Athletic Journey
My parents always knew I had a knack for sports from my immense focus on the TV during the Olympics. Every four years, we would watch Team Jamaica dominate the world in track and field. Those days of watching Usain Bolt run are what gave me my passion for running. Knowing this, my parents enrolled me in athletics programs to hone my skills and make my dreams of being a star athlete come true. So, from the age of 5 till my early teen years, I've been a multi-sport athlete, participating in track, soccer and hockey for multiple teams. But it wasn't until I was 14 that I fell in love with the sport of track and field. What solidified it as my favorite was a 200m race where I ran 21.9s at 14. The bliss of moving that fast made me love the sport; it made me feel like I could achieve my dreams.
After dedicating three years full of global pandemics and losses, I persevered with a solid work ethic and team, including my family and coach and found success in Track and Field. At the age of 17, I was offered a full scholarship to Clemson University to further my athletic and academic ventures.
The year I have spent at Clemson university has created memories that I will tell my kids, the best year of my life. Adaptation, adversity, maturity, wins and losses are a just a few of the developmental aspects I've learned since being at Clemson. But, as much as I loved being at the highest level of school sports in the world I still felt there was a piece missing. something making this beautiful experience at Clemson feel incomplete.
Family and growing up
Being Jamaican, I was blessed with the culture, strong sense of community, music, language and dance. Growing up, we primarily lived with my grandparents while my parents worked days and nights. Some may find that unusual but to me, it is home, greeting my neighbors every day and seeing my uncles and aunts come in and out of the house, they were my everything. Those experiences from my earlier days are what made me feel more connected to my family upon moving to Canada when I was 8.
In love with two
Growing up, I was always told I'd have to choose between my two favorite sports. Soccer and track. Though it wasn't something I considered, the question quickly became real when I turned 15. My Dad sat me down and expressed I needed to choose one and focus on it instead of doing both and wearing too many hats. At the time, I didn't see his vision, but I trusted him, and although it wasn't easy, I chose track over soccer. Reflecting on my achievements in both, I decided that it was the best option at the time. So, I put soccer aside and am solely focused on keeping track.
Emerse yourself
Since putting soccer aside in 2019, I have set my eyes on a new goal: the Canadian u20 track team. Although the goal was possible, there was a lot of adversity. Later that year Covid-19 had emerged and halted all athletic activities for months. This was the most challenging time in my athletic career because I was not able to train. But I thought to myself, "What is my competition doing right now, and what am I doing?". That motivated me to start training on my own. From watching myself run in the mirror to perfect my form to core workouts and treadmill runs, I wanted to ensure I was more prepared than everyone when the time came for team selection. This is what gave me my integrity and my "why": I wanted to be ahead, like a race.
Adversity
Although, having the goal of making the team didn't work out at first. Nothing is perfect; not everything you strive for will fall into your hands. In 2021, I declared for the U20 World Championships and did not make it, missing out but 0.02s. While it was frustrating, my parents and coach supported me. They showed me that even though it wasn't now, be patient, and you will get the next one. Hearing that made me fall in love with the sport even more and motivated me to train harder. After another year of hard training, I made the Canadian U20 track and field team in 2022 and helped the team achieve a bronze medal in the 4x400m. While I had the goal of being on the team, not making it at first taught me patience and the value of waiting because I could achieve more than I expected. Patience is a skill I have and use today, along with values of integrity, adaptability and maturity.
Why me?
No matter what is thrown at me, I always find a way to outwork my past self or others aiming for the same position; I will always think ahead, put my best foot forward, and never stop trying until I succeed.