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Remembering Aris and others of his breed
Published: Sunday | December 25, 20111 Comment
Ray Harvey
Aris
Robinson
McCook
1 2 3 4 >
As usual, in recent times, Jamaica's greatness in sports is judged mainly by its accomplishments in track and field, and although this year was not an Olympic year, it was the year of the World Championships, and Jamaica, primarily through the efforts of Usian Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, performed well.
And there were others, many others, men and women, including female cricketer Stafanie Taylor, who filled our hearts with pride by some superb performances throughout the year.
Next year, however, is an Olympic year, and we look forward to the glory, God's willing, that we have come to expect from such a year, and the expectations - for next year and those to come - stem not only from the presence of Bolt, Blake, Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, etcetera, etcetera, but based on their promise of greatness, also on the deeds of the youngsters who represented Jamaica so brilliantly at the World Youth Championship and the World University Games.
As Jamaicans cheer the performers of this passing year, as they look towards the glory to come, and as they remember Jamaica's greatness in the field of sport, and especially since Independence, they should, they must, however, thank God for those who made it possible.
The deeds of our sportsmen and sportswomen have echoed throughout this country and in the four corners of the world as Jamaicans sing the praises of their stars, of those who scored centuries and took five wickets in an innings, those who won gold medals, and those who, among other things, knocked out people on the way to making Jamaica great in the field of sports.
The people remember, among many, many others, champion performers like Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, and Jeffrey Dujon, Donald Quarrie, Lennox Miller, Bertland Cameron, and Bolt, Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Campbell-Brown, Fraser-Pryce, and Beverley McDonald, as well as Michael McCallum, the body-snatcher who once held three world boxing titles.
Making others great
Sometimes, if not all the time, Jamaicans, however, including the star performers, forget the people who, through thick and thin, rain and shine, give of their time, their expertise, run the risk of making less money, of losing their family, sometimes really losing their family, in their quest to make others great, to make their country, this country, really great.
Since the coming of Indepen-dence in 1962, volunteerism has been gradually disappearing from the landscape of this country, indeed of most countries, but thank God, enough volunteers have remained to help Jamaica achieve what they have achieved.
It is not to say that without volunteers, without people doing something for nothing, Jamaicans would not, or could not, have produced champions; and it is not to say, for example, that were there not a volunteer around to help, Jamaica's youngsters would not have attained greatness.
That is simply not true.
It is true, however, especially in a country like Jamaica, a country with limited resources, that the work of the volunteer is important in motivating young athletes, in teaching them the right things, in getting them to do the right things, to set goals, and most importantly, to train, and train, in order to achieve their goals.
Howard Aris, the hard-working Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association president who died recently, was one of those, and others include men and women like Leighton Duncan, Allan Rae, Leila Robinson, 'Foggy' Burrowes, Roy McLean, and Teddy McCook, Winston Chung Fah, Glen Mills, Stephen Francis, and before them, champions such as G.C. Foster and Ted Lamont, and lest he be forgotten, 'Mallum' of Race Course fame.
Aris was a man who loved sport, all sports, a man who knew sport, all sports, and a man who became excited any time and every time he saw a "special" one, an athlete, a sportsman or a sportswoman, of exceptional talent.
Volunteer of volunteers
I first met Howard Aris, and McCook, early in 1960 when Burrowes encouraged me to write my first article on sport, "My World X1", for Sports Life magazine.
Little did I know then that, after a stormy annual general meeting of the JAAA was aborted at Kingston College in the early 1970s, Burrowes, McCook, and Aris, as well as another KC old boy, Ray Harvey, were destined to become presidents of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association, now the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, and that Aris would become a volunteer of volunteers.
As coach to Jamaican track teams at international games, organiser of international games, president of the JAAA, chairman of the Institute of Sports, chairman of the Sports Development Foundation, a director of the National Council on Sports, and a member of the International Amateur Athletic Federation's Youth Committee, Aris was a Jack of all trades.
Like many volunteers, however, Aris was a master of everything he touched.
Published: Sunday | December 25, 20111 Comment
Ray Harvey
Aris
Robinson
McCook
1 2 3 4 >
Tony Becca, Contributor
Christmas is a time of giving, of receiving, and of saying thank you, and Jamaica have a lot for which to say thanks to many people, to Jamaicans, for making 2011, not a great year by its own standards, but one in which the Jamaican flag fluttered proudly and gave hope for a brilliant 2012 and beyond.
