On the occasion of Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey's 52nd birthday, it seems appropriate to look at the Jamaican obsession with "track and field" (it's really the track part we are interested in). How does this play out in the context of celebrity, youth, and money?
I was prompted to write this partly because there was a grave omission in my last Sunday review of the Jamaican news.
In light of the excessive hype (and overblown expectations) less than a week before the London Olympics start, I thought I would repeat this blog post written on May 10, pointing out the huge pressure our athletes are under. As Dionne Jackson Miller says in her blog today, let's back off and give them room to breathe...And to me, they are ALL winners, even if they don't all get gold medals!
Also please read Dionne's post at http://newsandviewsbydjmillerja.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/jamaica-and-the-london-2012-olympics-want-to-help-our-athletes-back-off/
Perhaps the pressure is more intense because track success has put Jamaica on the map in a positive way like nothing else ever has. Just a thought.
Yes, I think so. It is just getting “too much” in Jamaica. The media is helping to stoke the fires…
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Sending them positive vibrations. I’m looking forward to the Track and Filed events.
Me too. I think they are getting good vibes from all round, so far. (Darn that autocorrect!)
Ugh… Field event!