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Interval Session #45 - Tavaris Tate
April 10, 2008




1. You’ve had a pretty exciting early season, going from being a 48-second guy to 46.91 in about a month.  What was your reaction when you first heard your name and 46-seconds mentioned in the same sentence at that Miss. St. Bulldog meet the other week?  What kinds of response have you had from coaches, fellow athletes and the track world since then?


Well, to be blessed and to have the opportunity to compete at such a level, I was shocked.  My goal that day was to break into the 46s, and as I crossed the finish line, and I heard the roar of the crowd and my name with along with my time, I couldn’t do anything but stop and take the time to thank the Lord.  Because without Him, none of this would be possible.  And since that meet, I have been as a leader to my team and my fellow teammates.  I’ve also earned the privilege of accepting some letters from the top schools in the nation.


2. You got to race some pretty good competition when you came to Mobile … and you got a win, a narrow loss, and a nice relay win.  A pretty good performance, but I get the impression you felt you would have liked to have run faster.  Your thoughts?

I was pleased, but also kinda let down from my performance.  I know that the times ran at the meet were not within distance of my performance from the past week, and that’s what let me down.  With the help of my dad and the motivation of my team members, I knew that I had to work and push extra hard in the 4x400 relay.  I knew that was a main focus point of the day for most, so I had to keep my head up and stay focus and take it in for the team.


3. Can you talk about your background in track, like when you first got into it and what kind of success you had?  How did you end up at the 400 being your best event, as opposed to 100, 200 or something else?  Did a great Olympian, like Michael Johnson, inspire you?  We also heard you were a football player, but gave it up.  Tell us about your background in football and other sports, too.

Track and field is a sport in a total level of its own.  Many people may play football or other sports, but track holds a special part is the line of sports.  Personally, I gained the attraction for track at the age of 6.  I was blessed with a gift from God and I have to use it.  The 400 is a challenge to many, but I don’t hide from a challenge.  I would rather run to it, so I feel that that’s where my calling is on the track, "in the 400."  Like I mentioned earlier, most young men have that zeal to want to participate on a football team, and I was not one of them, in the long run.  I felt that football could be a brick wall to my success one day.  Being physical on a field and being physical on a track are two different things.  Therefore, I do what the Lord wants to see and that’s showcase my talent on the track.


4. Your father, Russell, is one of the Starkville coaches.  Can you talk about the different coaches who work with you, on the HS or club level, and how they work together with you?  What are some of the good things and some of the harder things about having your dad as your coach?

First things first:  I would like to say thanks to my dad for everything.  My dad has been there for me since day one and I am very proud to have a father as such.  Well, I have two coaches that participate in the growing process of my career and I want to also thank them, too.  Having my dad as a coach is good, but also hard.  The good part in it is that I get to have a father that plays his part in being a father to me, and is still a father off the track and on the track, also.  The hard part is, my father is a headstrong man, and he wants the best.  I know that that’s what everyone wants for anyone who has something going such as me, but it’s a good experience.


5. A few stories I read about you made it sound like your Faith was a big part of your inspiration and life.  Please tell us about that aspect of things.

Well, the Lord is the head of my life and, like I said once before, none of this would be possible without Him.  I've had some trying times in life and I understand that if you don’t seek the Lord like you should, then nothing in your life will go as planned, because He holds everything that you have in His hands.  I'm a young man and all young men should understand that the Lord is the reason.  My dad always tells me to stay humble and that’s the key.


6. I also read that you were born in Germany.  Now that’s probably not something everyone would guess right away.  Can you tell us about the international background you and your family have had?  How has that influenced you?

Having the experience to be born in a country as such is a privilege, so I have something to look for in the future, such as going back to see what I didn’t get to see as a child.


7. Now that you’ve really worked your way into the national elite, what kind of goals do you have for the end of the season – in terms of times and national placings?  What are the aspects of your “game” that you need to work on the most to achieve those goals?

Winning is always the plan, but whatever happens, happens. I would love to cross that line with the title of #1, but if that;s not how it works out, then I know that I have a lot of work to do, because someone out there is better than me.  The personal goal I've set is to work harder than the next man.  There is always someone out there looking to steal the glory from one on the top and I have to hold my status.


8. What are some of your greatest interests outside of track, in terms of school and hobbies and interests for fun when you aren’t running and studying?

Well, most athletes have a special friend they may converse with, and I just like to be with family or hang with my special friend.  She's special to me.


9. If you had a teammate who was a talented freshman, trying to break through to the next level in the sprints, what would you tell him as a teammate or friend to try and get better that worked for you?

To never let down in what he or she is trying to accomplish.  If he or she is really dedicated to what they are trying to do, then my words to them would be, "Keep God first and don’t lose focus on what’s ahead of you."

Photos by John Nepolitan from Mobile MOC 2008


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