Payne lands two-year scholarship
By Leeron Brumell
Guyana Chronicle
December 5, 2003
GUYANA’S junior national half-mile champion Tai Payne has landed himself a two-year scholarship in the United States of America.
The 20-year-old former Bishops’ High School student has been given a place at the Essex Community College where he will continue training in the 400 and 800 metres events and will pursue studies in engineering and visual arts.
Payne whose older sister Neema Payne also landed a scholarship to the said university a few years ago says he feels ‘normal’.
“I don’t feel funny about it, just natural because I trained hard for it.”
Payne who holds the current local junior 400m record of 47.20 says that his timings for the college are slightly better than in the area where he will spend his next two years competing.
The Atoms Athletics Club (AAC) athlete clocked the time at the 2002 Hampton Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
He has a personal best time of 1:50.90 in the 800m, which he registered at the South American Games earlier this year, despite not qualifying for the final. He said it is better than those of the other athletes who are currently enrolled at the college for this year.
Payne has plans of reaching the world stage and to be ranked among the best.
“People say they want to win an Olympic medal, I want to meet there but I also want to be ranked with the big guys.
I know I’m ranked in the junior category between one to 50 but I can’t remember what number.”
The 2001 and 2002 Carifta medallist says that training is hard for him but the support he receives from those around pushes him to the limit.
“For me it is hard mentally. I am not strong, but people like my coach Foster (Sampson) family and friends give me a lot of support. They give me that extra push.”
Payne’s training grounds for the past few years have been the Queen’s College field and the National Park Circuit, where he has been subjected to rigorous and intense work under Sampson.
This training included what is known as the ‘general prep period’ which was done during the off peak periods of the year. It included hurdle hops, frog hops with a medicine ball (has the size of the basketball and is heavy) and fartlek (fast and slow running) among other things.
That no doubt was the hardest part of the year round routine. Then came the specialisation period in which he concentrated mainly on his event -- the 800m event -- for which he is widely respected.
He worked on form, speed and strength.
For the past two months after Sampson migrated, he has been training under Coach Carter, a Barbadian. He said the training was intended to keep him fit until he takes up his scholarship in January 2004.
Holding the top spot at the Hampton and Whitsuntide Games in Grenada, Payne continues his training in the National Park on a daily basis with a programme supplied by Sampson along with club mate and national long and triple jumper Clyde Gibson.
Payne took the opportunity to thank Stanley Ming of Mings Products and Services who has been his sponsor for the past few years.
He says that while in the U.S., he will be sponsored by another individual who was impressed with his performance.
Payne since breaking onto the regional scene in fine style just over a year ago has had numerous offers from colleges but, in the end, with the assistance of Coach Sampson has settled for Essex College.
When Payne begins his scholarship next month, he will meet with club mate and national female long jumper Michelle Vaughn.
Vaughn too landed a full two-year scholarship and took it up last September..
Guyana’s national 400m and 800m female champion Marion Burnette also attended the college, but has now moved onto the university level.