Kim Collins Paces TCU
5/17/2001 12:00:00 AM
May 17, 2001
by Don Dowell Horned Frog Sports Report
He's the last to arrive at practice, strolling in on his own Caribbean time, usually about 15 minutes late. With a big heartwarming smile and friendly laugh, he jives a little with a few teammates while passing out portions of an orange. Kim Collins is on the track, and the nation's top ranked team can now go to work.
"He is one of the most pleasant, happy individuals that I have ever been around," TCU head coach Monte Stratton said. "Most sprinters are high strung and moody. He's none of those. He is the most happy, calm, congenial, nice guy you would ever meet. And he is a super athlete. We know if we can just get the baton to him, everybody's in trouble."
During the past year, Collins has emerged as one of the fastest sprinters in the world. At the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships in March, he won both the 60 and 200-meter dashes. But the event was bittersweet for Collins.
TCU was on the brink of winning the national championship heading into the 4x400 relay, but a poor exchange in the final event caused Frog sprinter Anthony Amantine to drop the baton. This followed the misfortune at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where TCU was seemingly on a collegiate-record pace in the 4x100 relay, but was disqualified when Darvis Patton passed the baton to Collins outside of the exchange zone.
"It was great to get the double," Collins reflected. "I was more into the team winning as opposed to my winning, but I got it, so I was happy with it. I would have felt better if we had gotten one point in the relay, so the team would have won, but we don't always get what we want."
What the team is focused on now is getting redemption by winning the national championship in the outdoors, and ending the relay jinx. "What happened at the last two NCAAs really affected us. We've had bad luck," Collins said. "But we want to be known for being consistent and fast, not for dropping the stick."
Collins will play a major role, perhaps competing in three events according to Stratton. "Depending on what the schedule looks like, and how many rounds are required with the 100 and 200, to go along with the 4x100 relay, Kim and I will make a decision jointly on how much he can bite off."
At the Texas Relays in April, Collins ran a career best and the world's fastest 100 of 2001, a barely wind-aided 9.99 to win the race. He also helped TCU win the 4x100 and sprint-medley relays on his way to being named the meet's outstanding male athlete for the second consecutive year.
"It felt good, but at the same time, it doesn't really matter," Collins said. "When the time comes at the NCAAs, we have to prove it. You've got to do it when it counts. Not before, not after, but when it counts."
Since arriving at TCU, Collins has lowered his times by improving his start, and he credits Stratton's coaching. "I have been working on the start of the race, which is my weakest part. When you are in the blocks, you have to be in a zone," Collins explained. "You don't think of who is to your left or the right, you have to think of the finish line."
Stratton is not surprised by Collins' success. "He has always been super-talented. We recruited him out of Central Arizona Community College. I was aware of him through a contact I have in Jamaica. We knew he was the real thing and fortunately he chose to come here."
Collins selected TCU after seeing them run in a couple of meets and learning about their reputation. "I came here knowing that there were guys on the team who were better than me. I wanted to be part of a great team. That's why I came here, knowing that there would be other people to keep up with. There were other schools I could have gone to and been the star, but it didn't make much sense."
This season, Collins has also reluctantly taken on more of a leadership role, primarily by example. "I don't want to, but it's kinda that way," Collins said. "I am a senior and older than the others. Sometimes they need somebody to follow."
Last fall, Collins was one of two athletes to represent St. Kitts in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. A quarterfinalist in the 1996 Games, Collins advanced to the finals of the 100-meters in Australia.
"It was an unbelievable experience," Collins said. "You have two hundred countries, and you are coming from a country that nobody has even heard about."
St Kitts, located in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, is an intoxicating blend of sunlight, sea air and abundant vegetation. At the center of stands the spectacular, cloud-fringed peak of Mount Liamuiga, a dormant volcano covered by dense tropical forest. "It's a small place, about 60 square miles and 27,000 people," Collins said.
Growing up, Collins never dreamed he would be in the Olympics. "I got serious about track in high school, but I had never thought I would get this far. It's a big surprise to me. To be in the top eight in the world, man it's unbelievable."
After competing for as long as possible, the senior psychology major is planning to return to St. Kitts. "I am thinking about going back home and doing my own thing within the community. Get some contacts and help other athletes there get a scholarship in different sports."
Off the track, Collins definitely prefers a slower pace, and he misses everything about his homeland. "It's a place where you don't have to have a car to have fun. You can walk everywhere, and you can always walk to the beach. When I am home, I can play my music really loud," adds Collins with a big smile. "It's kicked back to the extreme!"
