Letter of the Day | Schools’ Challenge Quiz shaped Stephen Francis’ career

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Since his recent passing, some of us have asked the question: how did attending Wolmer’s Boys’ School, making four straight finals, and winning three seasons of the Schools’ Challenge Quiz (SCQ) competition shape Stephen Francis’ later accomplishments as one of the greatest track and field coaches in history?

We may never get a complete answer to that question, but we suspect that it is buried somewhere in his innate resilience and the lessons he learned at Jamaica’s premier boys’ school. Stephen was by any measure a Schools’ Challenge legend and we the undersigned schoolmates from Wolmer’s and teachers at Wolmer’s witnessed parts or all of that journey and can speak to how those early moments in Stephen Francis’ life shaped his life’s perspective, and influenced us individually and collectively as part of the Wolmer’s quiz fraternity.

It is noteworthy that Stephen’s exploits in the Schools’ Challenge Quiz at Wolmer’s Boys’ School were unprecedented. He was on the SCQ team for four seasons from 1978 to 1981. In his first year - as a fourth former in 1978 when he was 15 years old, the team comprised John Givans as captain, Jason Gordon, Dale Abel and Stephen, and was victorious against the formidable Munro College. His second foray in 1979 was less successful, with Munro exacting its revenge against Wolmer’s in the final match. But the loss to the seemingly invincible team from Munro resulted in drastic changes in the way Wolmer’s approached the Schools’ Challenge Quiz competition. It also stoked a determination in Stephen never to lose again.

A room for mandatory practice was requisitioned. Training and mentoring from the faculty became more robust. Practice sessions became mandatory. We worked harder to procure the books which were sources of knowledge for our training. Offsite activities, courtesy of prior team member-turned-coach David Rowe, and his family, became more frequent. Simulated electronic buzzers were enhanced, and disciplined answers in chorus during the buzzer section became standard practice. While Stephen and his teammates over the years deserve the credit for this amazing transformation, we also pay tribute to the late David Rowe, a Wolmer’s alumnus and SCQ member himself, who was instrumental in setting up the system that allowed Stephen and his teammates to flourish.

These changes reflect the lessons which Stephen and the rest of us learned at Wolmer’s: the value of hard work, the pursuit of excellence, and the importance of leaving no stone unturned.

These improvements produced a two-year winning streak for Wolmer’s Boys’, first in 1980 (when the team comprised Stephen, Dale Abel (captain), John Smith, and Ian Walker) and again in 1981 (when the team comprised Stephen (now captain), Peter Goldson, Ian Walker and Roger Hamilton). Although these events happened more than 45 years ago, they remain firmly anchored in the memories of those of us who were there to witness history in the making. We are all grateful for the opportunity to have attended Wolmer’s - or to have taught at Wolmer’s - and to have been shaped by the values which it taught us. One of these important lessons was to strive to embody the Jamaican spirit of determination and resilience. We fight hard to always take those lessons forward in life.

Stephen certainly did. Few among us can say we have reached the pinnacle of our chosen profession on a global level - and at a young age - as he did.

Stephen Francis is a testament to that rare accomplishment. His record-breaking track and field footprints are well documented. However, we would like to use this medium to salute his extraordinary and indelible accomplishments in Schools’ Challenge Quiz at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, the institution that shaped him.

DALE ABEL

PETER GOLDSON

JOHN SMITH

PAUL ROBOTHAM

IAN WALKER