Kay De participated in the competition and after doing well, one of the coaches present at the competition asked her to come back the next day. Her decision to return to the track the next day changed her future, and it seems to have acted as a sealant, forever implanting her in the athletic world.

Shyvonne introduced her to the world of track and field, but Kay De says it was her parents, Calvin and Laurier Vaughn, who encouraged her to continue. Both of her parents are Guyanese, and she has an older sister and younger brother.

When asked to comment on some of the stormy ordeals in her pursuit of athletic excellence, Kay De simply smiled, and let out a sigh, which seemed like a brisk inward reflection of those ordeals. Her facial expression suggested that she has long since overcome those ordeals, so much so that they are now a distant memory.

As those distant memories were summoned to the forefront, she highlighted some of the ordeals that all Belizean athletes have to endure ? specifically, the lack of adequate facilities and trained coaches. Belizean athletes are consistently injured while training on the track at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex because of its poor condition; it is not uncommon to twist your foot in a hole on the track.

Some athletes are injured before they get a chance to compete abroad, and in some cases our athletes go abroad and compete in their injured state, evidently jeopardizing their chances of performing well.

One ordeal that seems to be common for our track and field athletes is the apparent absence of community support, most of our events are scantily attended, noted Kay De, who has now become accustomed to the extremes on the spectrum ? performing in a stadium filled with a 60, 000 spectator capacity, and performing in a stadium with a handful of spectators.

Kay De concentrates on the high jump, more so than pole vaulting ? and all other track and field events. For the past few years, she has not only set Belize?s record for the high jump, but she consistently breaks it as well. In 2001, she set Belize?s high jump record at 1.55 meters (m), later the record was 1.61 m, then 1.65 m. At present the record stands at 1.70 m, which Kay De set in Managua last month.

Her marked athletic accomplishments and her undeniable talent has taken her to competitions worldwide, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Italy, and most recently, to Nicaragua.

She has won 7 international gold medals in the high jump, and the triple jump events, along with a couple silver medals, and not to mention the countless trophies and medals she has won in Belizean competitions.

Kay De said that even though her parents encouraged her in her athletic pursuits, and have become her role models, it was her Cuban coach, Fernando Zerquera, who really embedded the qualities of perseverance and hard work. Fernando cultivated her talent and nurtured her athletic spirit. She said that the training she received under him helped her to the build the character she needs to excel.

She mentioned that one invaluable lesson Fernando taught her was that hard work pays off in the end. And the rewards that Kay De has reaped after the hard work she has sown are uncontestable. Kay De spends at least 9 hours at the track every week and at least 4 hours in the gym, as well. She has reached a level of athletic maturity where she trains whether her coach is present or not ? few athletes have that degree of tenacity.

She also mentioned those Belizean trainers who have given not only their time, but of themselves, like Fred Evans, Ernest Morris and Nelson Hyde, to name a few.

What is in store for a young woman who has accomplished so much already? Kay De has her eyes set on the 2008 Olympics in China. She has been working toward this goal for a long time, and her success in Nicaragua has brought her one step closer to achieving her ultimate athletic goal.

She is presently corresponding with a track coach from the University of Southern Mississippi and she has her fingers crossed that she will be awarded an athletic scholarship to that university for the Spring 2005 semester.

Kay De has also been accepted for the Spring semester at St. John?s College Junior College. Athletics aside, Kay De wants to be an obstetrician.

Amandala spoke briefly with Ernest Morris, who works very closely with Belize?s track and field athletes, who said that Kay De?s remarkable talent and ambition could take her to the Olympics, and once there, she could perform well. ?She has what it takes,? said Morris.

Kay De told the newspaper that she could not see herself living without God in her life, and that her firm belief in Him has most certainly played a part in getting her where she is in life right now.

Her motto is that ?all things are possible through Christ who strengthens you.?

Her advice to aspiring Belizean athletes is for them to believe in themselves, and persevere because in the end they will see the benefits of their hard work.

Belize has yet another talented youth who is on the horizon of international success in the intensely competitive world of athletics.