Christmas is a time of giving, of receiving, and of saying thank you, and Jamaica have a lot for which to say thanks to many people, to Jamaicans, for making 2011, not a great year by its own standards, but one in which the Jamaican flag fluttered proudly and gave hope for a brilliant 2012 and beyond.
As usual, in recent times, Jamaica's greatness in sports is judged mainly by its accomplishments in track and field, and although this year was not an Olympic year, it was the year of the World Championships, and Jamaica, primarily through the efforts of Usian Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, performed well.
And there were others, many others, men and women, including female cricketer Stafanie Taylor, who filled our hearts with pride by some superb performances throughout the year.
Next year, however, is an Olympic year, and we look forward to the glory, God's willing, that we have come to expect from such a year, and the expectations - for next year and those to come - stem not only from the presence of Bolt, Blake, Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, etcetera, etcetera, but based on their promise of greatness, also on the deeds of the youngsters who represented Jamaica so brilliantly at the World Youth Championship and the World University Games.
As Jamaicans cheer the performers of this passing year, as they look towards the glory to come, and as they remember Jamaica's greatness in the field of sport, and especially since Independence, they should, they must, however, thank God for those who made it possible.
The deeds of our sportsmen and sportswomen have echoed throughout this country and in the four corners of the world as Jamaicans sing the praises of their stars, of those who scored centuries and took five wickets in an innings, those who won gold medals, and those who, among other things, knocked out people on the way to making Jamaica great in the field of sports.
The people remember, among many, many others, champion performers like Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, and Jeffrey Dujon, Donald Quarrie, Lennox Miller, Bertland Cameron, and Bolt, Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Campbell-Brown, Fraser-Pryce, and Beverley McDonald, as well as Michael McCallum, the body-snatcher who once held three world boxing titles.
Making others great
Sometimes, if not all the time, Jamaicans, however, including the star performers, forget the people who, through thick and thin, rain and shine, give of their time, their expertise, run the risk of making less money, of losing their family, sometimes really losing their family, in their quest to make others great, to make their country, this country, really great.
Since the coming of Indepen-dence in 1962, volunteerism has been gradually disappearing from the landscape of this country, indeed of most countries, but thank God, enough volunteers have remained to help Jamaica achieve what they have achieved.
It is not to say that without volunteers, without people doing something for nothing, Jamaicans would not, or could not, have produced champions; and it is not to say, for example, that were there not a volunteer around to help, Jamaica's youngsters would not have attained greatness.
That is simply not true.
It is true, however, especially in a country like Jamaica, a country with limited resources, that the work of the volunteer is important in motivating young athletes, in teaching them the right things, in getting them to do the right things, to set goals, and most importantly, to train, and train, in order to achieve their goals.
Howard Aris, the hard-working Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association president who died recently, was one of those, and others include men and women like Leighton Duncan, Allan Rae, Leila Robinson, 'Foggy' Burrowes, Roy McLean, and Teddy McCook, Winston Chung Fah, Glen Mills, Stephen Francis, and before them, champions such as G.C. Foster and Ted Lamont, and lest he be forgotten, 'Mallum' of Race Course fame.
Aris was a man who loved sport, all sports, a man who knew sport, all sports, and a man who became excited any time and every time he saw a "special" one, an athlete, a sportsman or a sportswoman, of exceptional talent.
Volunteer of volunteers
I first met Howard Aris, and McCook, early in 1960 when Burrowes encouraged me to write my first article on sport, "My World X1", for Sports Life magazine.
Little did I know then that, after a stormy annual general meeting of the JAAA was aborted at Kingston College in the early 1970s, Burrowes, McCook, and Aris, as well as another KC old boy, Ray Harvey, were destined to become presidents of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association, now the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, and that Aris would become a volunteer of volunteers.
As coach to Jamaican track teams at international games, organiser of international games, president of the JAAA, chairman of the Institute of Sports, chairman of the Sports Development Foundation, a director of the National Council on Sports, and a member of the International Amateur Athletic Federation's Youth Committee, Aris was a Jack of all trades.
Like many volunteers, however, Aris was a master of everything he touched.
Today, on Christmas Day, we say thank you to all of them, whoever they are, or were, wherever they are, for making Jamaicans great. All Jamaica hope and pray that just as Walsh followed Holding, Bolt followed Quarrie, who followed McKenley, and Campbell-Brown followed Ottey, another like Aris, like Robinson, like Duncan, and like Rae, etcetera, etcetera, and many others like them, will not be far away.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports2.html
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports2.html
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