On another note, TT left the U20 with one bronze. I believe this is a reflection of our downward performances from Carifta.
This is so distressing. What wrong with we?
My guess is a combination of the following:
1. Lack of quality off-season strengthening and conditioning coaching.
(i) Whether plyometric or weight training, athletes 16/17 and older need to be introduced to these methods by qualified individuals.
(ii) Coaches should look at collaborating with peers in other sports where advanced techniques are in play, or even employ the help of qualified gym trainers
2. Lack of quality off-season, year-end performance reviews and goal setting.
(i) We do not have to rely on the government to spend money to send athletes to facilities like Michael Johnson's. In this day and age of social media videos, amateur video manipulation (slo-mo), and affordable equipment (SoloShot), coaches can review pros and cons with their top athletes to figure out what needs to improve (form, flexibility, strength, technique, etc), then set plans and goals for both the off-season and the following competitive season.
3. Lack of in-season technical and mental coaching.
(i) Very few of our athletes show efficient basic form, or astute race planning as do their competitors from Jamaica, Bahamas, and Barbados. Case in point, look at the U20 men's 4x400m relay final and look at the 0.5-1.0 loss on every relay interchange compared to the US where the outgoing runner takes a couple of steps then turns and takes the baton maintaining the relay baton momentum.
(ii) At least one official accompanying our teams needs to deliver the "pep" talk, about pride in wearing the red, white and black, about owning the track, about not throwing away the hours, days, months of painful workouts. Some athletes get it on their own, but they all need some sort of supportive, rallying speech to raise their mental attitudes as they enter competitions.
(iii) Unless one is injured you never should run more than 0.5 sec slower than your PB with that uniform on, at such a major competition. Your goal should at a minimum be to advance past the heats and/or run a SB or PB - what happened in the U20 men's 400m (48 point and 50 point)?
4. Overall lack of focus and capability to coach non-sprint, field and other technical events.
(i) Except for one-off talents, we generally do not produce numbers in the hurdles, jumps and throws.
(ii) Coaches need to convince "middling" sprinters to try the hurdles, jumps, or middle distances, even if for a year, just to explore.
(iii) In most meets you'll see 5-10 heats for any of the sprints, but straight finals for most every other event.
