Labour shortage? Bring in the Jamaicans

Dudley Reid, who worked as an automotive painter in Jamaica, puts his knowledge into practice at Fender's Autobody & Paint in Kelowna, B.C.
(Jeff Bassett for The Globe and Mail)


An agreement between Okanagan College and the island nation is giving students the opportunity to work in high-demand trades

WENCY LEUNG
From Globe and Mail

September 8, 2008 at 9:47 AM EDT
VANCOUVER — As a newcomer to Kelowna, B.C., Dudley Reid often gets asked by curious locals where he's from. When he tells them he's from Kingston, Jamaica, more questions usually follow.

"Tell us about Jamaica," they ask him, since it's a rare occurrence in the city to encounter anyone from the distant island country.

Or at least until now.

Mr. Reid, 38, is among the first of hundreds of Jamaican students to attend Kelowna's Okanagan College, recruited to help fill a shortage of skilled workers in the Okanagan and the rest of the province.

Under an experimental, "interprovincial refresher" program, the college expects to train and find job placements for between 300 and 400 Jamaican students this school year in high-demand trades such as culinary arts, automotive collision repair and carpentry.

The sudden influx of students from Jamaica is bringing cultural diversity to the campus and local work force, which has never before had a significant Caribbean population.

"It's definitely changing the cultural landscape," Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton said. "Certainly as you go around the community, we see many more people of Caribbean origin than we ever did before."

About 16 months ago, the college, which has a full-time student population of more than 7,000, didn't have one Jamaican student, he said.

But since it began recruiting students from Jamaica, a country where skilled labour is high but jobs are scarce, the Jamaican population on campus has started to swell.
The unusual relationship between Okanagan College and Jamaica was initiated by Michael Patterson, a Jamaican-born marketing professor at the college.

Seeing an opportunity to fill the needs of both local employers and tradespeople in his native country, Prof. Patterson believed the college could help bridge that gap.
"It's a win-win," he said, adding that the college is selecting only highly skilled students who will adjust well to life in Canada. "When you take people in with no skill, people who are desperate ... that is where you get problems, and we're looking for a particular type of people coming in."

In June, the college began training the first group of 37 Jamaican students under the program, including Mr. Reid. Two weeks ago, it started training a second group of 40.

Students in the program are screened by the Jamaican government and the college before they can enroll, ensuring that they have at least six years of experience in the field they intend to study. They then attend 16 weeks of instruction at Okanagan College, broken up by 16 weeks of paid work in the field.

At the end of the training, students take a test to earn their Red Seal certification, which qualifies them as journeymen in Canada. They then have the option of applying to become permanent Canadian residents through a provincial program that accelerates immigration for qualified skilled workers.

Mr. Reid, who worked as an automotive painter in Jamaica, has already completed his first eight weeks of in-class instruction in collision repairs. He is now putting that knowledge into practise at Fender's Autobody & Paint in Kelowna.

"It was just phenomenal the training that went on at the college," Mr. Reid said, explaining that he enrolled in the program to further his skills. "I wanted to expand on my own knowledge of what I do, get some formal training and also see how things are done in a [developed] country."

Although living costs are much higher here, Mr. Reid said his current wage of $23 an hour is "quite a bit more" than what he would earn at home.

Like many of the students, he aims to seek permanent residence when he is finished the program, and apply for his wife and eight-year-old son to join him.
His employer, Norm Cross, said he's happy with his trainee as well.

"It's worked out awesome. He's good at what he does for us, and he filled that void of trying to find people," Mr. Cross said. "There's just not a lot of journeymen tradespeople out there."

In the nearby city of Penticton, auto repair shop owner Ray Steinke said he has also found some relief by employing three of the college's Jamaican students.
Mr. Steinke said he had been looking for three years for skilled employees to work at his shop, without luck.

The Jamaican students have jumped right in, performing major collision repairs, painting and just about every other job that other employees do.
There are, however, some minor cultural differences that the students and their employers have had to work through. Most notably, Mr. Steinke said the Jamaicans use different trade terminology, such as "chassis" to describe the frame of a vehicle or "running board" instead of rocker panel.

Meanwhile, the students have had to adjust to the change in climate and lifestyle in the Okanagan.

"I normally love soccer, but where I'm living there's not much of that going on," said one of Mr. Steinke's student workers, Eric Pickett, 28. "Canadians seem to like volleyball and hockey."

Mr. Reid added, laughing: "I'm not getting enough reggae music."

Cultural differences aside, the community has welcomed the fresh pool of foreign students, Mr. Hamilton said.

And the college is already looking to expand the interprovincial refresher program to other Caribbean locales, including Trinidad, Guyana and Antigua, in the coming years.

And Prof. Patterson, who is also an honorary consular of Jamaica, does not foresee any problems assimilating the inrush. He sees Kelowna as merely a hub from which students will disperse to other parts of the province as they enter the work force, avoiding the creation of what he calls "ethnic ghettos" in the Okanagan.

