Five honoured at Charlie Fuller meet

Kirkvine, Manchester — Five people were honoured at the JAAA/Puma/Windalco Charlie Fuller track and field meeting for their services to track and field over the years.

They are Georgia Francis, Dorothy ‘Dotty’ Daley, Edward Hector, Marie Tavares and a special award to Patrick ‘Pops’ Anderson.

Hector, a former coach at Holmwood Technical and retired vice-principal, was honoured for his service to the sport over the years as coach and administrator and has been head of delegation to numerous meets.

Tavares served as administrator at JAAA and has served in various capacities as chaperone to various Olympics and World Championships and is highly respected by all.

Francis is a physical education teacher at Manchester High School and the wife of the late ‘Zuggie’ Francis, who was also an official as a starter. She has served as chief recorder for many years and is a JAAA official (recorder) for over 30 years.

Anderson has served track and field and other sporting disciplines in Jamaica over the years and was instrumental in the start of this development meet. He is also head of Manchester cricket and has served as president of the JAAA and JFF and was involved in netball and softball.

“I enjoy this honour and always enjoy this meet. I miss Charlie Fuller for Charlie was everything, but we have to go on. I am not all that well, but have to be here. Marie Tavares is the best, her first trip from way back when we went to Canada together and she has not stopped. She looks out for the younger generation and has been doing a good job. “The development meets are fantastic. Usain Bolt, Sherone Simpson started right here and many others. Bolt broke his first record here in Class Three, a national record. This meet started when it was Alcan and we missed them as they used to sponsor everything and they were great.

“There is a new team and company on board now and we are struggling… we have team that is working to keep the meet going — Bernie Panton, Edward Hector and the late Charlie Fuller are instrumental in the development of this meet and the dynamics behind the meet,” Anderson said.

– Everard Owen

(PHOTO: EVERARD OWEN)

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Five honoured at Charlie Fuller meet

Remembering Charlie Fuller

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The annual Puma Track and Field Development Meet which has helped to nurture some of Jamaica’s leading athletes including mega star Usain Bolt will take place on Saturday January 11 at the Kirkvine Sports Club grounds.

Organisers say they expect the event to attract competitors from scores of the country’s top high schools as well as tertiary institutions and professional clubs.It will also serve as a special tribute to late track and field statistician and administrator Charlie Fuller who died in July.He was one of the founders of the Puma Track Meet, according to Chairman of the organising committee Pat Anderson.Anderson said that there are plans for a name change to the Charlie Fuller/Puma Development Meet.He said that there will be a citation for Fuller to be collected by his wife Olive.“…She is all excited about coming to this track meet… she was never here before. This lady, we call her a heroine, because she was there all along supporting Charlie here and there. In supporting Charlie it made (him) the kind of man that he was.According to Anderson, Fuller spearheaded the ‘rebirth’ of track and field at the Manchester High School and managed the team for several years.Technical leader for the development meet Maurice Wilson said that the success of athletes from Manchester High including Tulah Robinson, Beverly Langley, Lorraine Fenton, Sherone Simpson, Nesta Carter can be credited to Fuller’s contribution.“We cannot speak enough about Charlie Fuller,” he said.Track coach Danny Hawthorne, track starter Linford Myers and General Secretary at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Garth Gayle will also be honoured at the event.Anderson’s son Richard, in his capacity as public relations officer, said the twenty-three year old meet started with four schools and now has in excess of a hundred schools participating.“We expect most of the top schools to be here … Holmwood, Manchester High, Jamaica College, Kingston College, Munro, STETHS,” said Richard Anderson.Competition at the January 11 meet will focus on the 3000m, 5000m, 800m, 400m and 200m. There will also be an open 4x800m relay.Bolt apart, the annual meet has also been credited for helping to develop top performers such as Jermaine Gonzales, Rosemarie White, Aneisha McLaughlin, Anastasia Le-Roy and Schillonie Calvert.German multinational company Puma, one of the world’s largest sports wear suppliers, which has a multi-million US dollar endorsement contract with Bolt, has been sponsoring the development meet since 2003.Usain Bolt and Aneisha McLaughlin were among those nurtured by the annual Puma-sponsored development meet.Public relations officer for the meet Richard Anderson (left), chairman of the organising committee Pat Anderson (centre) and technical leader Maurice Wilson discuss plans for the event. (PHOTO: GREGORY BENNETT)Organisers of the 23-year-old Puma Development Track and Field Meet, held annually at Kirkvine in Manchester, plan to adjust the name of the event in honour of one of its founders, the late Charlie Fuller.

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Remembering Charlie Fuller