The Paris 2024 Olympics starts today, though some events (football, rugby sevens, archery, and handball) started midweek, but for all intents and purposes, today is the day the Games officially commence. The Jamaicans begin their quest as of next Friday (August 2) and, following a very promising Olympic trials a few weeks ago, expectations are high for the black, green, and gold.

With these high expectations, Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora are prepared to celebrate every victory, be it in the rounds or in the final of an event. A mode of celebration that has become commonplace over the last few Olympics or World Championships (or other victory celebrations) is the knocking of pot covers, referred to by many as ‘knockivity’.

The individual that has become most synonymous with this aspect of the Jamaican culture is Dalton Spence, who has attained celebrity-like status at the National Stadium with his Dutch pot covers. Spence is a music teacher at Christel House Jamaica in Spanish Town and describes his “potcova” ritual as a way of supporting and celebrating the greatness of all aspects of Jamaica, particularly on the world stage.

In his own words, “The pot cover covers the pot of the food that nourishes, energises, and makes us so great. The culture, the seasoning in the pot, a melting pot of greatness, the yam and the dumpling and other foods that provide natural nutrients.” This is an allusion to the association of Jamaican food with Jamaican success on the track. Spence uses the pot covers to convey the national pride that comes from Jamaicans achieving success, breaking new ground, and overcoming (seemingly) impossible odds. He uses the lessons of achievement to inspire his students to reach beyond their perceived limitations, highlighting the fact that most of the successful Jamaicans they admire came from humble beginnings.

As a youngster, he had his early schooling at St Francis All Age before attending St George’s College, after which he went on to College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) — now University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) — and Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts for his tertiary education. Spence absorbed the experiences along the way to forge a positive outlook and sought to adopt a glass-is-half-full attitude, adding, “Failure is a stepping stone to greatness.”

His ‘potcova’ journey began during the Rio 2016 Olympics, specifically during the 100m final featuring Usain Bolt. Spence, armed with his pot covers, travelled to Half-Way-Tree Square and, along with hundreds of others, prepared to celebrate Bolt’s victory — and celebrate they did. Quite obliviously, he was captured on video during the celebration, which got posted, went viral, and the rest is history.

Additionally, he was interviewed on mainstream media during the festivities and, inspired by the “Big Deal”, the name of a meal recently launched at that time by a popular fast-food chain, he coined the phrase, “Jamaica a di big deal and everything else a small fries and side order!” This laid dormant until 2020 when it was reposted on someone’s social media page and the phrase grew wings. Another popular social media influencer reintroduced the phrase in 2022, during the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, and its popularity grew exponentially.

Unfortunately, Spence has never received the warranted recognition as the creator of the phrase and has not found a suitable channel to monetise its usage. And in the years since, a number of highly successful companies have used his image in promotional activities and advertisements without him gaining any financial benefit. However, he indicated that he has been invited to sporting events and other gatherings by brand managers of various entities, due to his indelible impact.

Spence did single out Scotiabank Jamaica, who reached out to him for participation in their 2023 advertisement campaign “We are for every future”, but was quick to highlight that he is humbled to represent the positive side of Jamaica and his motivation comes from his message to the world in general but specifically to his students and other children who may define their possibilities by their circumstances.

He created the “Potcova!!! Celebration !!!” Facebook wall in 2016 to “explore this craze of the use of potcova to celebrate and build a vibes. Celebrating all that is positive happening in Jamaica”, but while most would associate this with sports, the celebrations span far and wide: celebrating with fans at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) on the return of Dalton Harris after he won X Factor in 2018; camping out at NMIA to help welcome Toni-Ann Singh after she won the Miss World title in 2019; celebrating the achievements of the finalists of Digicel Rising Star; and numerous appearances at Grand Gala Independence celebrations, to name a few.

Spence is a regular fixture at football matches in the National Stadium and is present at major track meets, including National Trials at which the last instalment for the Paris Olympics saw him approached by producers of the recently released Netflix miniseries
Sprint for permission to include his image — permission was granted, and his image included. No doubt this offer came because he was the only supporter with pot covers in the stadium — maybe for security reasons — but the one-man show must have struck a chord with the producers for them to include same in the series.

The ‘potcova’ tradition predates Spence, but he is single-handedly ensuring that this ingredient continues to add a bit of sweetness to the pot. The lack of credit and compensation has not swayed his enthusiasm and while he recognises that the clash of pot covers may be irritating for some (especially if they are close by), the energy and vibe that it brings cannot be doubted.

The Jamaican athletes are in Paris to represent all that is great in and from Jamaica. They wear the colours with pride, and every Jamaican should feel inspired by their achievements. Applaud every second gained and every centimetre achieved, even if actual Dutch pot covers are not employed in the cheers and celebrations.

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