On Payson Corbiere
By Claude Valle
December 19, 2000
December 19, 2000
Most of us see the key moments in our life only in hindsight; Payson seemed to see these opportunities as they happened ñ and he seized them. Carpe Diem was his motto.
My first exposure to Pay came as his seventh grade math teacher. He never set the room on fire as a student, but he did set the room on fire. And the most frustrating thing of all was I could never catch him. It was always Alex Weiss, playing the part of the guy driving the getaway car, that I'd end up disciplining. Payson would just lean back in his chair, arms crossed, smiling, with that twinkle in his eye. And if I said anything, he'd put both hands out, shrug, and say, "what?" He drove me nuts, but I still loved the guy.
Two years later, he joined the high school swim team, and over those next four years I got to know him well. Both in the pool and out, I continued to see a young man who enjoyed the moment.
In the water, he was the ideal relay lead-off swimmer. Young Folz was the perfect anchor man - he swam with heart. Pay went first and swam on total adrenaline. He could not wait for the battle to begin. Combined with Jeb and Davey Mic, they were an unbeatable quartet that won us many a big meet. I will never forget his heroic performances senior year and will always associate those four guys with each other.
Not only did Payson get things started on our relays, but he continued to get things started outside the pool too. Whether it was ordering pizzas to be delivered to the Attendance Office, putting Christmas decorations on the school in an era of Wreath-bashing, or simply swallowing a goldfish in science class, Payson always enjoyed the moment. There is a Yiddish word that described him best, a TUMLER - one who stirs things up.
After Payson graduated from Weston, I had less frequent contact with him, but heard about his continued success ñ mostly from Papa Folz; one of Pay's lifelong mentors. In college, he was an All-American swimmer, and after college he was highly successful at Abercrombie and Fitch. Clearly his all-out approach to life continued.
In the last year, due to Folz' continued efforts, I got to observe Payson as a coach. Once again, his seize the day mentality paid dividends as many of our current high school swimmers can attest. His most common responses to complaints from athletes about pain were, SO, AND YOUR POINT?, IT'S ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE, WHAT'S A LITTLE PAIN, and SHUT UP AND SWIM. But my favorite Payson quote was what he'd say when we'd discuss a challenge we'd be facing; he'd simply say, BRING IT. He was still a lead-off guy.
Ironically, as Payson was fighting for his life early last week, Pete and I quoted Payson while our girls were in a tight relay race. As Caroline Curtis stepped on the blocks, we were losing by about five yards. Pete and I looked at each other and agreed Pay would say BRING IT right about now. Using his nickname for Caroline, he would've added, nobody messes with the BIG DOG. 50 yards later Caroline had come from behind for the victory.
Payson taught our swimmers a lot about believing in themselves, and a lot about FAITH in the process. They watched him and learned it isn't the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Pay never lived life like he was on borrowed time - he OWNED his life. Even in the end, Caitlin said he wanted no tubes and no needles; and he wanted to die at home. When warned about dehydration, he simply said, "I won't die thirsty." Payson was NEVER thirsty in life.
I thought a lot about Pay over this past weekend after seeing his struggle that last day, and tried to keep images of him as a strong young swimmer in my mind. But then I remembered a saying from athletics: PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY. It made me feel better. I now realize that in those final hours, Payson was not the weakest he had ever been, but the strongest.
My first exposure to Pay came as his seventh grade math teacher. He never set the room on fire as a student, but he did set the room on fire. And the most frustrating thing of all was I could never catch him. It was always Alex Weiss, playing the part of the guy driving the getaway car, that I'd end up disciplining. Payson would just lean back in his chair, arms crossed, smiling, with that twinkle in his eye. And if I said anything, he'd put both hands out, shrug, and say, "what?" He drove me nuts, but I still loved the guy.
Two years later, he joined the high school swim team, and over those next four years I got to know him well. Both in the pool and out, I continued to see a young man who enjoyed the moment.
In the water, he was the ideal relay lead-off swimmer. Young Folz was the perfect anchor man - he swam with heart. Pay went first and swam on total adrenaline. He could not wait for the battle to begin. Combined with Jeb and Davey Mic, they were an unbeatable quartet that won us many a big meet. I will never forget his heroic performances senior year and will always associate those four guys with each other.
Not only did Payson get things started on our relays, but he continued to get things started outside the pool too. Whether it was ordering pizzas to be delivered to the Attendance Office, putting Christmas decorations on the school in an era of Wreath-bashing, or simply swallowing a goldfish in science class, Payson always enjoyed the moment. There is a Yiddish word that described him best, a TUMLER - one who stirs things up.
After Payson graduated from Weston, I had less frequent contact with him, but heard about his continued success ñ mostly from Papa Folz; one of Pay's lifelong mentors. In college, he was an All-American swimmer, and after college he was highly successful at Abercrombie and Fitch. Clearly his all-out approach to life continued.
In the last year, due to Folz' continued efforts, I got to observe Payson as a coach. Once again, his seize the day mentality paid dividends as many of our current high school swimmers can attest. His most common responses to complaints from athletes about pain were, SO, AND YOUR POINT?, IT'S ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE, WHAT'S A LITTLE PAIN, and SHUT UP AND SWIM. But my favorite Payson quote was what he'd say when we'd discuss a challenge we'd be facing; he'd simply say, BRING IT. He was still a lead-off guy.
Ironically, as Payson was fighting for his life early last week, Pete and I quoted Payson while our girls were in a tight relay race. As Caroline Curtis stepped on the blocks, we were losing by about five yards. Pete and I looked at each other and agreed Pay would say BRING IT right about now. Using his nickname for Caroline, he would've added, nobody messes with the BIG DOG. 50 yards later Caroline had come from behind for the victory.
Payson taught our swimmers a lot about believing in themselves, and a lot about FAITH in the process. They watched him and learned it isn't the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog.
Pay never lived life like he was on borrowed time - he OWNED his life. Even in the end, Caitlin said he wanted no tubes and no needles; and he wanted to die at home. When warned about dehydration, he simply said, "I won't die thirsty." Payson was NEVER thirsty in life.
I thought a lot about Pay over this past weekend after seeing his struggle that last day, and tried to keep images of him as a strong young swimmer in my mind. But then I remembered a saying from athletics: PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY. It made me feel better. I now realize that in those final hours, Payson was not the weakest he had ever been, but the strongest.