Besides, he added, the students are eager to adapt to life in Canada. "They love it here," he said. "They think this is paradise. They're willing to work hard."

Beijing Olympics - Bolt's 'unprecedented power'

My Mon
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-25 08:07

For me, Jamaican Usain Bolt stole the Olympic show with equal doses of blinding speed and youthful exuberance on terra firma.

Just three bursts of unprecedented power were all he needed to eclipse American swimmer Michael Phelps as the poster boy of the Games - and become the evolutionary benchmark discussed at water coolers and wells alike.

But what is more memorable for me is Bolt's laid-back attitude amid the excess of modern sport.

The sprint triple winner waltzed into the Bird's Nest ahead of the 100m final as if he were strolling along a Jamaican street en route to the corner store.

He hurled his oversized frame out of the blocks a few times to limber up only to swagger back and casually kill some time before running the fastest time in history.

No pensive meditation or elaborate drills, just sheer confidence in his explosive legs.

Long enough to appear behind the pack even while his torso was in front over the first 5m, they whipped him out of the blocks and set up the win and 10.69 record time before he was fully upright.

When he did open up, the 193cm flash resembled a Concorde leaving the runway, only the deafening roar belonged to 90,000 incredulous spectators.

Absolutely sure of himself as the fastest thing on two legs with 30m still to run, he then beat his chest as alpha males have always done.

This later earned him a rebuke from the International Olympic Committee boss, Jacques Rogge.

Sure, the aptly named sprinter hammed up some mythical poses and forgot to press the flesh with his rivals immediately after the final, but this is 2008 and who could begrudge the then 21-year-old for some showmanship at that hormonally charged age.

To his credit though, Rogge tempered his criticism with the admission Bolt is fueled more by youthful exuberance than hubris and the acknowledgment he represented another "dimension in the sprint".

And he may well end up in one if he runs any faster. Which is a frighteningly real possibility considering he pulled up in the 100 and tensed up in the final stages of the 200.

Despite his determination to beat the 12-year-old world record set by US legend Michael Johnson, he was still clowning around with cameras beforehand.

He flirted with them, letting the world know who was No 1 from the bowels of the Bird's Nest, before wiping his head with his hands to insinuate "no sweat" and exploding around the wings of the stadium to his second gold.

He then capped off an unforgettable meet by playing an instrumental role in his nation's 4x100m relay gold.

If there was anything disappointing about Bolt's meet it's that he didn't contest the 400m, an event Johnson believes the Jamaican can also break his record in.

(China Daily 08/25/2008 page5)

Newsflash!! Asafa Powell runs 9.72 - second-fastest time ever

Asafa Powell runs 9.72 _ second-fastest time ever _ in 100 meters at Lausanne

By Associated Press
3:09 PM EDT, September 2, 2008

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) _ Asafa Powell ran the second-fastest 100 meters in the world, clocking 9.72 seconds at the Athletissima Grand Prix meeting on Tuesday.

Powell clocked 9.72 seconds Tuesday to equal the old world record set by fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt in New York last May.

Bolt set the record of 9.69 in winning the Olympic gold medal at Beijing last month. Powell was fifth in that race.

An 'em-Boltened' Jamaica

by Jean Lowrie-Chin
Jamaica Observer
Monday, September 01, 2008

Quick! How will Jamaica take advantage of the huge boost from our Olympics performance? What are the details of the plan? Who will do what and by when? Yes, we are in a hurry to hear these plans unfold. Just as we demanded, "Run Usain, run," we had better get on our golden shoes, pick up the pace and produce the best results.

This effort needs no bandwagoners - we need fast and furious planning committees capable of rolling out not only a four-day celebration, but also vibrant long-term plans to ensure that we remain the sprint capital of the world. We have the gold - now we need the best artisans to make from it a lasting legacy for our country. (The post-Gustav reconstruction will now have to kick in first, but should be no excuse for undue procrastination.)

What a legacy! When we got the estimate for our Beijing trip, we half-jokingly (only half) told our children that they would now have to work and study even harder, because we were about to spend their inheritance. It turns out that Beijing gave them and all Jamaica a legacy far more valuable that any dollars they could receive.

Our great athletes have been featured in a beautiful commercial over the past year, appealing for peace. Watch it again, and look into their eyes. They meant every word. And now they have become the most powerful messengers to our little shottas: a shooting star dies quickly, a real star shines forever. A shooting star has no goal, no aim, no destiny; a real star lights the way for others, takes our breath away in the darkest night and helps to steer our troubled thoughts to shores of hope.

Last Monday, the China Daily ran a big story headlined, "Bolt's heroics arrive just in time". "Athletics got the hero it has been craving for years when Usain Bolt lit up the Bird's Nest with his brilliance," it said. The President of the International Association of Athletics Federation Lamine Diack is quoted as saying that Bolt has had the greatest impact of any athlete in the Games' history: "He is great for our sport, he can help to build up our sport. He was fantastic, we are very privileged to have this."

