for Jamaicans to be prominent in further minor sports..... there is zero need for that.

That senseless paradigm has to shift.

Memba mi tole yuh

[Time]

I am not belittling anyone's efforts. I am putting it in perspective.

Sport has a social dimension far beyond children running around, winning medals and being the toast of the nation. Our excessive attention to sport (and entertainment generally) is how we make up for (or manage) abject failure in the real race of life.... by living vicariously through the exploits of our athletes and other entertainers who make us "feel good". They are a nice Crutch.

This philosophy explains how a particularly idiotic Prime Minister could declare a national holiday when we reached the World Cup finals...it's called Mass Hysteria.

1. It is not important to seek preeminence in minor activities like the ones you suggested as some sort of national goal. Are we to start building and maintaining swimming pools in every nook and cranny and sending kids and coaches abroad to hone their skills??

2. Jamaica is better advised, not to put significant scarce resources in further "feel good" sporting or entertainment initiatives...but to direct resources in a fashion which leads to real progress... post haste

We are enraptured by this sports glory matrix.... while simultaneously being engulfed in ignorance...all this enabled by people who should know better. That philosophy is what leads people to believe there is some need for Jamaicans to be prominent in further minor sports..... there is zero need for that.

That senseless paradigm has to shift.

Memba mi tole yuh

The only thing wrong with the World Cup holiday was that he called it too soon. Sports should not be our #1 priority but it is a major foreign exchange earner so lets try not to kill it. We just need to strike a balance.

[Hortical]

I see your points, however the 200M gold was not awarded to Pauline Davis
of the Bahamas.

2000
GOLD (vacant due to Marion Jones DQ)
SILVER Pauline Davis, BAH 22.27
BRONZE Susanthika Jayasinghe SRI 22.28

[Don1]

The only thing wrong with the World Cup holiday was that he called it too soon. Sports should not be our #1 priority but it is a major foreign exchange earner so lets try not to kill it. We just need to strike a balance.

So what...the holiday should have been the following week?? Yuh ah mek sense?? Qualifying for a WC final is NOT a good reason to declare a public holiday...well I guess it is...for a Banana Republic

Striking the right balance is exactly what I'm suggesting...at the moment Jamaicans don't have that balance imho....which is what explains Jamaica requesting 2 stadia from the Chinese Govt...neither of which is put to good use.

They should have requested 3 nice technical college in central, western and eastern Jamaica... but that's not sexy enuff

When there is no Bread... Give the people a Circus

[MdmeX]

I was speaking to a girlfriend in Jam. on Sat. and she was watching the Carifta games. She proceeded to tell me that more money should be spent on Sports.

I told her that IMO spending money on Education takes priority over Sports, any day of the week!

[Don1]

ah choo dat!!

[Time]

So what...the holiday should have been the following week?? Yuh ah mek sense?? Qualifying for a WC final is NOT a good reason to declare a public holiday...well I guess it is...for a Banana Republic

Striking the right balance is exactly what I'm suggesting...at the moment Jamaicans don't have that balance imho....which is what explains Jamaica requesting 2 stadia from the Chinese Govt...neither of which is put to good use.

They should have requested 3 nice technical college in central, western and eastern Jamaica... but that's not sexy enuff

When there is no Bread... Give the people a Circus

We are not alone in Govt waste. http://www.gadling.com/2009/04/26/jo...-20-passenger/

[Don1]

Dat nuh seh

Babylon ongly haffi print hard currency... If dem run out ah dat couple keystroke pon computa an bank balance fat again.

Jamaica haffi earn it... by hook an crookedness

Big diffrance