High school student Rachel Fox learned an important lesson recently ... sometimes you just don’t know who is watching you.The Pacers Track Club and Bermuda Carifta Games team member learned that her gold medal performance in the 800 metres for the Pacers at last year’s Russell E Blunt East Coast Invitational in Durham, North Carolina had caught the eye of Winston Salem State University head coach Inez Turner. Yesterday the Mount St Agnes senior signed a letter of intent to attend Winston Salem on a track scholarship in the fall.Pacers coach Cal Simons, who accompanied the team on the trip to North Carolina, shared the news with local media yesterday that the talented 400 and 800 metres runner had agreed to join the university. Her 800 metres winning time of 2:21.95 was almost two seconds faster than the 2:23.26 time she ran to place seventh in the Under-20, 800 metres final at the Carifta Games in Bermuda last April. Coach Turner was suitably impressed.“In July last year coach Turner had an opportunity to watch Rachel run at the East Coast Invitational in which she won the 800 metres event and also the award for that event and as soon as she saw her she came over and talked to our distance coach Jerome Richards,” Simons recalled.“She sat down with her and with her mother and father and expressed a keen interest in signing Rachel and today is the finalisation of that package and we in the Pacers are extremely happy. We’ve had kids in the club go on and get scholarships and this is the first time we have considered doing a press conference.“It is an exciting and emotional moment for me. When Inez Turner came over she was like ‘who is this girl?’ She has long legs and pretty good speed and can go from a two (200 metres) to a four to an eight because that is her range.”Fox, who will be on an 80 percent scholarship, will be coached by someone who is very familiar with her events, as Turner, originally from Jamaica, was a 400 and 800 metres runner herself. She won the gold medal in the 800 metres in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada and has a PB of 1:59.49, the first female athlete from the English-speaking Caribbean to break the two minute mark in the 800 metres. She has been inducted into the Penn Relays Hall of Fame for her performances there and was also the most outstanding athlete at the 1991 Carifta Games.Fox, who visited the University last October, is looking forward to attending the college and working with Turner. “I’m very excited to sign to Winston Salem, one of my goals was to receive a scholarship and it’s very exciting to have this come true and to go to a school that I will enjoy going to and with a coach that shows wonderful interest in her athletes,” said the 18-year-old.Turner is suitably impressed with her new athlete from Bermuda. “When I first met Rachel at the Russell Blunt meet in North Carolina, and again when she took a visit to our campus with her parents, the first thing I saw was a well brought up young lady,” said Turner.“One of the most important things I look for in a student athlete is how structured they are when it comes to discipline. By talking to mom and dad I could tell that Rachel is coachable. I am very happy and excited that she made her decision to be a Lady Ram at Winston Salem State University. The team is very excited and is awaiting her arrival in August.”Rachel’s proud parents were also at yesterday’s press conference, with father Lawrence calling it a happy moment for the family. “That was one of her goals years ago and we’re happy to see her at this point with all she’s accomplished and all her hard work has paid off,” said her father.“We give all the praise to God for what he has done in her life and our lives and we’re happy for her. We think she’s going to go far.”Said her mom Lisa: “Rachel has been running with Pacers since the age of seven and through a lot of hard work and dedication from herself and the coaches it has come to fruition, her dream of going to college and running for a track team. Thank you to the Pacers and the coaches and Bermuda.”Pacers coach Janine Scott, is also very pleased with the young runner who will soon represent Bermuda at the Carifta Games in Bahamas. “I’m very proud of Rachel, I’ve known Rachel since she was eight and I can say she is one of the athletes I’ve worked with since I’ve been helping out with Pacers,” said Scott.“To see her get a scholarship to go off to University and to see her grow with running — and help me become a better coach — it is very exciting. We’ve developed a relationship outside of running like a mentorship, so for me it is like seeing one of my children go off to college.”National coach Troy Douglas gives credit to Pacers for their programme which develops young talent. “Congratulations to them and congratulations to the parents,” said Douglas. “I’ve had great pleasure in working with Ms Scott in developing Rachel’s progression. Ms Scott has picked up very well on her coaching skills in developing Rachel into the athlete she is today.“She (Rachel) indicated she is going to be flexible and she does have that range from 400 to 1500 (metres) and that’s an important asset she has going into university. The sky is the limit.”Fox thanked many people for her development into a talented runner. “I want to thank God for blessing me with the strength and talent, my parents who have supported and provided for and helped motivate me each day, my brother Scotty, my Bishop Neville Smith and the Radnor Road Christian Fellowship family for all their prayers, my first coach Cal Simons for building my foundation in track and field, my current coaches Janine Scott and Jerome Richards.”She also thanked track officials Freddy Evans and Donna Watson, Troy Douglas and Pacers president Wayne Raynor.Today, some of the Island’s top young athletes will be in action today when the Middle and Senior Schools Track and Field meet is held today at the National Stadium. The Middle Schools will start at 9am and the Senior Schools at 5pm