Chief of Mission for our Olympic Team Don Anderson, said 350 international journalists crowded the media centre at the Olympic Village for a final briefing, clamouring to question Bolt. "Usain handled himself so well that one of the journalists asked if he was a member of Jamaica's diplomatic corps," smiled Don. We heard Bolt being interviewed on CNN and also address the Puma party. This is no airheaded young man - Mr and Mrs Wellesley Bolt, you did a fine job with your son.

We of the negative headlines, we of the violent history, we, Jamaica had a 350-strong press corps hanging on the every word of our athletes, happy to deliver positive headlines for the happiest athlete they had ever met, Usain Bolt.

Behind the scenes, Jamaica Sports Medicine Association representative Pat Lue-Chin said that of the past four Olympic Teams that she has worked with, this team was the fittest. This is no easy level of fitness to achieve: it takes superhuman training to give superhuman results - Usain Bolt's two world records and a third with his awesome teammates, Veronica Campbell's second consecutive Olympic Gold, Melaine Walker's Olympic record, our 100m queens led by Shelly Ann Fraser. I have mentioned the great Glen Mills and Stephen Francis, and I met two other Olympic coaches, Maurice Wilson and Edward Hector, dedicated, unassuming gentlemen.

This Olympic effort has made Jamaica into the biggest little country in the world, and once again demonstrates the power of sports. As I gave a delighted Chinese waitress a Jamaica bracelet ("I will cher-it!" she said with a hand on her heart), I remembered an episode famously named "Ping Pong Diplomacy." A gesture of friendship by Chinese Table Tennis Star Zhuang Zedong who presented a gift to American player Tim Boggan when they shared a bus in Japan in 1971, broke the ice between their two super-power countries. The gesture caught the attention of Chairman Mao Zedong, who decided to invite American President Richard Nixon for an official visit, opening the way for the richest trade relationship in the world.

Jamaica needs no thaw - we have been warm to all nations of the world and now all nations of the world are becoming increasingly warmer to us. So let us be emboldened - or rather, em-Boltened. As he approached the starting block to run his favourite event, the 200 metres, Bolt brushed his head to give a "no sweat" signal. This is the true mettle of the decent Jamaican, who is not afraid of the hard work or close scrutiny.

Fast like Lightning Bolt, let us get going in Jamaica. I agree with Mark Wignall's suggestion to name the stadium in Trelawny in honour of the greatest track athlete of our time. Like the celebration of our first Winter Olympics outing, "Cool Runnings", there is at least one good movie here, though the world would happily embrace a reality show of the athletes preparing for their next outing. We see huge opportunites for sports tourism, races of all lengths for all ages, serious meets and fun runs, original souvenirs which could put money in the pockets of craft workers.

Bob Marley catapulted reggae on to the world stage and still, other reggae greats have not been able to enjoy a secure retirement. Some sportsmen who have kept our flag flying are not doing as well as they should financially. The Bruce Golding-led government has the best opportunity ever - to turn this country around so that those who have brought us glory will never live in penury. The PNP Opposition should allow the country to celebrate and not allow any party battle to rain on our athletes' parade. They ran for one Jamaica - let's give them their wish for peace.

The best of times in Beijing

MAN WITH A PURPOSE!

Usain Bolt, as he posed for a picture in front of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 5, 2008.
- CHINA DAILY





Ambassador Wayne McCook with Sports Minister Babsy Grange at a party held on Sunday Aug 24 in honour of our athletes.

by Jean Lowrie-Chin from Beijing
Jamaica Observer
Monday, August 25, 2008

"Double Bolt!" reads the cover of the China Daily Olympic special. In the store, a lady points to our Jamaica shirt and says, "Bolt! We love him." The hotel bellhop proudly gestures with his Jamaica key ring and says the one English word that is reverberating across China - "Bolt!"

Not to be left out, today's China Daily proclaimed, "Veronica keeps Jamaica on top". Veronica's victory sealed the deal - we are the undisputed sprint champions of the world. On Thursday night alone, Jamaica's National Anthem rang out three times in Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium. To see our Olympic stars storm past their rivals and finish to the roar of the Jamaica-crazy crowd, to witness the presentation of medals, and our flag waving its lively black-green-gold to the thousands in the stadium and the millions across the world, to be congratulated incessantly: this has been our heady Beijing experience.

Wayne McCook, Jamaica's Ambassador to China, has been deluged with calls from the press about his country's awesome performance. "They ask, 'How can this be?'" McCook relates. "I explain to them that our athletes come from a long and deep tradition in track and field, close to a century old." He has been telling the international media that in 1911, a schoolboy named Norman Washington Manley at Jamaica College held the world record for the 100 yards event! He said that when Jamaica arrived on the world stage of the Olympics in Helsinki in 1948, and London in 1952, we made our presence felt. "Now we're at the pinnacle," he exulted.

Ambassador McCook began his tour of duty in China in July 2005, at a time when the country had made their hosting of the 2008 Olympics a national priority. For Jamaica to be headlining these Olympics, he says it has made our country's name instantly recognisable to the majority of China's 1.3 billion people.

