Camar Wallace '24 Recruiting Profile

My first time playing a sport was the funniest thing ever for me. Running up and down the court with a basketball with kids the same skill level as me, happy and smiling Parents are watching and cheering. Coaches are not yelling, just smiling and watching everyone have fun. Then you grow up with the sport, and everything changes. Parents are yelling at you or the opposing team. Coaches are yelling at you to pass the ball or to shoot. Everyone is getting mad at each other. Just a mess. This was my sport, and I thought I loved basketball. Since 2016–2022, I have always thought this is my sport, and I love it very much. But that wasn’t the case. I mean, I enjoyed making shots and the hard work, even though I wasn't the best at it, but you can say that for the most part, I was playing for my friends. Not doing what I really want. Always getting disrespected from my "teammates or friends” My teammates would always yell or complain whenever I or anyone on the team made a little mistake, and later on, it would just be a struggle and tiring to deal with.

I ended up trying two new sports (soccer, track, and field) because, why not? I ended up liking both how we played as a team and how much we put in as a team. We didn't argue; we didn't fight against each other; we made our mistakes. Acknlowage them. We moved on and played like a team; we never let our heads down. We were never a winning team, but we were a team, and that was the only thing that mattered to us.

Our 2022 track team was phenomenal. Well, I mean, we didn't have any a Usain Bolts or Florance Gritth, but we were phenomenal as a team. Our coach was always on our backs, making sure we were working hard at every practice. Team, we put our blood, sweat, and tears into every practice to become better. This is when I knew this was my sport. Besides my other love and hobbies like computer science and cooking, This was my sport. The first race was April 8th, 2023, 100m race heat 3. I remember the race like it was yesterday. Heat 8: Everyone on the line exited while I looked pale and nervous. I had no intention to win. I began to think to myself, “What if I lose?" "What if I trip and fall and everyone laughs?" "What if I'm just not good enough?" "Why did I sign up for this?” I just wasn’t confident in myself. I could do it. Then it happened. “Runner on your mark,” my heart was pounding. Sweaty palms. I felt as if I was losing myself, and I didn't want to race any more. Then I thought to myself about my family,friends, and why I was here. “Get set.” This is it. This is the time where all my hard work comes together, and I give it my all. "GO.” I take off running as fast as I can. All I can think about is running as fast as the flash. I never knew what a track PR time was or didn’t even know about how winning went. But when you take your hard work and dedication, and you think about why and who you are doing this for. Anything is possible. Running Huffing and puffing. I just kept on going until the finish line. 1st place heat 3: 12.12. I know that isn’t the best time in track, but to me, that time felt like a life accomplishment. Something I did right once. Something I can get offers and recognition because I work harder than everyone else.

My team congratulated me on my first track time, which was good for a first-timer after that race. Now that I've run that time and learned more, I've been working harder and trying harder. My current PR is 11.68 since June, and I've been working harder ever since, so I can be great. I make sure my goals, like track and getting a bachelor's degree in computer science, are met by working hard and being who I am. As I said, when you have your friends, family, and a reason, there's always a reason to be great.