Trimmingham and Baptiste steal essay honours at Camp

Orenzo Trimmingham and Omar Baptiste shared top honours in the essay competition that featured during the six-week track and field Camp coordinated by TASVG coach, Godfrey Harry.
The camp, held at the Grammar School Playing Field with theory done as the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, saw young athletes, supported by their parents, engage in six weeks of training. Assistant coaches included Khalil Cato, Ronique Dowers, Javed Marksman and Chantel Legair, and together with Harry, they covered the major disciplines of the sport.
At the conclusion on Tuesday last, each participant was awarded for participating in the challenging programme:

• High jump – Amia Edwards
• Long jump – J’Aivar Cato
• Throws – Nabia Pompey
• All round performance – Almarie Providence

Here are the essays:

My role model, David Rudisha, by Orenzo Trimmingham

Rudisha is the 800m world record holder. He is from Kenya. He came from a poor family. He did not allow poverty to destroy his talent but he used hardship and his poverty to propel him to succeed in life. He came from a poor village in Kenya but his vision was perfect for he was able to see the opportunities that were there for him. His greatest asset was not a grand stadium with the ideal track to train on or sophisticated gym to work out in. His greatest asset was using what he had and embracing it as the best and using it with pride. His was the dirt track, the stony and dusty roads, the rough hills, the crowded and uncomfortable campus at St. Patrick’s High School. His sneakers for training were not the best quality but he used them still. He was humble and knew how to endure hardship, even when it meant standing alone at times with a coach who will not give up on him even when he felt like giving up on himself.
Rudisha took time out to be godly. He knew that with God all things are possible. Because of Rudisha’s commitment, determination and hard work, he has and is continuing to accomplish excellence in his track and field career in the 800m. He is truly a legend being Kenyan’s best middle- distance runner and the world record holder in the 800m. He is the first and only individual to ever run 1:41 for the 800m.
I admire Rudisha because I can relate to his experiences in so many ways. Firstly, he came from a very underprivileged and impoverished community which is similar to my community. Secondly, he had no sophisticated school, training facilities and gears but he made use of what he had and so I have that same experience where there is no modern track and the ideal amenities but I used the hills, beaches and roads as my training ground. Thirdly, he is humble, determined and committed and these are the qualities I have and I know, once I channel them in the right way, I can achieve what Rudisha has achieved and even more. Furthermore, I admire him because the event he runs is the event I am training to specialize in. In addition, Rudisha has a coach who believe in him and values his talent and I also have a coach who believes in me and always keep my dream alive; even when I sometimes feel like letting it die. My dream is to be the greatest 800m runner and prove to the world that poverty can be used to generate power that can make a proper athlete.
 

My role model, Paul Tergat, by Omar Baptiste

Paul Tergat was born on June 17th, 1969 in Kenya’s Rift Valley. He attended the Riwo Primary School and later joined Kapkawa Boys High School. Unlike many athletes, Tergat discovered his talent after graduating high school. Tergat, a retired long- distance runner, is recognized as one of the most accomplished long -distance runners in history. He set the marathon world record of 2:04:55, on September 28th, 2003 at the Berlin Marathon.
Tergat grew up in a humble family with sixteen (16) siblings in the poor district called Baringo. When he was growing up, his parents could not afford to pay his Secondary School fees. Realizing that an education was everything, Tergat made a deal with the principal to pay his fees once he secured a job after achieving his education. The principal agreed, taking a liking to him. After joining the army, Tergat stayed true to his words and paid the fees that had accumulated over the course of several years.
During the year 2003, there was not a day that passed when Tergat was not thinking about the marathon in Berlin. In order to win the race, he covered up to 300 km a week, a feat that is virtually impossible to most humans. He pushed his body daily and worked diligently in order to achieve the goal he had set. He was very successful at the race and was even able to set the world record.
Tergat persevered despite many challenges and failures during his career but never gave up. During his race in Athens, Tergat unfortunately missed his water station and knew he would be unable to wait another 5 km in order to get his own drink; which was a mixture of glucose and water. Knowing the intensity of the heat and humidity, he chose to take a bottle of water from the organizers. Unfortunately, the water he received was very cold and resulted in stomach cramps forcing him to slow his pace and rub his stomach to relieve his excruciating pain. However, he did not panic, instead he pushed ahead as he believed in never giving up. He hoped for the best until he realized that the leading group had gained such a lead that he could not catch up. Instead of giving up, he continued to push ahead while hoping for the best!
As an athlete, I hope to become like Paul Tergat and follow his example of pushing my body to its limit in order to achieve success. I will never give up, no matter what trials life throws at me; regardless to what I meet on the tracks. I vow to complete every race, every time! Tergat felt as though he had sacrificed so much for the race in Athens and naturally, felt devastated when he realized that he could not catch up to the leading group. He thought of quitting, but, he strongly believed that you should always finish the race, even if you must run until you have given your all!