Ambassador McCook's staff has been kept busy with arrangements for our Olympic Team and officials, and he has high praises for Julia Hyatt, Pauline Gordon, Keera Clarke-Mills, and his dedicated local staff. He says that there are about 100 Jamaicans living in China.

I spoke briefly with one of them, artist Courtney Hogarth, whose work was on show at the Olympics Fine Art Exhibition. The Clarendon College and School of Art graduate moved here nine years ago and now holds a PhD in Chinese Painting from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. "I had an interest in Chinese culture," said Courtney. "I also have Jamaican-Chinese family - the Nams, Lees and Hughs."

Courtney says he is getting calls and emails from all over China, his friends marvelling at the prowess of his countrymen. He says China has had a fascination for our athletes, noting that when he arrived here, the name Merlene Ottey was more known in China than Bob Marley. "Now the name they will be calling for a long time will be Usain Bolt."

You can imagine the anticipation of my husband and me, after years of planning, to be finally attending an Olympics.
But never in our wildest dreams could we have thought that almost every single day since we have been at these Games, we would see Jamaicans electrify the Beijing National Stadium with such brilliance. Daily we Jamaicans dress in our colours and line up with the thousands from around the world to enter the Bird's Nest. With every passing day, the commendations multiply as fans call out to us, "Jamaica!" and give us the thumbs up.

We watch the athletes enter the stadium and take their places, we watch them dominate and we watch the world's media converge on them with masses of cameras and microphones. Back at the hotel, China TV is playing and replaying Bolt's glorious triple-Gold, triple world record.

On CNN, on BBC, on the Internet, Jamaica's name reigns.
"You a go tired fi see mi face/can't get me outa the race," sang Bob Marley. But guess what, they are not tired! The fans can't seem to get enough of us. So what now, Jamaica? What do we do now with this precious gift of our celebrity, handed to us on a golden platter by Usain, Veronica, Shelley-Ann and Melaine, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell? How do we transform this unprecedented popularity and goodwill into a peaceful, productive and prosperous country?

We will have to be like the team and the officials whom we sent to Beijing. Our athletes have been disciplined and well trained, their bodies honed for optimum efficiency. Our Olympics officials led by Don Anderson are the most generous individuals you can find. They are for the most part volunteers who have been teacher, counsellor, father and mother to the team. Our coaches are also now the stuff of legend - Glen Mills and Stephen Francis are homegrown gentlemen with stout hearts, fine minds and unyielding standards.

Those gratuitous reports, giving racist undertones to our performance, would want to dismiss out of hand, decades of dedication during which Jamaica built an athletics programme that would develop talent from primary school, through to high, through to club and college. I have seen the JAAA officials at such meets, ensuring that the most stringent IAAF rules are observed by even our youngest athletes.

Add that to a country that has been in the forefront of liberation and civil rights struggles and which has kept its democratic process intact, and you get young people with ability, discipline and spirit. Yes, Mr Rogge, it is called spirit.
That is what our Usain Bolt has. We are not a bland, sedate people. Our Marcus Garvey inspired the USA Civil Rights Movement and the self-determination of many African nations. We love to dance and sing, and as Michael Rosenberg said in the Detroit Free Press, "Nobody jams like the Jamaicans."

Jamaica, we now have the best opportunity to show the world that we can do in every other part of our national life, what we did on the track. Let's put all who would be leaders out there under starter's orders, let them run without the masks of trappings and connections, let us test them for the highest ethics. We demanded this of our athletes, and they delivered. We must now demand this of ourselves. Do not let this glorious day pass, for it may never come again.

lowriechin@aim.com

Bryan Clay is a Sweetie

I was lucky to meet Bryan Clay, US Gold Medal Decathlete. A humble, polite young man. He is at our hotel with his family - his parents are the same mix as Tiger Woods'. But guess what - our Usain is THE man at the Olympics!

Bolt leaves U.S. decathlon gold in the dust

By LYNN ZINSER, New York Times

Last update: August 22, 2008 - 8:38 PM
BEIJING -- The contrast between the events could not have been more stark, coming as they did right after each other Friday night at the Olympic stadium. Jamaica's Asafa Powell flew past the finish line with the final leg of an amazing world record in the 4x100-meter relay, his teammate Usain Bolt soaring after him to celebrate.

But for all the speed and joy of the fastest set of men on Earth, they followed an event that is much less appreciated in the United States and almost unimaginably grueling. American Bryan Clay's triumphant moment in the decathlon came after he all but staggered across the finish line at the end of the 1,500 meters. The track announcer greeted him with the news that he was the Olympic champion, to which Clay responded by pitching forward onto the track.

"I'd love for this to be a spark for the decathlon and bring it back to the forefront of track and field," said Clay, whose 8,791 points outdistanced the silver medalist, Alexander Pogorelov of Russia, who had 8,551. "We've got the title of world's greatest athlete, and it's back on U.S. soil. I don't know about anybody else, but it means something to me."

