MONTEGO BAY, St James – FORMER Cornwall College student David Beadle leaves the island today to start a new chapter in life as he takes up a track and field scholarship at Vincennes University (VU) in Indiana.

Beadle, who had dropped track and field for a few years, admitted that he did not think his performance would attract any college recruiters but said, in spite of that, he was determined to make the effort — and it has paid off.

“I was most definitely surprised,” he told the Jamaica Observer West earlier this week as he prepared to make the big leap from sunny Montego Bay to the freezing temperatures of Indiana.

“This was because I know my distance of 44.64m [in the discus throw] was not the greatest to be offered a scholarship but with persistence I found Vincennes University, which I liked from the start,” he said.

For Beadle, who has steadily improved over the last few years and was a finalist at the COCAA Western Champs over the past two years, “this scholarship is for myself and my family”.

“It’s the start of a wonderful journey. It is most of all a bit of relief and a lot of joy to have received this scholarship to pursue the career of my dreams,” he told the Observer West.

The strapping athlete, who is six feet two inches tall and weighs 280 pounds, did not wait for the offers to come to him.

“I had contacted many universities, countless…” he said candidly.

“I had received some offers and had been denied as well, but with persistence and the encouragement of my family I still sent emails.”

His luck finally turned for the better, he said, when “I contacted Coach Marty Rogier of VU, and he told me that my distance was right on the scholarship requirements. From there I continued to email him as he gave me generous offers – which I decided to accept,” said Beadle.

There were other offers too, he revealed.

“This [VU] was not my only option but it is the best offer of them all,” he stressed.

Beadle started competing in track and field at Cornwall College in eighth grade, but put the activity on pause for two years.

“I was a part of the Cornwall College cadet unit and it was hard for me to balance both at the time. I started again in 10th grade and saw the opportunity and decided to continue up until grade 13,” he told the Observer West.

Interestingly, his first time at Western Champs, he said, was his most memorable performance.

“I did not know anything about the shot put at the time but I went and did my best, for which I was awarded third position,” he disclosed.

Since his return to the sport he has learned more about the event and this, he said, has seen him make significant improvements.

“I have improved a whole lot, power throwing for my entire Class 2 years and first year of Class 1. Now, I have grasped the concept of the full-turn technique,” he said, adding that he still has a lot to learn.

In the classroom, Beadle, who attained 10 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, six double units and three single units in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), says he will follow his passion for airplanes and will be pursuing a degree in mechanical/aeronautical engineering.

“I choose this course because planes are a passion of mine…I also believe that the aviation industry is still growing,” he opined.

Beadle will have little time to settle in when he gets to Vincennes University as he will start competing in just under two weeks.

He says while he expects a steep learning curve, his long-term goals are “to throw over 50.00m in the discus throw and over 16.00m in the shot put”, adding that he plans to learn the hammer and weight throw events as well.

The athlete, who has set a goal of maintaining at least a 3.65 grade point average, said he is grateful for the support he got from those around him, and singled out his former Cornwall College teammate and training partner Tiojosh Mowatt, his parents, sister and his church family at Signs and Wonders Deliverance Ministries International in Montego Bay, as well as the Cornwall College Old Boys’ Association “for the help and support, no matter how small or large”.