Mills, Franno on JA role

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Not Me! … Francis has no interest in JAAA head coach slot
Published: Sunday | November 8, 2009

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Francis

Following sharply on the heels of Glen Mills’ decision to discontinue his association with Jamaican teams at major championships as head coach, fellow top-brass coach, Stephen Francis, has distanced himself from the post, choosing instead to concentrate on his MVP Track Club athletes.

Francis, who has a long-standing dispute with local athletics regulators, the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), which came to a boil during last year’s Olympic Games and before the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August, underlined his commitment to his athletes and believes taking up such a post would represent a serious conflict of interest.

hypocritical move

The outspoken Francis, who conditions the likes of Olympic and World champions Shelly-Ann Fraser and Melaine Walker, along with former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, 100m hurdles World champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Olympic and World 400m silver medallist Shericka Williams, emphasised that his allegiance is only reserved for the athletes under his personal care and nobody else.

Said Francis: “It would be very hypocritical if I were to accept a position as team coach of the Jamaican team. I believe that post is for someone with less personal interest,” he told The Gleaner.

“I have in the past strongly believed that people who coach a number of athletes, especially non-Jamaicans in a private capacity, should not be accepting positions on a national programme primarily because, well for me, I am really interested in how the athletes who I coach perform, and if I coach an athlete from Trinidad or from Bahrain, I am going to want my athlete to beat any Jamaican that I do not coach as a result of the whole athlete-coach thing,” a candid Francis stated.

“The truth of the matter is that I don’t have the best interest of the Jamaican team members at heart. What I do have is the best interest of the people that I coach at heart.”

Francis, who was part of Jamaica’s coaching team for the 2001 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, under special circumstances, has turned down several subsequent offers to be part of the coaching contingent.

“I have repeatedly in the past turned down offers and have told the JAAA that I will not be available for any such position because it’s not fair to the athletes who are a part of the team, it is not necessary. But some people, for whatever reason, have felt that they need to continue doing it,” Francis stated.

“I don’t do it and I don’t see that changing in the future because as I said, I am going to want to see my individual athletes who I coach from whichever country beat whichever Jamaicans they are up against as long as I don’t coach them (Jamaican athlete),” he continued.

possible replacement

When asked to comment on Mills’ tenure and to identify a possible replacement for upcoming assignments at next year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, and the 2011 World Championships, Francis did not single out anyone in particular, but expressed the hope that the choice is solid.

Said Francis: “I wouldn’t want to recommend anybody. These things (appointments) are not done by ability anyway. it’s about friendships and who is comfortable working with whom, and so forth. At the end of the day, however, the selection process is carried out. I hope it is someone who would be an asset to the people who will represent Jamaica at these meets.”

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END OF AN ERA! Mills retires as Ja’s head coach

Veteran Mills to focus on Racers Track Club

BY KAYON RAYNOR Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com

Friday, November 06, 2009

Glen Mills, coach of triple Olympic and World Championship gold medallist Usain Bolt and president of the Racers Track Club, has retired from his post as national senior head coach, ending a 22-year reign.

MILLS… it’s good to quit while you’re ahead
“I feel that after being head coach for every World Championship, except the inaugural one and the one in 2003, and every Olympic Games since 1988, that’s a good run, and the crowning glory in Beijing… it’s good to quit while you’re ahead,” Mills told the Observer in an exclusive interview on Monday.

Last year Mills received Jamaica’s fifth highest national award, the Order of Distinction (OD) in the rank of Commander Class for his service to track and field.

“I leave the scene in terms of the continued challenges of the (Jamaica Amateur Athletic) Association, athletes and coaches, but despite that, I leave with the performances being the highest it has ever been in the history of Jamaica’s track and field, so one wonders if it isn’t a paradox that these controversies results in tremendous successes,” Mills joked.

He, however, noted that, “Certainly, it’s not the kind of atmosphere you’d like, but I’m glad that I was able to serve Jamaica in the way that I’ve done and to help in developing the sport that I love so dearly, and it’s time for me to say good-bye to national representation,” he added.

The unassuming veteran sprint coach who has been practising his craft for the past 44 years, replaced the late great Herb McKenley as Jamaica’s head coach in 1987.

“I learnt a lot from the great Herb McKenley whom I succeeded and was his deputy for many of years, from as far back as in the 1970s. I saw a lot of struggles to build the Jamaica team to the level that it has reached today, so it’s time for somebody else to take it now to the other level,” Mills reasoned.

Under Mills’ stewardship between 1987 and 2009, Jamaica captured 71 medals at the World Championships -13 gold, 31 silver and 27 bronze. In that same time period, the country amassed 33 medals at the Olympics - nine gold, 16 silver and eight bronze.

Mills said he had decided to quit as head coach from as far back as the year 2000 after the Sydney Olympic Games.

“I took the decision then, that it was time to… allow younger people to take up the mantle, but the then administration ask me to continue for a couple more years so that somebody could be groomed to take over and with the exception of 2003, I’ve been at the helm of all the senior games… I’ve gone almost nine years pass the time that I had set,” added Mills, who obtained a Diploma in Sprint Coaching from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Centre in Mexico in the 1970s.

He made it clear his involvement with the Racers Track Club did not affect his decision.

“Based on the fact that I’m not getting younger and the stress and demands of that job requires a younger person to take up the mantle… it’s a good time to lead Jamaica while it’s at the top because we were never always there,” said the 2008 NACAC Coach-of-the-Year.

“It’s a tough job and very challenging, as you can see from games to games, there’s always so much controversy, even in the height of successes and in the middle of that usually in the job of head coach, because you’re dealing with athletes based in the (United) States, Jamaica and Europe and the coming together and the whole period leading to selections and so on. A lot of time it’s been very controversial and it’s a very rocky road,” Mills stated.

“Sometime the chemistry never always blended because (of) their demands and expectations etc. Sometimes there was controversy with the ruling body (JAAA) itself, and that usually spills over into the management team,” he said, adding that the tough decision had to be made by his panel of coaches until recent years, when a technical leader was introduced.

“Some of them (decisions) we did very well, some of them we didn’t get the success that we wanted, but… looking back at it, I really don’t have any regrets. I think I served my country to the best of my ability and I must have been doing some things right for me to have occupied the position for so long,” Mills said.

He singled out the disrespect meted to national coaches by athletes, their managers and spectators as low points during his reign as national head coach.

On the positive side, he singled out Jamaica’s improvement in mile relay running, among his high points.

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MAKES IT SEEM LIKE MILLS WAS THE REASON JAMAICA WON SO MANY MEDALS … SHOULD MAKE FRANNO HAPPY :slight_smile:

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Usain Bolt’s coach will continue working with the Olympic champion and world record holder even though he is stepping down as Jamaica’s national team coach after 22 years.

Glen Mills told The Associated Press on Friday he felt it was time to resign, saying, “There are a lot of coaches who are making their mark.”

Bolt set three world records last year at the Beijing Olympics and broke those marks again in the 100 and 200 meters in August at the world championships.

Under Mills, the team won 71 world championships medals and 33 Olympic medals.

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Good for him for saying it.