Clay became the first American decathlete since Dan O'Brien in 1996 to win the gold medal, but he ceded the spotlight to Bolt, the world's fastest man, who snared his third gold medal of the Games and helped break a third world record.

Bolt, who had astonishing performances in winning the 100 and 200, ran the third leg of the relay Friday as if fired from a cannon. By the time Bolt passed the baton, the only question was by how much the Jamaicans would break the record. Their time of 37.10 seconds sliced an unfathomable 0.30 seconds from the mark. Trinidad and Tobago snatched the silver, and Japan grabbed a surprising bronze.

"You really can't explain what has happened here," Bolt said. "It's just a great feeling. This is what we've all been working for."

Minister Grange's Party for Ja Olympic Team - Beijing

Puma Party - CJW Club Beijing - Sat 23 Aug 08

BMW M3 for Usain

Last night at the Puma Party for Usain, Don Anderson told me they had presented Bolt with a shoebox - in it a replica of a BMW M3 - the real one will be in Jamaica when he gets there! I think BMW should PAY Bolt to drive their car.
We're now enroute to a Party hosted by Minister of Sports Babsy Grange in honour of the Team at 'The Beach'.

Just met US Decathlon Gold Medallist Bryant Clay in the hotel lobby. What a humble, sweet guy - got a great photo with him - will post later.

Puma Party for Usain

We're at the bubbling Puma Party in honour of Usain Bolt. US Gold Medal Winner - 1968 Tommy Smith who has represented Puma presented new shoes to Usain and said 'I'm going to keep my eye on you.'
Usain's golden shoes will now go into the Puma museum.
The MC has just hailed Usain as "the fastest Jamaican AND the world fastest man!l
As I blog, Usain is on the stage dropping some serious dancehall moves much to the delight of his screaming fans.
Just hailed up Ambassador Wayne McCook, JOA Pres Mike Fennell and his wife Peggy and Johnny Leiba who told me there are 9 Jago athletes on the team.
Hubie is taking photos - will post later!

A chat with Asafa's Dad

Here I am with Asafa's brother Donovan, himself a former 100m world record holder (left of flag), Shelly-Ann's Mom holding flag and Asafa's Dad at right - was a balmy evening in Beijing!   - Hubie Chin photo

It was my delight to walk with Asafa's Powell's joyful father after his fantastic finish in our record-breaking 4x100. He told me that enroute at the New York airport, people were given him prayer cards.
"Asafa is going to be okay now," he said. " You watch and see."
The Beijing Stadium erupted once again as we saw two flying men in the 4x100 Relay - Usain and Asafa, going where no human had gone before, winning by the widest margin since the 1936 Olympics!
Our awesome foursome have run themselves into the history books and the Lightning Bolt has struck thrice!

Veronica keeps Jamaica on top

Veronica Campbell-Brown celebates after winning the women's 200m yesterday. AFP

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-22 06:50

Veronica Campbell-Brown continued Jamaica's domination of the Olympic sprint events by retaining her 200m title last night.
The 25-year-old's comfortable victory means Jamaica has won four golds, a silver and two bronzes in both the men's and women's 100m and 200m events, in a battle for supremacy with the much-vaunted US track team.
The Jamaican, who won 100m gold and 200m silver at last year's World Championships in Osaka, clocked a personal best of 21.74 sec to finish ahead of American Allyson Felix (21.93 sec).
Jamaican Kerron Stewart pipped American Muna Lee at the line in 22 sec for bronze.
"I am very happy," said Campbell-Brown. "It's great to come out and defend my gold medal. It's been great to see Jamaica get a clean sweep of the sprints. Now I have to concentrate on the relays."
Campbell-Brown bolted out of her blocks and immediately gained on Felix. She powered through the first 50m and had the psychological nudge on Felix coming around the bend. She was 2m clear of the field, with Stewart neck-and-neck with Felix for second spot.
But no one could catch Campbell-Brown whose fluid style saw her coast through to the finish line.
Agencies

Rogge rips the wrong guy

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports 1 hour, 34 minutes ago

excerpt from article re Jacques Rogge, IOC Chairman, criticizing Usain Bolt for ‘showboating’

