Gibson (Relays)! The 4 x 400M men

[Karl]

Cameron Blazers target Racers 4x400m scalp
Published: Thursday | February 20, 2014

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

ONE of the highly anticipated events among Clubs and Institution teams at this Saturday's Gibson Relays will be the men's 4x400 metres showdown, featuring defending and many-time champions, Racers Track Club and the Bert Cameron-coached Blazers Track Club.

The latter signalled their good form at the recent Milo Western Relays with an easy 3:08.36 win, and seem likely to test the credentials of the defending champions come Saturday.

Racers are the record holders here after stopping the clock at 3:03.74 a year ago, and they could be forced to lower this time if they hope to continue their winning ways at Gibson.

likely competitors

They will, however, be buoyed by the knowledge of their impressive depth, a point that was underlined as most of their talent competed and did well in the individual one-lap event at the Camperdown Classics. The coaches at Racers will likely call on the likes of Edino Steele, Allodin Fothergill, Answert Whyte, Garfield German, and Darion Bent for Saturday's showdown. There is also the chance that World Championships and Olympic medallist Yohan Blake and Warren Weir might even be summoned.

These names, however, will not faze Cameron and his boys as they also have an experienced bunch led by national champion and World Championships competitor, Javere Bell. He, Josef Robertson, Chumaine Fittings, and former national champion Oral Thompson were in cruise control in Montego Bay, and look set to go even faster on Saturday with the incentive of the prized Racers scalp.

sprint tech runners

While both Racers and Cameron Blazers are favourites to fight out the finish, the likes of the University of Technology and Sprint Tech should not be taken lightly. In the university squad, they will have the likes of Rusheen McDonald, Hubert Thomas, and Adolphus Nevers. For the Maurice Wilson-coached Sprint Tech, there will be Kegan Campbell, Colin King, Davian Clarke, and Nasieve Powell - a possible dark horse team.

However, despite the quality of the other teams, it will be very hard to look beyond the very experienced Racers unit, who look set to continue their winning ways at the Gibson Relays.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports5.html

[Karl]

The value of statistics in sports

The value of statistics in sports
Published: Thursday | February 20, 2014

Hubert Lawrence

I'm not a big fan of American domestic sports. Maybe that's because they are unfamiliar. Maybe it's a knee-jerk reaction to local club leagues crowning world champions when the teams all come from the same country.

Despite that, there's something I've always admired about domestic American sports. All of them generate reams of statistics. The US sports fan can go to town and dissect points, assists, free throw percentages, blocks, pass completion, interceptions, sacks and yardage. These statistics provide a far more objective basis for choosing the best players for a team, for the season or for all time. Even better, they create more points of interest for fans and analysts alike.

For many moons, that was missing in the world's most popular sport. All Association Football generated was goal-scoring statistics. It's no wonder goalscorers are often the only ones to be considered the best players in the sport.

Possession statistics arrived next. Corner counting came next, and now, televised football has grown into a sport replete with statistics. Tackles, fouls, cards and cautions, offsides, saves and shots on or off target all add to a more fulsome understanding of the game.

If a game finishes 0-0, but one team has more shots on target, more corners and more possession in the attacking third, and if they forced more saves from the opposing goalkeeper and hit the woodwork often, the statistics would say that team came closest to winning. Goals win games, of course, and that is the true test of superiority in football, but you can see where the statistics are going.

In this era, a defender - Fabio Cannavaro of Italy - was named the most valuable player of the 2006 World Cup. He wasn't the top scorer but his influence on games earned him the top spot.

Stats add to entertainment

Simply put, the statistics add to the entertainment. Go to the 2014 Penn Relays and you'll see entertainment statistics in action. They engage crews of people to time each member of almost every 4x400, 4x800, 4xmile, sprint medley and distance medley. The times or relay splits are boomed out by the public-address announcer for instant comparison by the fans.

If the split is big, the fans roar their appreciation.

These official splits allow fans to compare Penn Relays stars past and present. For example, Ristananna Tracey and Inez Turner share the fastest 4x800 high-school relay split, with Penn anchor legs of 2 minutes 03.2 seconds in 2011 and 1991, respectively.

It's something that might add value to the presentation of track meets here in Jamaica. If World 4x400 silver-medal winner Javon Francis of Calabar has to hustle in the 4x400 to catch the season-leading St Jago team at this Saturday's Gibson Relays, fans would probably love to know his split right away. Last year, Edwin Allen's Marlene Eubanks accelerated to a 2.05.9 4x800 split. Who knows how fast she will go this year?

For meets with relays, the relay split is a big part of the entertainment. It adds to what we see and separates big performances from modest ones. Better yet, it gives fans a little bit more to ponder.

Hubert Lawrence has been timing splits at the Gibson Relays for more than 20 years.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports4.html

[Karl]

TrackAlerts preview -

Gibson Relays 2014 Preview: A close look at the 4x1 and 4x4 Relays
February 19th 8:36am

By Noel ‘Bravo’ Francis, Trackalerts.com Contributor

There 2014 season of the Gibson Relays Carnival is worth going miles to see.

Gibson Relays 2014 will take place on Saturday at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The turnout is expected to be high, as the meet is highly regarded as a mock exam, which will test the readiness of the athletes before the Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in March.

The mind games have already started between some schools and coaches, which is adding a fair amount of intrigue and boosting ticket sales.

The best thing about the Gibson Relays is that all the high schools that have been avoiding each other early in the season will now come face to face like gladiators; this usually give the fans value for money.


http://www.trackalerts.com/Articles/...-relays/11896/

[Islandman]

Hubert is on point as usual.

[Mosiah]

For me, those split times are useless. Unless it can be accurately determined where the runner received the baton and where he handed it off, what sense can it make?

As for the intangibles such as how clean was the hand off to say he's actually started his split? How about the traffic he had to negotiate to complete his split? A great time could have been even better if he didn't have to take the corner wide to get around a bag of other runners.

Can't understand for the life of me why such a big deal is made of this...thing!

[Islandman]

Much more useful in a 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 than a 4x1, particularly on the legs when the field is spread out and the impedance level is minor. Also in the longer races the handoff time is less significant.

I would agree that in a 4x100 its value is questionable if not meaningless, well except for the hype factor.

[Karl]

For me, those split times are useless. Unless it can be accurately determined where the runner received the baton and where he handed it off, what sense can it make?

Seh wah?

...an den yuh seh...

As for the intangibles such as how clean was the hand off to say he's actually started his split? How about the traffic he had to negotiate to complete his split? A great time could have been even better if he didn't have to take the corner wide to get around a bag of other runners.

Can't understand for the life of me why such a big deal is made of this...thing!

dat dere seems to suggest that your words must be taken as opposite...