This Farmer Focus is on junior Ja’Leah Carter who has participated in track her whole life and wants to pursue it in the future. 

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite color: Turquoise
Favorite candy: Trolli Sour Eggs
Favorite shoe: Jordan 4s
Favorite show: “The Office“
Preferred holiday: Christmas

ZOOMING IN

Q: Growing up in track, what events did you participate in and which ones were your favorite? 

A: “Most of my track life I’ve been doing the 200, 400, 800, 4×4 and 4×8. The 200 is my favorite race because you get it over with quick, and it’s fun because there are a lot more people competing in the event.” 

Q: What specific coaches have had the most impact on you and what have you learned from them?

A: “My favorite coach is the head coach Terry, my old bus driver. He noticed I was fast every day. I’d be late to the bus and that’s how I got into track. He’s taught me to be kind-hearted and inspires me to go the extra mile in the sport.” 

Q: Do you plan on playing track in college?

A: “I hope to get a scholarship for track at Texas A&M or Texas Southern, those are my dream colleges and it would be my second year here in Texas.”

Q: Have you ever traveled outside of your team’s city or state?

A: “I’ve been to nationals in Texas, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. We’ve also had regionals in a list of cities I can’t remember, but I like to experience the different environments every time we go travel.”

Q: What advice would you give someone who is just trying out for the relays you run? 

A: “For relays, I’d say you definitely want to have communication between your team. Being open is mandatory because you have to wait on people who are slower, but it’s equal because you can be in that position too. So it’s just really all about communication and determination.”

Q: Did you have a passion or interest for track before you were personally involved?

A: “Before no, I definitely wasn’t interested in any sport at all. I was just a little kid playing around that didn’t know anything about track.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about doing track at LHS since you’re not from here?

A: “I would say definitely the teammates and the coaches. The coaches here push us to have better sportsmanship between each other and motivate the team. The way practice is structured, I feel they’re really encouraging us to work together and push to our limits.”