“That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge said of the Jamaican sprinter. “I have no problem with him doing a show. I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters.”
Oh, this is richer than those bribes and kickbacks the IOC got caught taking.
All the powerful nations — including the United States — have carte blanche at the Games. They can pout and preen, cheat, throw bean balls, file wild complaints, break promises that got them a host bid, whatever they want. They can take turns slapping Rogge and his cronies around like rag dolls as long as the dinner with a good wine list gets paid.
A single individual sprinter? Even if you don’t like his manner, that’s whom Rogge deems it necessary to attack, to issue a worldwide condemnation?
“I understand the joy,” Rogge said. “He might have interpreted that in another way, but the way it was perceived was ‘catch me if you can.’ You don’t do that. But he’ll learn. He’s still a young man.”
Perceived by whom? Old fat cats making billions of Olympic dollars on the backs of athletes like Bolt for a century now? They get to define this? They get to lecture about learning?
Bolt is everything the Olympics are supposed to be about. He isn’t the product of some rich country, some elaborate training program that churns out gold medals by any means necessary.
He’s a breath of fresh air, a guy who came out of nowhere to enrapture the world with his athletic performance and colorful personality. This is no dead-eye product of some massive machine.
He was himself, and the world loved him for it.
On his own force of will, Bolt has become the break-out star of these Games. He saved the post-Michael Phelps Olympics. It wasn’t so much his world-record times, but the flair, the fun.
No one at the track had a problem with this guy; they understood he is everything the sport needs to recover from an era of extreme doping. The Lightning Bolt made people care about track again, something that seemed impossible two weeks ago.
“I don’t feel like he’s being disrespectful,” American Shawn Crawford told the Associated Press. “He deserves to dance.”

It WAS Veronica's night!!!

Gold again for Veronica in the 200 m!! She won in tremendous style - smooth and strong! Kerron Stewart took the bronze!
Ja - pop 2.8 m
5 Gold
3 Silver
1 Bronze

Usain just got his medal - to the roar of the adoring crowd!

Veronica's night?

As we line up along with thousands of avid fans to enter the beautiful Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium, I am whispering a prayer for our darling Veronica Campbell-Brown defending champion of the 200 metres - how can we forget that gritty, glorious Gold? In the line-up from Jamaica are Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart - both of whom tied for the Silver in the 100 metres on Sunday night. It should be fantastic!
Also we have the Men's 110m hurdles with Maurice Wignall and Ricardo Phillips.
Usain Bolt receives his Gold tonight - 'Jamaica Land We Love' will ring out in Beijing!
One Love One Heart
Jean 'Happy to be in Beijing' Lowrie-Chin

Lightning Bolt Strikes Twice!!!

