COACHING guru Stephen Francis of MVP Track Club will be the guest speaker at the Howard Aris Memorial Lecture to be held at the University of Technology today, where he is expected to impart his expertise on the subject: Practice vs Theory: Common technical controversies in Jamaica’s track and field coaching.

The Howard Aris Memorial Lecture, which starts at 6:00 pm, is organised by the Gibson McCook Relay committee, and is in its fourth year. It is a precursor to the main event on Saturday at the National Stadium.

Francis was one of four persons alongside his brother Paul Francis, David Noel and president Bruce James who formed the Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP) club in 1999.

There was a time when promising Jamaican athletes, including Herb McKenley and Merlene Ottey would migrate to the United States of America (USA) to make use of the better training facilities at the American universities.

But Francis would revolutionise track and field coaching in Jamaica and is mainly responsible for athletes now staying at home and honing their skills.

It is said that when Asafa Powell joined MVP in 2001, he was running 10.7 seconds for the 100m before Francis guided him to two world-record runs some years later.

Under Francis’ tutelage, MVP, which also produced Olympic sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is one of the top clubs in the world alongside another Jamaican club, Racers, the home of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

The outspoken Francis has coached some of the best in the world, including Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Sherone Simpson, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Shericka Williams, just to name a few.

Meanwhile, the 39th staging of the Gibson McCook Relays will now have 10 Championship events with the inclusion of the Class Two 4x100m for boys and girls.

There is no entry fee, and completing an application form does not guarantee a space in the event, say the organisers.

The committee will select each team based on its performance over the last 12 months and the availability of lanes.

The events are: All relays, 100m, 400m, one mile, long jump, high jump, pole vault, masters and special Olympic races.

Admission is $2000 for the grandstand finish line, $1,500 for regular grandstand and $300 for bleachers.

— Howard Walker