Rear-viewing Champs 2012

Every year I tell folks, the best event in Jamaica, sports or otherwise is Champs!

I could make a list of the things that makes it the best but I won’t (list too long). I will say though that when you stack up, seeing people you have known for more than half your life; all the high school crushes that grew up, got married and yes got fat; rekindling memories of champs past; watching big men and women behave totally silly keeping the rivalry alive and oh yes, seeing Jamaica’s future Olympians & World beaters on show.

Hats off to Inter-Secondary Schools’ Sports Association for always outdoing themselves and with the exception of a few officiating errors which caused three events to be run as time finals, this past staging was truly special in many ways. The events were on time, the opening ceremony had flair and touch of difference with the flash mobs in the stands, the team’s double lap run and the kids must have been delighted to see dancehall mega stars – I-Octane and Agent Sasco performing live.

On a few occasions during the four days I was asked by persons seated nearby, “how do you do that, you’re always on your blackberry.” My reply was simply, “yes I am!” in my head I was also thinking but didn’t say, “Mind your own damn business!!!” What I was doing however was watching and sharing via blackberry messenger, champs with my old track buddies; Roger Shaw, Martin Dawes, Robert & Chantelle Shaw and Laurel Smith who with the exception of Laurel lives in Canada. Champs gone global, they were watching the event live via the internet courtesy of Sportsmax and CVM TV and that allowed us to have a live conversation daily on what was happening at Champs. That, along with tweeting all day long forced me to cop a squat (sit) as close as possible to the media pool, so I could charge my phone at least twice daily. 

Asafa Powell & Usain Bolt

In 21 years (not including my years as a competitor) as a spectator, coach and spectator again, I have seen the birth of many Jamaican athletic careers from as early as age 12, in other words this is where it all began for; Danny McFarlane, Davian Clarke, Gillian Russell, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser and before them Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert, Raymond Stewart, Gregory Megoo, Etlyn Tate, Beverly McDonald, Wintrop Graham. I could go on and on but the length of this post would be an exhaustive list of just names.

At this years’ staging of the ISSA Boys & Girls Championships there is again a plethora of talent on display and I dare say, we few... yes we humble few who get the chance to see these kids every year sometimes don’t understand or appreciate what we are blessed with year after year. Among the more than 2000 competitors from all across Jamaica, it is my considered opinion that Michael O’Haro – Calabar High, Jahzeel Murphy – Bridgeport High & Delano Williams – Munro, Simoya Campbell – Spalding High, Desreen Montague – Edwin Allen & Shanice Porter – Manchester High - are in that special breed of talent that are destined for great things. I am telling you now, wherever you are reading this, say I told you so!!!

So why have I singled out these six when there are so many talented kids on show. Well there is an old proverb that says: “All men are born equal but all men don’t remain equal” It is of course my subjective view point but I will give you some facts and comparisons to stew on.

Michael O’Haro is a 15 year old who already stands well over 6’3” tall and has already personal bests of: 100m – 10.73 || 200m – 21.36 || 110mH – 13.74. At 15years, Usain Bolt 200m PB was 21.73secs ran at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen without the sprinting mechanics or form that O’Haro has shown to date. O’Haro is being guided and coached by the very experienced Michael Clarke who is credited with guiding the high school development of names like Michelle Freeman & Juliet Campbell in the mid 1980’s and since then; Rudolph Mighty, Edward Clarke, Ramone McKenzie and Oshane Bailey just to name a few. 

Jahzeel Murphy – is an 18year old sprinter who has all the makings of a world beater. Admittedly having run sub 11secs from age 14, he should have been further ahead on his development curve already. I hazard a guess that the absence of a systematic training regiment in his earlier years may have been the obstacle there.  Murphy if you have never met him is raw sprinting talent, stands at about the same height as Yohan Blake (World 100m Champion) with a sprinting technique and top end speed like Raymond Stewart. Murphy’s personal bests are: 100m – 10.27 || 200m – 20.97. 

Delano Williams – is a 19 year old young man from the islands of Turks & Caicos who came to Jamaica to attend High School at Munro. This young man maybe the first of my three selected male athletes to actually compete the Olympics in London 2012. Delano has already achieved a ‘A’ qualifying time for the London 2012 Men’s 200m with his 20.53 done earlier this year at the Western Championships held in Montego Bay in February. As far as we are told, he is actively seeking acceptance from the British Athletics Federation to represent that country and I can’t think of a reason they won’t grant him, after all it’s not like Britain is awash with sprinting quality. Williams personal bests are: 100m – 10.34 || 200m – 20.53 

Well onto the ladies, Simoya Campbell and Desreen Montague have made mince meat of all comers this season in the 800m & 1500m. To put their meteoric rise into perspective, at last years’ Champs, Simoya won the Class II or Under 17 800m in 2:11.24 while Desreen was second in the Class I or Under 19 800m in 2:09.01.  This year both are competing in the same class, the record at champs for the 800m class 1 is 2:03.81 both Simoya and Desreen had already run 2:03.07 and 2:03.18 respectively at the trials to select Jamaica’s team for the 2012 Junior Carifta Games in Hamilton Bermuda. Suffice to say, the records weren’t broken at champs 2012 but the superior talent of both young ladies was on show for all to see. Simoya won both events with Desreen not too far behind and a dare say, there will be a lot more to come from both… watch out Kenia Sinclair the young turks are bringing the fight to your event. After breaking the nine-year-old Girls Class 1 high jump record with a leap of 1.86m on Friday afternoon, Manchester High's Shanice Porter was expected to go after the National Junior Record 1.88m set by Kimberly Williamson, the athlete she defeated en route to the record. Instead, the 18-year-old Porter who won Jamaica's first global long jump gold medal at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France last year and whose previous personal best was 1.85m set at Champs last year, decided to pass on the NJR and save her legs for the long jump event on Saturday which she also won with a record leap of 6.50m. Beset by injury most of this season, Shanice only opened her season two weeks ago at Central Champs; one can’t help but wonder what she will do later in the year when she is fully fit. 

In all I enjoyed the 102^nd staging of ISSA Champs immensely it was a blast and although Team Fortis (Kingston College) didn’t win, I am reminded of our motto: Fortis Cadere Cedere Non Potest which is latin for; The Brave May Fall but Never Yield. Congratulations again to Calabar, don’t get too comfortable with the Mortimer Geddes trophy, we’ll be back next year to collect it.

Love and Respect!

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