Track is often considered a solo sport. If runners fail, they are likely to feel solely at fault. Due to this, track may not always feel like a team sport. Senior Tyler Paige, however, has made track a team. Paige is an incredible athlete, but he also is an instrumental member of the team. As one of Lynbrook varsity spring track’s team captains, Paige said that his main goal is “to inspire some kids.” Paige showed pride in his effort to obtain this position, and he is not the only one who appreciated it. “His presence on the team is really felt,” said fellow captain and sophomore Aiden Renois. When talking about Paige, his teammates kept going back to his ability and desire to keep working. “At practice [the team was] doing a workout, and not an easy workout, yet he was just breezing through it,” said senior and fellow captain Justin Williams.
His physical fitness directly complements his work ethic, making him a gifted athlete. Paige runs great distances, with the shortest race he does consistently being one mile. In both of his two main events, the 3200-meter race and the 1600-meter race, Paige has been ranked as one of the top-15 in the county. These, of course, are incredible feats that can make a huge impact on the team. Coach Christopher Balas added, “I think the impact on the team has been immense. When a distance runner excels, it’s an example to everyone because of how demanding and grueling the events are.” Additionally, Paige will be running at SUNY Cortland next fall, and his teammates have no doubts in his ability to make an impression at the collegiate level. “I have the utmost faith and confidence that he’ll be able to impress the coaches,” said Williams. Paige’s work ethic shows. Fellow senior and captain Simon Yu commented, “He’s always putting in work even in the offseason; he’s eating right and sleeping right. He has a genuine passion for running.”
Paige declared that his final athletic goal in high school sports was to run a sub-five-minute mile; he first accomplished this in May with a time of 4:53.4 in the league meet with Hewlett. He improved this time to 4:42.29 on May 29 at the Nassau County Class-A Championship meet. With this being his final season, Paige wanted to do many new things. This included running the 800-meter event, for which he had not had an official time scored in almost three years. He accomplished running the 800 with a 2:16.2 time in May of this year. Paige, beyond track, is Lynbrook’s top cross country athlete, being the only one ranked in the top-10 in the conference, and holding the school’s best time for the five-kilometer and two-and-a-half mile races. When going for a new personal record (PR), Paige “has no fear” and “will hear a time and go and attack it,” said Williams. Paige enjoys both cross country and track equally, but, given the greater number of athletes on the team, his role as a leader is primarily exemplified on the track team. Additionally, Coach Balas had this to say about Paige and his hard work: “Tyler has been the model of hard work. This year, he has improved his skills to a remarkable level, and it has [shown] as he’s scored in county championships and is going to state qualifiers.”
Paige hopes to get a message out to try to inspire others. Paige said he only started running because “[his mom] pushed [him] into that.” He said that when he started running, he was not very good nor a natural talent. Paige said he only began to excel under the leadership of the seniors who inspired him during his freshman year. Paige truly enjoys running, but said he also uses it as a vessel for his emotions when times get tough. Paige expressed, “For me, running was a thing that helped … but it might not be for you. Finding something to help with what’s going on is important, and you’re going to need that soon if you don’t have one.” Paige is an incredible runner and person who encourages his peers to be great people too. He continues to try to inspire those around him with his hard work and passion.
