MIAMI GARDENS – County Line Chiropractic Centers and the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation, Southeastern USA, honored Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist and South Florida resident Michael Frater on Sunday, October 19 and Monday, October 20 at events held at the Signature Grand in Davie. In addition, there was a community meet and greet at the offices of County Line Chiropractic Centers in Miami Gardens.
Joining Frater in the celebrations were gold medalist, Nester Carter, silver medalists Sherone Simpson as well as Trinidadian silver medalist Darryl Brown. All are members of the Jamaican-based MVP Track Club.
According to County Line Chiropractic Center CEO, Dr. Robert Hochstein, “We are proud of Mr. Frater’s outstanding accomplishments at the Olympics and in track and field in general. We want to honor him as our ‘Hometown Hero’ as County Line Chiropractic Centers continued commitment to support the culture of the Caribbean community here in South Florida. We are delighted that his colleagues and members of the MVP track club will be present for the celebrations.”
Olympic Gold in Beijing
A resident of North Lauderdale, Frater ran the second leg on Jamaica’s world record breaking 4 X 100m relay team that ran 37.10 for Olympic Gold in Beijing. In 2005 he was the Pan Am Games 100m Champion, and won the Silver medal at the IAAF World Championships of Athletics 100m behind Justin Gatlin. In 2008 he set his personal best in the 100m, 9.97 seconds.
“As Jamaicans, we are proud to recognize this extraordinary global achievement of our athletes. This accomplishment inspires to greater heights in all that we do in our local communities. Every Jamaican and person of Jamaican descent should relish this moment in history,” stated Marlon A. Hill, Esq., Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board Member for the Southern United States.
Frater and his teammates were honored at a private, invitation-only reception on Sunday. Afterward, they attended a party at Stingerz nightclub. They celebrated Michael’s birthday with family and friends on Sunday night. On Monday afternoon, they toured the main office of County Line Chiropractic Centers in Miami Gardens. The City of Miami Gardens and county officials also honored them publicly.
MVP Track and Field Club
The MVP Track and Field Club was founded in 1999. It was founded by Stephen Francis, Paul Francis, David Noel, and Bruce James. It was created to give Jamaican athletes a local option after high school. They wanted a place for track and field training in Jamaica. MVP’s goal was to show Jamaican athletes could be the best. They believed Jamaican coaches, facilities, and management could compete with anyone.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 8 MVP athletes earned 5 Gold medals, 4 Silver medals and 1 Bronze medal.
Community Celebrates Michael Frater & Friends
