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Coming to run in New York was a big step for me. Unlike running in Jamaica, I was winning every event in America that I competed in. Competing in elementary and junior high school was a piece of cake compared to running at the high school level. I was surprised to see runners who were supposedly my age, but ten times my size, and ten times as fast. I realized that I would have to work much harder than I did in my early years of track and field. I found myself working out more than I ever did before, training during the season and sometimes even in the off-season. All
of the training paid off in my sophomore year of high school. I was
winning more events than ever, and not only in running events, but also
in field events such as the high and long jump. For the first time in
my track career, I made it to the city championships in three events:
the 100 meter, 200 meter, and the high jump. Unfortunately, I only placed
in the high jump, but it was third place, and that's something to be
proud of. I seemed unstoppable for the whole of my The summer before my junior year, I went to summer school, and so I wasn't able train. My return to track was anything but pleasant. I was totally out of shape, my form was off, and I was not as dedicated to track as I had been before. To make things worse, I was taking SAT prep classes, which took up the majority of my time. I was not able to practice half as much as I used to. However towards the end of the spring season I started to practice more and more, gaining back my speed. The results were the same, except this time I placed fourth in the high jump. I've decided to play basketball for my upcoming last year of high school. I don't have the same passion for track that I once had. It's time for me to try something different.
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As
a young boy living in Kingston, Jamaica, running track was a way of
life. I first started running when I was in kindergarten, and I began
to take track seriously when I entered the third grade. All of my friends
were on the school's track team, so I thought nothing of joining. It
was extremely hard at first--practicing everyday was not on my list
of things to do--but thanks to my mother I stayed on the team. My mother
ran track while she was in school, and it was important for her to see
her only son follow in her footsteps. Running track in Jamaica was very
different from running in the U.S. because it was a lot more competitive.
I noticed the intensity even though I ran there when I was only eight
years old. Still for me,track was only for fun, and not to be taken
too seriously.
second
year of high school.