Photo - China Daily















John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, August 21, 2008
(08-21) 04:00 PDT Beijing --
Michael Phelps, meet Usain Bolt. What you do in the water, he does on land.
The only difference is, Bolt has fewer events to dominate and fewer world records to destroy. First the 100 meters in 9.69 seconds. Now the 200 in 19.30.
He has one event left in these Beijing Olympics, the 4x100 relay Friday night. The world record is 37.40 by two U.S. teams, in 1992 and '93. A 2007 Jamaican foursome including Bolt ran 37.89.
"I'm looking forward to the 4x100," Bolt said. "I have one (race) to go. I have to refocus again to get one more gold medal."
In seasons to come, could the 400 meters be next for this prototype sprinter for the 21st century, 6-foot-5 with a track-eating long stride and the ability to turn his feet over as fast as his shorter competitors?
"I don't want to say anything too serious because my coach might want me to run 400 meters," Bolt said. "Anything is possible if I put my mind to it. I'm not worried about that now. Don't hold your breath. I don't think I'll be going up to the 400 anytime soon."
American Michael Johnson, who lost his 200-meter world record to Bolt on Wednesday night at the Bird's Nest, can breathe easily. For now, anyway, Johnson's world record of 43.18 in the 400 is safe from an assault by Bolt.
If ever a moniker suited the man, it is Usain Bolt. He struck twice here, first on Saturday when he toyed with the 100-meter field like a cat pawing at a mouse and still set a world record with his 9.69 time.
In the 200, he took a serious mien to the starting blocks in what is his favorite race. For someone so tall, Bolt exploded from the blocks, ran the turn hard and pressed the issue down the straight with the effort clearly visible on his face.
The clock stopped at 19.31, adjusted seconds later to 19.30. Bolt dropped supine on the red track and covered his face with his hands when he saw the time.
"The 200 has been my love since I was 15," he said. "I was the youngest ever to win World Juniors. It means a lot to me. It's dear to my heart. The 200 means more to me than the 100."
Johnson's world record 19.32 from the Atlanta Olympics lasted a dozen years. Bolt drew instant comparison to another Michael, swim czar Phelps.
"My name is Lightning Bolt," he said. "I won't compare myself to Michael Phelps. To win eight gold medals, that's great. I'm on the track and he's in the water. You can't compare the two."
After the race, Bolt spoke to the prime minister of his country, Bruce Golding, who told him virtually everyone in Jamaica was in the streets celebrating. Jamaicans at the track said much the same thing, that the country came to a standstill to watch or listen to Bolt's epic achievement.
The man who turned 22 as Wednesday night segued into this morning had his entire nation of 2.7 million riveted.
"People are just cooling," said Bert Cameron, a 400-meter runner who won Jamaica's first world championship in 1983. "There's nothing on the roads before the race was run. Everybody is looking on TV. Every single soul in Jamaica loves track and field. Every single person, from the youngest to the oldest, they're sitting down saying, 'Yes, mon.' "
Cameron, a coach in Jamaica, said he first met Bolt when he was a tall, skinny youngster of 12.
"He ran 52-flat (for the 400) on a grass track," Cameron said. "Not like grass in Europe. Grass with ruts."
While many astute track people thought Johnson's world record would last well into the 21st century, in Jamaica folks knew better.
"We knew it was coming," Cameron said. "This, and better to come."
Now, there's a scary thought, but probably a realistic one. Bolt has the prime of his career still to come. If anything derails him, it could be his junk food diet. To fuel up for both his world-record dashes, Bolt said, he ate Chicken McNuggets from the McDonald's at the Olympic Village.
Like Phelps, who shovels in all manner of food to keep from losing weight, Bolt is at an age when he can be cavalier about nutrition.
"You want the truth?" Bolt said. "I got up at 12. My masseuse brought me nuggets, of course. I'm serious. I didn't want to go to the cafeteria. I went straight to the track and my masseuse brought me more nuggets."
Alas, poor Jesse Owens never had an opportunity to power up on nuggets when he became the fifth man in Olympic history to win the 100 and 200 meters at the same Games , in 1936. Bolt is the ninth man to win both sprints at the same Olympics but the first to break world records in both.
One interested spectator at the Bird's Nest on Wednesday night was Renaldo Nehemiah, the onetime 49ers wide receiver and former world-record holder in the 110-meter hurdles. Nehemiah dabbled in the 200 during his track career and had a personal best of 20.26.
"I thought he robbed us of another great performance (in the 100) because I thought he could run 9.50," said Nehemiah, now an agent representing U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix, among others. "I'm so pleased. I thought, if he runs, if he truly runs, this is his Olympic Games. It's magical. None of us thought world record. I thought 19.55, 19.52."
In his record run at Atlanta in 1996, Johnson clocked 10.12 seconds for the first 100 and 9.20 for the second. Splits were not immediately available on Bolt's dash to history, but his opening 100 was probably faster than Johnson's was in Atlanta.
"I assume his first 100 had to be faster than Michael," Nehemiah said. "A 6-5 sprinter with cat-like feet, and the turnover to match the smaller guys, if he has the same tempo and takes nine-foot strides, it's ridiculous. You just can't match it."
None did. After lane violations disqualified the initial runner-up, Churandy Martina (19.82) of Netherlands Antilles, and the third-placer, Wallace Spearmon (19.95) of the U.S., Americans Shawn Crawford (19.96) and Walter Dix (19.98) moved up to the silver and bronze medals.
"He's bad. He broke the 100-meter record, the 200-meter record," Crawford said. "I'm serious, he's bad. The guy came out and made this the best Olympics of my lifetime."
Half-laps in a hurry
The top 10 200-meter times.
19.30 - Usain Bolt (Jamaica), 2008. Beijing
19.32 - Michael Johnson (U.S.), 1996, Atlanta
19.62 - Tyson Gay (U.S.), 2007, Indianapolis
19.63 - Xavier Carter (U.S.), 2006, Lausanne, Switzerland
19.65 - Wallace Spearmon (U.S.), 2006, Daegu, South Korea
19.66 - Johnson, 1996, Atlanta
19.67 - Bolt, 2008, Athens
19.68 - Frankie Fredericks (Namibia), 1996, Atlanta
19.69 - Walter Dix (U.S.), 2007, Gainesville, Fla.
19.72 - Pietro Mennea (Italy), 1979, Mexico City
Doubling up
Men who have won the 100 and 200 at the same Games.
1904 - Archie Hahn (U.S.) 11.0/21.6
1912 - Ralph Craig (U.S.) 10.8/21.7
1928 - Percy Williams (Canada) 10.8/21.8
1932 - Eddie Tolan (U.S.) 10.3/21.2
1936 - Jesse Owens (U.S.) 10.3/20.7
1956 - Bobby Morrow (U.S.) 10.5/20.6
1972 - Valeriy Borzov (U.S.S.R.) 10.14/20.00
1984 - Carl Lewis (U.S.) 9.99/19.80
2008 - Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.69/19.30
E-mail John Crumpacker at jcrumpacker@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

The World at Our Feet!!

Usain and Melaine! Two Golds in one night. Jamaica shone and the world was at our feet. Usain - new World Record, Melaine - new Olympic Record. People crowded us afterwards - hungry for photos with the flag of our little country. Oh what a night!
One Love
Jean

Lightning Bolt set to strike twice

Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates after winning the men's 200m semi-final 2 yesterday. He won ahead of US athletes Shawn Crawford and Wallace Spearmon. [Agencies]


China Daily/The Olympian
Updated: 2008-08-20 10:33

Jamaica's Usain Bolt has set himself up for the first Olympic sprint double since American Carl Lewis 24 years ago after scorching to the 100m title in world record-breaking style.

Bolt set the 91,000-capacity National Stadium alight on Saturday when he broke his own record in the shorter sprint in 9.69sec.

