We Need to Step-up Our Jnr Program!

[Historian]

Doesn't a chance of a medal give some of these youths enouragement to pick up the 4? Hope we compete better in these in the near future.

‘Sass, I guess we can dream; in my case I always do. The reality, however, is that not a lot that is terribly impressive is going on at the junior level in our traditional areas of strength, the short sprints and the 400-meter races.

The strength in sprinting at the junior level has seemingly shifted away from Jamaica.

Note, for example, that the tiny country that won the men’s 4x400-meter relay at the Olympics defeated us in most of the sprints and in the Under-20 boys’ 4x400-meter relay at the 2012 Carifta Games.

To be specific, at the most recent Carifta Games, the Bahamas defeated Jamaica in the following sprint events:

1. Under-20 girls’ 100-meter race (they had a 1-2 finish in the 100-meter dash),
2. Under-20 girls’ 200-meter race (they also had a 1-2 finish in the 200-meter race),
3. Under-20 girls’ 400-meter race,
4. Under-20 girls’ 4x100-meter relay

5. Under-17 boys’ 100-meter dash,
6. Under-17 boys’ 400-meter race,
7. Under-20 boys’ 400-meter race,
8. Under 20 boys’ 4x100-meter relay,
9. Under-20 boys’ 4x400-meter relay

Those are the facts! We need to work to ensure a true transition (in excellence) when our aging athletes have come to the end of the road.

[Historian]

Weak Journalism/Poor Word Choice

How can the performance of an athlete who succeeded in winning an individual bronze medal and, a few days later, contributing greatly to her team’s relay silver medal (in addition to placing fourth in another individual event) be described as a “disappointing outing”?!!

Simply reaching the finals of any Olympic Games event (even the trampoline) is, without question, a major event!

VCB eyes 5th Games after 2012 hiccup
Tuesday, August 14, 2012

LONDON, England (CMC) — Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell Brown says she is eyeing a fifth consecutive Olympic Games despite her disappointing outing at the 30th Olympiad in London.

The marquee sprinter captured bronze in the 100 metres behind compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who won gold but failed to defending her 200m title, finishing fourth as American Allyson Felix emerged champion.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/VCB-eyes-5th-Games-after-2012-hiccup#ixzz23Wdvw5te

[Willi]

We had a lot of key injuries this year

Bah will be a lot weaketr at Carifta next year, as their girls stars have graduated out...Shauna Helps to step up.

[Exile]

Champs and Carifta always seem to have a conflict with tired athletes, injured ones....looks like this year was a year of injuries...

[Historian]

Not necessarily "a lot" weaker in 2013!

We had a lot of key injuries this year

Bah will be a lot weaketr at Carifta next year, as their girls stars have graduated out...Shauna Helps to step up.

Willi, I am not as certain as you are that Bahamas will be “a lot weaker at Carifta next year.” As we both know, Carifta 2013 will be held in the Bahamas at their spanking new stadium and so I can assure you that full efforts will be made to find and prepare their young talent for display.

In our case, while we have made obvious headway in the preparation of our juniors in several field events, we do not consistently achieve outstanding results from our present cadre of junior sprinters. This is important, as elite seniors like VCB, Melaine, etc. won’t be around forever (we see, for example, that Brigitte has said bye while Chambers and Gonzales serve very little useful purpose at this time in our history), and so we need a system that ensures continuity.

Preparation for champs by high school coaches has worked so far to some extent. However, I believe that we need to go merely beyond high school “bragging rights” to a more structured, long-term-focused system, similar to what MVP and Racers are doing at the senior level. I’m referring here to a system that preserves our young athletes even as it develops them.

Despite this, I see great promise at schools like Edwin Allen as far as sprinters are concerned, and as I implied in my thread starter, our biggest problem at this point seems to be attracting quality male 400-meter runners.

But back to your comment on the Bahamas, not a great many of their “star” athletes have moved on to college. In fact, the main college-bound sprinters that come to mind right now are Anthonique Strachan, Shaunae Miller and that Jamaican boy who anchored their 4x400-meter relay team. And I’m pretty sure that they will have Miller return home next Easter to “teach the Jamaicans a lesson” (she will still be Carifta age).

These are the sprint events in which the Bahamas defeated us in at last year’s Carifta Games (2011 in Montego Bay, Jamaica):

Under-17 girls’ 100-meter race (Charlton)
Under-17 girls’ 200-meter race (Cox)
Under-20 girls’ 100-meter race (Strachan)
Under-20 girls’ 200-meter race (Strachan)
Under-20 girls’ 400-meter race (Miller -- favorite for gold but she false started)

Under-17 100-meter race (Davis)
Under-20 boys’ 400-meter race (Ferguson)

So, we see that they upped their game for 2012, as seen in results from Bermuda.

[Assasin]

This year Todd, Skeen, Murphy etc. all not 100% and one of the top girls was injured.
I am not too worried yet.

[Willi]

Cox was lucky...wont be so again. Strachan is out as is OJ Ferguson.

Miller was badly injured in London and who knows her recovery.

CAG SHOULD be back to full powers as should Cris Williams. Shaunae to step up. Sherieka to bow out in style injury free.

This is cyclical and Bah has peaked for a while..

[Willi]

The men did better than the women for us last year.

[Jangle]

What's your opinion on Dexter Lee moving up to the 400m? I just don't think he has enough natural speed to make a dent into our cadre of young 100 m sprinters. I think he would be better served in another event.