As he side-stepped his way into the record books in the Bird's Nest Saturday, he rewrote the limits of human capability. A time of 9.69sec barely told the whole story. After all, it is only 0.03 off his old mark, but it was the extravagant Hollywood manner he achieved it with. Had he not slowed up in the final 10m, he could have gone under 9.60 seconds.

The 1.96m giant, who turns 22 on Thursday, reduced the seven other fastest men in the world to extras in a dance routine as he turned sideways on to the stands and pranced across the line. The question now being asked is what the 21-year-old Jamaican can do to the record in the 200m, an event that he sees as his main discipline, when he races for the gold tonight.

"I was trying to see if I could take all the rounds," Bolt said after his 100m triumph.

"I've shown I can take it so I'm going to run the 200m.

"I'm not really worried about world records," he added. "I'm just coming here to win. That's the aim for me."

That's not to say he will not give it a full shot.

"It's my last individual event and I want to leave it on the track," Bolt said ahead of the semi-finals.

As well as revising records, Bolt has changed the perception of what a sprinter should be. While Johnson was a more conventional compact size, Bolt is outsize in every sense. When both he and compatriot Asafa Powell came off the track through the mixed zone, the normally powerful Powell was made to look diminutive by the younger man.

Over the longer sprint, Bolt is unbeaten and possesses the three fastest times in the world this year.

His 19.67sec time in Athens propelled him to fifth on the all-time lists and his victories in London (19.76) and Ostrava (19.83) were similarly impressive.

In those runs - and as was clear in his 100m performance at the Beijing Games - Bolt seems to hold some in reserve, which also raises the prospect of him being a real challenge to American Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32sec, set at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Bolt's main rival will likely be American Walter Dix, the bronze medallist in the 100m who beat defending Olympic champion Shawn Crawford at the US trials at 19.86sec and recorded a personal best of 19.69sec last season.

"I'm going to get ready for the 200m," said Dix after setting a personal best of 9.91sec in the 100m.

"I'm quite proud of the result but I know I have much more to do."

Crawford, who beat drugs-tainted compatriot Justin Gatlin to 200m gold in the Athens Games four years ago, has not shone on the international stage since, but has recently hit some good form.

American teammate Wallace Spearmon, who has won a 2005 silver and a 2007 bronze medal in the event and finished 0.04sec behind Dix and Crawford at the US trials, could also be among the contenders for a podium placing.

Among other potential rivals are Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles, who impressed in finishing fourth in the 100m at 9.93sec.

Martina said his performances in the 100m had given him heart.

"I improved my personal best three times and there's no better place to do that than right here."

Richard Thompson, the 100m silver medalist from Trinidad and Tobago, summed up the effect of trying to pursue Bolt in full flow.

"I could feel myself pulling away from the rest (of the field] and I could see him slowing down, but I'm still pumping to the line," he said.

The semifinals took place last night and the finals are scheduled tonight. Bolt finished first in his heat in 20.09 sec. Martina won his in 20.11 sec.

Agencies

SOUR GRAPES - DON'T DISS JAMAICA!!!

My response to a grudging, covetous article circulating on the web not giving us fair credit for our efforts, trying to explain away our Olympic glory with genetics - OH REALLY??

We know that some will always try to find an easy, gratuitous way to explain away the achievements of developing countries. They do not wish to know that:

* Jamaica has the most comprehensive athletics programme, beginning at primary/prep school - Usain Bolt ran at the National Stadium at age six.

*We have the best local training - our athletes got faster after local coaches like Stephen Francis and Glen Mills created their own regimen so Jamaicans would no longer have to depend on overseas training

* We have a tradition of strong leadership and a secure decades-old democratic system that creates confidence in our people - National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey had a membership of 10 million in the UNIA in the 1950s before he was deported on trumped-up charges

* We have hybrid strength - hardly any Jamaican is "pure African". Usain Bolt's Dad is obviously mixed. All the races live harmoniously in Jamaica and have intermarried over the years.

* In the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) and the Sports Medicine Association of Jamaica, we have the finest set of expert volunteers who have been elected to the highest posts in world bodies. Teddy McCook is now the IAAF Representative for the Western Hemisphere. Mike Fennell was the Chairman of the last Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

Another Silver!!

Wednesday morning - August 20 - Beijing

Another Silver!!

Shericka Williams presented us with yet another Olympic medal - an incredible Silver in the Women's 400 metres! With hot favourites, Christine Ohuruogu who took home the Gold for the UK, and US Jamaican-born Sanya Richards, the best we were hoping for was a bronze. But Shericka ran an intelligent race, stying close to the leaders without pushing herself too early. In final 100 metres she accelerated, powering past Sanya Richards who had gone out too hard and had little left to finish. Result UK Gold, Jamaica Silver and USA Bronze.

110 metres hurdles fianlists did not medal - but remember - being a finalist in the Olympics is a huge achievement, have survived three stages - the heats, the quarter finals and the semi- finals.

In the Men's 200 semis Usain Bolt practically coasted to his win, toying with his competitors. This morning, CNN international said Bolt "strolled through the semi-finals". We cannot wait for tonight!!!